Getting to “Hell Yes!” with Dana Dunford: Why the Real Innovation in Proptech Starts with the Underdog 💬 “Fifty percent of it is just hard work. The other fifty percent is luck - right place, right time.” – Dana Dunford Dana Dunford didn’t come from real estate. She came from Apple, Nest and a spreadsheet full of rental headaches. That mix led her to launch Hemlane , a property management platform built not for the REITs but for the 72% of landlords who self-manage. 📦 These aren’t the folks on CoStar. 🏘️ They’re the ones managing duplexes from two time zones away. 🧠 And they’re the future of housing, if we give them better tools. What stood out most from our conversation: ✅ Innovation doesn’t trickle down. It bubbles up. ✅ If users won’t pay for it, it’s not solving their real problem. ✅ Don’t chase features, chase outcomes. ✅ And don’t build for logos, build for loyalty. 🔥 “You don’t start disruption from the top. You start at the bottom.” – Dana Dunford If you’re in proptech, SMB SaaS or just believe in the power of overlooked customers then this one’s for you. #proptech #startups #productstrategy #rentalhousing #hellyes #bootstrapped #founderjourney
