In this episode, Sunny Ray talks with Matthew, founder and CEO of Building Inc, about the future of programmable buildings and smarter cities. Matthew explains how he moved from day trading into real estate investment before founding a marketplace for fractional property ownership, and how the challenges he saw there, opacity, mistrust, and fragmented data, led him to start Building Inc, a company focused on organizing and verifying property data using blockchain for trust and AI for automation. The conversation covers what smarter cities could look like in the next fifteen to twenty years, why prop tech and web3 have struggled to gain traction in real estate, and how robotics is already reshaping construction and building maintenance in countries like China. Matthew also shares a personal story about a moment in a Dubai hotel room where he confronted doubts about his age and experience and recommitted to his identity as a founder. The episode blends technical vision with candid reflection on entrepreneurship and industry credibility.
Building Inc's CEO explains how blockchain and AI could make buildings programmable and cities smarter within decades.
Can you tell us about your company and your story from the beginning?
I started six years ago in real estate investment after leaving day trading, building a marketplace for fractional commercial property ownership. It was tough as a startup and deals fell through, which showed me real estate has deep opacity and trust problems. Two years ago I founded Building Inc, where I'm president and CEO, to organize, verify, and deliver property data between stakeholders using blockchain and AI.
What is your vision for smarter cities, and what might life look like ten to fifteen years from now?
I'm careful about the capital S Smart Cities idea because people imagine dystopian boxes. I prefer smarter cities, where we first fix bad urban planning incentives before layering on technology. I've traveled globally and seen both poorly and well designed cities. Over the next fifteen to twenty years I want sensors, digital twins, AI, and blockchain woven in responsibly, always improving quality of life rather than enabling surveillance.
Why do you think prop tech and web3 haven't taken off in real estate despite years of hype?
A lot of technology is expensive and people can't justify how it actually improves the building or the end user. Many prop tech solutions exist because they're novel, not because they solve real problems. I focused on identifying critical issues, especially around missing data, since data becomes information and information drives decisions. That's why I applied blockchain for trustless verification and AI for automating monotonous tasks.
Do you see robots building these smart cities in the future, or is that still far off sci-fi?
It's already happening in small instances, and China is furthest ahead. They use robots in high-risk construction scenarios to prevent injuries, plus robot janitors and hotel door service. Their self-driving cars communicate with stoplights and buildings, though sometimes hilariously, like driving straight through spilled oranges because they weren't trained to recognize them. The US talks about robotics more than it implements it.
There's a story about you in a hotel room in Dubai straightening your tie after an industry event. What crystallized for you in that moment?
I was dealing with older industry veterans dismissing me because of my age, saying nobody would listen to me. After six years and 2,190 days building businesses, earning global speaking invitations and guest lecturing at universities, I realized I'd become the executive I wanted to be. I decided not to let others project their insecurities onto me and recommitted to building with confidence.
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