Nov 17, 2020
Summary: In this episode The Propcast talks
to Nicholas Schmidt of Blueprint Power, and Sonny Tai of Actuate AI
about how they moved from the Military into PropTech.
The Propcast by Louisa Dickins, Co-Founder of LMRE the leading
Global PropTech recruiter brought to you in partnership with UK
PropTech Association, The UK PropTech Association is a membership
organisation to drive the digital transformation of the property
industry. This show will focus on connecting the PropTechs, real
estate funds and VC’s globally…and get everyone talking about
innovation of the build to rent environment.
About Our Host
Louisa Dickins
Louisa started her career in property working at a well-known
estate agency in London. Realising her people skills, she moved
over to Lloyd May to pursue a career in recruitment. She now is a
Director at LMRE, who are a specialist recruitment firm driven by
PropTech and recruitment professionals, and Louisa oversees their 5
core areas. Louisa co-founded LMRE and provides a constructive
recruitment platform to the new disruptors in real estate. Louisa
is also on the board of Directors at UK PropTech Association
(UKPA).
About LMRE
LMRE believe there is a better way to recruit. LMRE focus on a
more comprehensive, client led focus delivering exceptional talent
to the right place at the right time. They are passionate about the
industry and passionate about people's careers. LMRE spend time
with each client to become and an extension of the business, and
their transparency and core values help them grow with the sector.
LMRE simplify recruitment and innovate with our clients and evolve
the people driven, PropTech community.
About Our Guests
Nicholas Schmidt
Nicholas is a proven entrepreneurial executive, with extensive
expertise in leading high-performing teams that design, engineer,
and deliver multi-faceted solutions. His knowledge includes
managing complex integration projects, performing unique R&D
projects, as well as creating quick reaction capabilities for
clients. He is the CIO of Blueprint Power, which is a New York City
based tech company whose mission is to accelerate the growth and
financial sustainability of distributed intelligent clean energy,
by helping regional groups or real estate companies transform their
portfolios into power plants. Nicholas's background spans both
military and corporate solutions in North America, South America,
Europe, Africa, and the Middle East with globally dispersed teams.
After serving in the United States Air Force, he has worked in a
variety of roles to include Co-founder and Entrepreneur, as well as
Chief Engineer at companies such as Boeing.
Sonny Tai
Sonny is the CEO and co-founder of Actuate, an AI company that
builds software that turns existing security cameras into smart
cameras. Prior to founding Actuate, Sonny served as a captain in
the United States Marine corps, where he led anti terrorism, force
protection, planning and training. After the Marine Corps, Sonny
helped corporate executives solve their most challenging growth and
operational problems in strategic advisory. Sonny graduated with BA
from the University of Illinois, and has an MBA from the University
of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Companies mentioned
CBRE
Resources mentioned
LMRE website www.lmre.co.uk
UKPA website www.ukpa.com
Blueprint Power www.blueprintpower.com
Actuate AI www.actuate.ai
Insights From This Episode
- I think the biggest lesson that I brought over from the military… was to get as much information as you can and charge the hill. So not to necessarily fall into just analysing an issue over and over again, but trust your gut and go forward - Nicholas Schmidt
- A good decision executed assertively now is better than a perfect decision executed 10 minutes later, or a week later - Sonny Tai
- I find that in the private sector, some people tend to micromanage. And that's something that I've learned not to do in building this company - Sonny Tai
- I think finding that curiosity in somebody and seeing the passion that they want to learn what you're talking about, is in some ways better than having a tonne of background and experience in something - Nicholas Schmidt
- You want to hire people that are not averse to doing the things that it takes for your organisation to be successful. - Sonny Tai
- Being able to build a team and mentor that team and watch it grow and shape and change as a leader just an incredibly rewarding thing - Nicholas Schmidt
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