Matthew Maltzoff – Vulnerability as a Superpower: The story of PropTech Connect

Doing the Opposite x PropTech Connect is a mini-series celebrating Europe’s largest real estate tech event. In this episode Jeff Dewing speaks to PropTech Connect’s Founder and CEO, Matthew Maltzoff. Matthew shares his incredible journey from running a meal delivery startup during COVID to founding Europe's largest PropTech event. Defying conventional wisdom about industry expertise, his refreshing perspective reveals how knowing nothing about real estate or events became his greatest advantage. When getting started with the event, Matthew’s approach was to ask "How big could it be on the first go?" – setting targets that industry veterans might have dismissed as impossible. Matthew admits that what some may have seen as naivety became his greatest asset: “Because we didn't even know that this was a ridiculous thing, we just figured, well, how will we do this? Failure wasn't really an option” Matthew says. What makes Matthew's approach particularly inspirational is his commitment to vulnerability and genuine curiosity. Rather than pretending to have all the answers, he asks fundamental questions about what really matters to the built environment: "How does this make the building more valuable? How does this improve the tenant experience?" This focus on essentials cuts through the noise of "nice-to-have" technologies that don't address core industry needs. Matthew highlights a significant shift he’s witnessing in real estate – the move from authoritarian landlord-tenant relationships to collaborative partnerships where property owners ask, "What do you need? What can we do better?". This vulnerability-based leadership creates environments where people feel safe to admit what they don't know and work together on solutions. A huge thank you to everyone who was part of this year’s Proptech Connect Europe 0:00 Introduction to Matthew Maltzoff 2:24 Matthew's Unconventional Background 9:22 Starting with No Industry Knowledge 18:08 Creating Europe's Largest PropTech Event 27:13 Collaboration and Innovation in Real Estate 32:33 The Elephant in the Room for PropTech