Very smart move. I had only attended Blueprint twice, but it was clear that there was a broader world of proptech that wasn’t being addressed by Inman or other real estate conferences and news sites. Blueprint covers a wide range of proptech companies, including innovations in how homes and buildings are constructed. It also attracted more of the venture/investor crowd, with a designated area where founders and entrepreneurs could pitch directly to potential investors.

When I attended the Blueprint conference last September, I ran into Emily Paquette, CEO of Inman, walking the trade show floor. She stopped, said hello, and we talked for a bit. At the time, I thought she was just scoping out the potential competition. In hindsight, with the residential side in such turmoil, it’s easy to see why Inman and their private equity partner, Beringer Capital, were ready to make expand their customer base and make an investment.