There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the CompStak office as of late. We are revamping many of our processes, relaunching a new version of the site, looking to raise series B investment, and putting a lot of thought and experimentation into how we connect with our users, potential users, and clients. It was the latter that made us realize we want to give back — and, so we are. We are officially launching our new blog to do just that: entertain, inform, and teach. We want you to learn from our mistakes and help us celebrate victories as we navigate through the complex world of CRE.
You might want to buckle in — it could be a bumpy ride.
DAVID AND GOLIATH
Published on June 27
Here at CompStak, we’ve had an exciting few months. We just launched our 12th market. We moved offices to accommodate our growing team (we’re still hiring, by the way!). We got into a bit of a tiff with another commercial real estate data provider — the largest in the world, actually. We got a ping pong table…Anyway, all of this change has led to some moments of reflection on why we do what we do.
CompStak was built to solve a problem for commercial real estate professionals.
Currently, the CRE data industry is inefficient and bogged down by monopolistic forces. As a result, accurate CRE information is difficult to come by and wildly expensive. We started with a simple premise to change that. On CompStak, if you help us populate our database with the information you have, you can get the information that you need. It’s fair. It’s fast. It’s free.
It’s also entirely different from the way established CRE data providers run their businesses. And they’ve started to take notice.
When we discussed all of this during our retreat last month, someone brought up the story of David and Goliath. You know how it goes: David, the shepherd who just happened to be good with a sling, pitted against Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, in a match to the death. The plot sounded all too familiar.
Of course, if you know how the story ends, there’s no reason to get worried.
Sure, Goliath was an expert warrior while David was an untrained sheep herder. However, before the fight even began, David fell Goliath with a stone. Goliath’s strengths were turned against him the moment David reached for his sling.
Why does this story still resonate so well today?
Because it reminds us that the same qualities that give the Goliaths of the world great strength are often the sources of great weakness.
Today, we’re relaunching our blog in honor of all of the Davids out there. We will document how CRE professionals, startups, and established companies fight to innovate in the inefficient, monopoly-ridden industry of commercial real estate. And how sometimes the most unlikely challenger is best positioned to push the industry forward.
Stick with us to read about:
- Venture capital’s lagging interest in the CRE industry
- The story of a tenant in our building who struggled to find space (despite all the technology and resources at their fingertips)
- The vast differences between CRE in each market, and how this impedes innovation
- CompStak’s grassroots approach to growth
- And more!
Written by:
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David Peterson works as an Expansion Hacker, blazing the way for CompStak to enter new markets. Before joining CompStak, David spent 4 years in the wilderness of New Hampshire at Dartmouth College and 3 years in the multi-colored ball pit otherwise known as Google. In his free time, you can find David cooking, talking policy or binge watching Netflix. |
