We talk with Rafael Weiss, CEO of Sytes, about why commercial real estate deals stall when tenant demand stays hidden inside inboxes and personal networks. We share how a marketplace model, disciplined pricing, and targeted AI automation can turn site selection into a faster, cleaner pipeline for tenants, brokers, landlords, and developers.
• defining proptech as software for real estate and why some models falter
• why “can we build it” is different from “should we run it”
• Rafael’s background in music and how content builds early traction
• hiking the Appalachian Trail and resetting career direction
• how Sytes starts with an MVP and wins region by region
• the core problem of noise in site submissions and slow information velocity
• making tenant intent visible so reps filter faster and close more deals
• why charging tenants drives adoption and better response behavior
• how Rio AI automates email intake, missing info requests, and CRM-like workflows
• the moat of marketplace network effects and proprietary data
• what’s next: prospecting beyond the platform and portfolio-level matching
• macro pressure from scarcity, high construction costs, and tight supply

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