PropTech Talks

Recorded in July 2026, while the Government's direction on City Plan 2040 was still in force. On 24 September 2026, independent inspectors backed the City Corporation's approach to tall buildings around the Tower of London, and the Government withdrew the direction. The Plan is on track for adoption by the end of the year. 

In the feature episode of the PropTech Talks Summer '26 Series, I spoke with Tom Sleigh, Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee for the City of London Corporation. Tom spent two decades navigating highly regulated corporate environments, serving as Chief of Staff at Lloyds Banking Group and Chief Adviser to the COO at the BBC, and driving expansion at Amazon Business UK and fintech unicorn Raisin, before dedicating his focus to civic governance. He bridges private sector commercial execution with public sector policy as an independent Common Councillor of the City of London Corporation, Co-Chair of the Mayor of London's Cultural Leadership Board, and former Chairman of the Barbican Centre.

Now leading the Square Mile's statutory planning authority, Tom helps command one of the most dynamic and densely developed planning jurisdictions in the world. The Corporation acts as a strategic intermediary, connecting global real estate institutional investors and developers with a predictable framework for growth. In his role, Tom convenes major property players and world-class architects to deploy high-performance spatial and structural solutions across London's financial engine.

The City of London stands as a global powerhouse, contributing £109B annually to the UK economy and generating roughly 12% of national taxes. Having cleared c.£3B in new developments during his first year as Chair, the Corporation's forward-thinking governance recently contributed to London's designation as the 2026 Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Laureate, where its Destination City strategy was cited in the jury's assessment, while advancing a construction pipeline of at least 1.2 million square metres of new office stock by 2040.

Tune in to this session to gain insights on:

- The structural shift from speculative building to premium asset optimisation directly impacting NOI.

- Why public authorities and corporate tenants must prioritise systemic data and cyber resilience over pure aesthetics.

- The commercial opportunity inside City Plan 2040's “retrofit-first” framework.

- The death of the traditional “slow public sector” myth for modern real estate developers and tech entrepreneurs.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/

Dan Smith is the Chief Business Officer of VerbaFlo.AI 

VerbaFlo.AI is redefining real estate management with an AI-driven communications platform and CRM  that empowers ‍professionals to optimize operations by automating leasing, renewals, resident support, and outbound campaigns across different channels in a unified platform, currently already powering over 20% of the UK’s PBSA market, with over 200,000 units live. 

Before joining VerbaFlo, Dan started his career in the student accommodation market as the Sales and Marketing Director at Nido Living, an international property management company, where he led the company as it expanded from 4 to 120 people over 18 months. He later founded  RESI Consultancy, a strategic consultancy and advisory for the residential living sectors, working with operators and investors to deliver efficiencies and best practice across property and portfolio performance. 

Tune in to this session to gain insights into:

• Importance of selling from within; 
• Advice for real estate executives looking to adopt tech;
• The careful balance between streamlining and human connection for operators;
• The unique nature of approaching selling an AI system;

And so much more!

Interviews with inspiring Founders, Investors, and Real Estate Executives will be shared weekly on this podcast series - follow the PropTech Talks interview series and stay tuned!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/

Alexander Engelfried is the Co-Founder & Managing Director of FairFleet. 

FairFleet is a leading provider of insights that help asset managers, operators, and owners identify critical issues, cut their costs, and optimize their portfolios through data capturing and analysis using advanced aerial and drone solutions. With more than 5,000 certified, insured, and professionally trained drone pilots in over 100 countries, FairFleet is the largest European drone network, trusted by clients such as JLL, CBRE, AWS, Nokia, and Allianz.

Prior to FairFleet, Alexander had gained a strong financial background, working at Deutsche Börse Group, one of the world’s leading exchange organisations, as well as achieving a degree in International Management Accounting and Finance from the IU International University of Applied Sciences. Alexander acts as FairFleets' leader, continuously pushing boundaries of innovation using his strong analytical background. 

Tune in to this session to gain insights into:

• The importance of data value over volume;
• Approaching reluctant clients;
• How forward-thinking owners are including innovation at the centre of their contracts with facilities managers to drive value;
• The importance of learning from failure;
• The importance of identifying the optimal market; 

And so much more!

Interviews with inspiring Founders, Investors, and Real Estate Executives will be shared weekly on this podcast series - follow the PropTech Talks interview series and stay tuned!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/

Andreas Kozma is the Founder and CEO of iREMS International AG.

iREMS is a data-centric Asset and Property Management platform designed for large, international portfolios of landlords, developers, and service providers. It offers a fully integrated, end-to-end solution for clients such as CBRE, Adventum, Avison and Young, and PwC, helping them standardise operations, create efficiencies, and ensure quality control. 

Andreas has always been driven by tech and case-based solutions, having developed an ERP system for a Fortune 500 chemical company at the start of his career. Prior to iREMS, he has further worked for Deloitte & Touche Central Europe on large-scale IT system implementations throughout the region. During his tenure, Andreas successfully concluded business transformation and digitalization projects, showcasing his expertise in organizational development and change management. 

Tune in to this session to gain insights into:

• The importance of top-down data governance;
• Process of implementation of a new data strategy; 
• The issue of product complexity;
• Getting the data strategy right: case study;

And so much more!

Interviews with inspiring Founders, Investors, and Real Estate Executives will be shared weekly on this podcast series - follow the PropTech Talks interview series and stay tuned!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/

Natan Lempert is the Co-Founder and CEO of Built AI.

Built AI is transforming how real estate firms underwrite deals and manage assets. The advanced AI platform converts investment brochures into live financial models in minutes, eliminating hours of manual work and reducing costly errors.

Before founding Built AI, Natan started his career in Investment Banking at Citigroup, advising on over $20 billion of transactions across M&A, debt, and equity capital markets. He later entered the real estate industry with Benson Elliot, focusing primarily on value-add strategies across Europe, and played a key role in the strategic asset management of the firm’s Spanish portfolio. As his last position before starting Built AI, Natan joined an investment management firm backed by Asian capital as the first employee, and grew the firm’s assets under management from 0 to over $2.5 billion.

Tune in to this session to gain insights into:

• Gain insights on how leading funds will continue to change their strategy for underwriting deals; 
• Value-adding strategies for AI; 
• The "Darwinistic" shift in technology adoption;
• How technology actually increases human connections;
• How investors will forecast exits in the future;
• Unmatched opportunities in the Middle East today;

And so much more!

Interviews with inspiring Founders, Investors, and Real Estate Executives will be shared weekly on this podcast series - follow the PropTech Talks interview series and stay tuned!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/

Christian Hernandez Gallardo is Co-Founder and a Partner at 2150.

2150, a leading Venture Capital firm with 500m under management across Fund I, II and SPVs, invests in tech companies that seek to sustainably reimagine and reshape cities and the industries that power them.

Prior to co-founding 2150, Christian held leadership roles through the hyper-growth phases of some of the world’s largest technology companies, notably as head of international business development at Facebook and head of new markets at Google. Christian began his career developing systems of intelligence in the early days of "big data," and later co-founded White Star Capital, a global VC firm with over $1 billion in assets under management. He is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and holds a BA in Economics from Duke University and an MBA from The Wharton School.

Tune in to this session to gain insights into:

• Where the global mindset around climate tech is going;
• Crucial traits to look for when selecting climate tech founders;
• The right time to bring in commercial leadership;
• The concept of Gigacorns;
• Christian’s advice for entrepreneurs;
• The difference between adaptation and mitigation;
• Where adaptation is already showing returns;
• What’s next for 2150;

And so much more!

Interviews with inspiring Founders, Investors, and Real Estate Executives will be shared weekly on this podcast series - follow the PropTech Talks interview series and stay tuned!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/

Roger Wahl is the Global Chief Technology Officer at Innovo Group.

Innovo Group is an industry leader in construction and innovation across the built environment. Innovo Group delivers major real estate and infrastructure projects across four continents through cutting-edge design, engineering, construction, development, and financing.

Roger Wahl has over 30 years of technology leadership experience across multiple continents and industries, including roles in the United States Air Force, General Electric, and global engineering and construction firms, where he led digital transformation strategies focused on core technology, data, automation, and emerging technologies. As Chief Technology Officer at Innovo Group, he is leading the Digital Transformation of a Global Group of Companies, focussing on Process Excellence, Automation, and Innovation including Digital Twin, 3D AI, Robotics, IoT and more, and producing meaningful and insightful data.

Tune in to this session to gain insights into:

• How AI is reshaping the real estate and construction lifecycle;
• How to embed technology into company culture;
• How new entrepreneurs can beat the competition by commercialising as soon as possible;
• How top real estate firms are leveraging digital twins and data-driven platforms to enable predictive building management;

And so much more!

Interviews with inspiring Founders, Investors, and Real Estate Executives will be shared weekly on this podcast series - follow the PropTech Talks interview series and stay tuned!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/

Richard Corbridge is SEGRO plc’s first ever Chief Information Officer.

SEGRO is a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), and a leading owner, asset manager and developer of modern warehousing and industrial property, with a portfolio of 10.3 million square metres valued at £20.3 billion.

Richard has over 25 years of experience in digital and technology leadership roles across the public and private sectors. He previously served as Director General for Digital at the UK Department for Work and Pensions, where he managed technology and data operations across 850 Job Centres and oversaw major national payment and benefits systems. He also held CIO roles at Boots UK and the Health Service Executive in Ireland, leading various digital transformation projects. In November 2024, he was appointed as the first-ever Chief Information Officer at SEGRO plc, where he is responsible for delivering the company’s digital and technology strategy to enhance operational efficiency, customer experience, and sustainable growth.

Tune in to this session to gain insights into:

• How to lead people-first digital transformation;
• How to approach legacy data challenges in a rapidly evolving industry;
• How to navigate the build vs. buy dilemma in enterprise tech;
• How to cut through the noise and identify the right tech solutions;
• How to think about AI’s role in reshaping work;
• The role of digital governance in setting the right priorities;

And so much more!

Interviews with inspiring Founders, Investors, and Real Estate Executives will be shared weekly on this podcast series - follow the PropTech Talks interview series and stay tuned!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/

Benjamin Günther is the CEO and Founder of Alasco.

Alasco is the only integrated solution for financial and sustainability management tailored to real estate asset managers, owners, and developers—empowering over 300 leading firms like Hines, Invesco, and Patrizia to plan and execute high-impact sustainability strategies, optimize CapEx, and drive profitable, future-proof investments through its platform.

Before founding Alasco, he was the CEO and Founder of Stylight, Europe’s leading fashion aggregator, which was successfully sold to ProSiebenSat.1. He also served as a board member at Personio, the leading HR and recruiting software for small and medium-sized businesses in Europe. As a Founding Angel Investor at regulate and a member of Founders Pledge, Benjamin combines entrepreneurial success with a commitment to impactful, tech-driven innovation.

Tune in to this session to gain insights into:

• How to quantify the ROI of ESG investments;
• Why data-driven sustainability planning reduces unnecessary CapEx;
• How regulatory changes like the Omnibus Directive are shaping asset management strategies;
• How AI is being practically applied in real estate for tasks like document handling, budget tracking, and predictive risk management;

And so much more!

Interviews with inspiring Founders, Investors, and Real Estate Executives will be shared weekly on this podcast series - follow the PropTech Talks interview series and stay tuned!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/

Matt Ellis is the CEO and Co-Founder of Measurabl.

Measurabl is the world’s most widely adopted sustainability data management platform for commercial real estate, which tracks performance for over 18 billion square feet of property representing more than $3 trillion AUM (USD) across 93 countries.

Prior to founding Measurabl, Matt led CBRE’s Sustainability Practice Group in the Western U.S., implemented the company’s global carbon neutrality program, and served as its first Director of Sustainability Solutions. With expertise in sustainability reporting, corporate real estate, and carbon accounting, Matt has played a key role in advancing ESG transparency and compliance in the real estate industry.

Tune in to this session to gain insights into:

• Enabling more profitable real estate businesses using sustainability;
• Leveraging change as an asset;
• Building and scaling a PropTech startup and adapting to industry shifts;
• Enabling tech with tech;
• The biggest mistake solution providers make when solving for sustainability;
• New opportunities to maximise asset value in commercial real estate;

And so much more!

Interviews with inspiring Founders, Investors, and Real Estate Executives will be shared weekly on this podcast series - follow the PropTech Talks interview series and stay tuned!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-maltzoff/