Why agents should participate in a pitch battle in 2026

When you’re attending a real estate conference, do you walk through the expo floor or attend any of the sponsored sessions where proptech founders pitch their products? If not, you’re missing out on more than the latest tech; you’re missing out on a glimpse at how the next wave of founders see the industry.

Even if you don’t think of yourself as a tech nerd, gathering intel on how forward-thinking industry leaders are viewing buyer behavior, workflow friction, emerging trends and agent pain points is a valuable use of your time.

Tech isn’t just about gadgets and apps. It’s about understanding where consumer expectations are headed next. The future of real estate is embedded in the problems founders are trying to solve and the feedback they’re gathering as they launch and promote their products.

Pitch battles, startup alleys and demo stages are where you’ll find the future before it comes mainstream. In addition, it’s where you’ll encounter founders whose stories offer insight and inspiration for the next stage of your entrepreneurial journey.

Why founders see things agents can’t (yet)

In the months and years of pre-launch ideation and building, proptech founders spend their time interviewing agents, consumers, lenders, inspectors and more, mapping inefficiencies and adding context and clarity to the things they’re learning through these conversations.

While legacy tech companies tend to iterate on pre-existing solutions, emerging founders reinvent the wheel, offering new ways to think about pain points and goals. In my conversations with founders, I’ve found that they don’t just explain their product; they give me a blueprint of where the industry is already heading, long before most people notice.

What to ask founders (so you learn something useful)

If you get the chance to chat up a proptech founder, you may be wondering what to ask — especially if you’re new to the tech space. Here are some questions to help you start a valuable conversation.

• “What problem convinced you this company needed to exist?” This question reveals whether the founder understands agent reality versus abstract market theory.
• “Where in the workflow does your tool save the most time?” This question cuts through hype to operational value.
• “What are you hearing from consumers that agents aren’t paying enough attention to?” This question offers pure gold for audience behavior insights.
• “What roadblock are you solving that legacy companies have ignored?” This can help you understand the gap between old systems and new ones.
• “If an agent never bought your product, what would you still want them to learn from your research?” This is a great question for extracting trend insights without a sales pitch.

5 reasons you should attend a pitch battle in 2026

If you think of yourself as “not much of a tech person,” I’m going to challenge you to get out there and look for opportunities to connect with tech next year, whether it’s during a conference or pitch event. 

For example, next time you’re at an Inman event and a tech-focused sponsor gets onstage to talk about their product, stay in the room and really listen. Here’s why:

1. You’ll see problems before they become your problems. Founders surface pain points that agents may not realize are systemic.
2. You’ll hear how outsiders interpret the transaction. Gain insight into consumer psychology from people building for it.
3. You can evaluate which trends are hype versus durable. A five-minute pitch teaches you more about a trend’s staying power than a hundred marketing emails.
4. You’ll build relationships with the people shaping what your tools will look like in a year. Early connections often lead to early adopter opportunities, advisory roles or customizations.
5. You’ll sharpen your own strategic thinking. Listening to pitches forces you to articulate what actually slows you down and why.

Remember, you’re constantly pitching your own services, so seeing how these founders pitch their product offers you insight into effective presentations. Pay attention to what gets your attention, what’s convincing, what’s not: It all provides fodder for developing your own elevator pitch.

The future is built in conversations

The next evolution in real estate won’t start with a big launch. It will start with founders who are still working out the kinks in their pitch deck and presentation. Show up early and have conversations to get smarter faster and to stay ahead of shifts instead of reacting to them.

Want to know where the industry’s going? Go where the builders are. Even if you don’t adopt any new tools, you’ll rethink and refine how you run your business. You’ll experience fewer surprises because you’ll already have one foot in the future.