AssetTech Pioneer Pepper Names Romi Mahajan as President

To read the full release go here

Q: We just saw the announcement. Congratulations on joining Pepper as President.

A: Thanks Paul. I am thrilled to have the trust and faith reposed in me by the Founding team at Pepper, specifically CEO Pulak Sinha. Pepper is an important part of the AssetTech ecosystem, and has in fact been a pioneer in the space so I don’t take this mantle lightly.

Q: Tell us a bit more about Pepper’s plans- how is 2023 shaping up?

A: Pepper has been commercially active for a short time only- just a few years. The platform was developed to de-risk customers, partners, and investors. CTO Jaskaran Singh is a world-class architect and technologist and CEO Pulak Sinha knows more about the industry than I will ever. They tailor made the platform for Asset Managers, especially in Alts, Secondaries, Private Markets, and so on. They built it in conjunction with some large customers and now we’ve unleashed the Kraken. So 2023 looks, well, very buoyant.

Well we are super excited to see where you take Pepper from here!

1. Angela you have a storied career in Asset Management. What are the biggest opportunities in that space now?

There is more interest now than anytime I have seen to make an impact through investing. It is relatively easy to deploy capital into impact strategies that are tied to specific firms and funds. For example, it is fairly straightforward to find an S&P500 impact fund that is designed around specific metrics such as net-zero carbon.. The real opportunity, however, is in direct investing in specific impact assets. There is a very real demand for capital in global infrastructure assets that are needed for real environment and social improvement.

2. Similarly, what are the biggest challenges?

The biggest challenge I think is to be creative and more long-term focused on asset management. It is very difficult to get stakeholders and shareholders alike to show the patience and effort needed to deploy capital in meaningful ways, likely forgoing current returns in order to make a much bigger long-term return and impact.

3. Data. How does data play a role in producing ROI in Asset and Investment Management and is the industry adept at harnessing data? What are the learnings here?

Data has the ability to play a significant role in producing ROI because it can really help inform trends for long-term returns. The industry is incredibly adept at harnessing data and making short term determinations. I think they are much more challenged at looking longer term, looking for directional trends and seeing past short term impacts. Finally, understanding the data can highlight underlying risks that impact returns which in turn allows a manager to more actively hedge against those risks, adding to ROI.

4. You have recently joined Pepper as an Advisory Board member. Can you help us with the value proposition there and how it fits into the future of Asset Management.

The platform Pepper has built fills a huge gap in the asset management space. As owners and managers of alternative asset portfolios, data comes from all different sources and systems. Often these different data sources, whether an electronic feed or a PDF document, need to have data loaded manually into a customized system that is not integrated with other risk and portfolio management systems. Pepper provides a platform that allows managers to analyze comprehensive data and gain an understanding of where risk exposures lie and inform any gaps in a portfolio, giving the manager the space and information to invest anew. This information absolutely increases the value of the portfolio as a manager can lean into the risk measures, de-risk where one needs to without necessarily giving up return.

5. Alternatives and Secondaries are burgeoning areas within Asset Management. What are the unique opportunities there in the next five years?

Alternatives and secondaries have changed so much in recent years. When I started with Alaska in 2015, the idea of evaluating the portfolio, selling certain assets and pivoting the alternatives allocation was the exception not the rule. Since then, the idea has gained traction and more asset owners are using the secondaries tool to more actively manage their portfolios. Over the next 5 years, especially if you see asset owners struggling with liquidity and total fund overweights due to down public markets, secondaries are going to be a key to staying invested in alternatives. Lower valuations will allow for many opportunities to those that have cash and asset allocation to invest.

6. Can you comment on the industry as a whole and its relationship to technology? Is Asset and Investment Management tech forward or a laggard?

I think overall asset and investment management is tech laggard. Asset & investment management is still a relationship business and we tend to adopt new tech reluctantly. I continue to see many opportunities for tech to significantly reduce transaction friction and increase price transparency – especially in the alternative, private space.

7. Pls share some parting thoughts with us.

The sheer volume of data today can be overwhelming and difficult to use and interpret with regard to investing. I think those managers that are going to be successful, impactful investors are the ones that are willing to be creative in their data usage, e.g. looking at nontraditional data points to inform potential future performance of an asset, but will only be as good as their data sets.

We caught up with Min Alexander, CEO of PunchListUSA.

Marketing Darwinism: Min, you are the CEO and Co-Founder of PunchListUSA. Tell us more about your mission there.

Min Alexander: We have a mission to make homeownership possible for as many as possible and to empower homeowners to maximize the value of their investment throughout the home-owning life-cycle. For us, the inspection report is a font of knowledge, from which we can derive a lot of information not only about the house in its current state but also in its future state. Helping homeowners understand this and, further, provide a tailored roadmap of ownership– for proper maintenance, repairs and improvements is our mission.

Marketing Darwinism: So for you the inspection is the pivot point for homeowners?

Min Alexander: Yes, it is. It’s almost like a “23 and Me” for a House. We utilize the current condition of the home, materials used for construction and ages of the major systems, among 400+ other data points to help homeowners to better understand, plan and manage the requirements to preserve and grow equity.

Marketing Darwinism: How does this fit into the crisis of home affordability in the US?

Min Alexander: Home affordability is a multi-pronged problem. Part of it is of course wrapped up in rising house prices, rising interest rates, and the need for high down payments. But part of it is also the ongoing cost of maintenance, which is roughly $4,000 each year for an average home. These routine costs do not include emergency repairs and replacement of major systems like HVAC and water heaters. We are here to help homeowners manage and plan for the full needs of their home. This solves part of the problem to ensure that homeownership is sustainable.

Marketing Darwinism: For our Marketing audience, how do you think about Marketing in general as you develop PLUSA’s plans?

Min Alexander: We very much believe in Marketing and it is a core competency for our retail business– as an emerging home services marketplace. First of all, our reputation and brand management are paramount. We are a technology in the business of repairing and improving people’s homes. This is a personal experience built on trust. Second, our omni-channel marketing strategies reflect both digital and analog components of our business. Sourcing, acquisition and ordering are online with field marketing and delivery at a local level. Third, personalized journeys and customized content based on the needs of each home will continue to be our focus. We are constantly learning and adding services and we need to stay in the circles of influence to test, refine, and excite.

Marketing Darwinism: What is your prognosis for the Housing Market?

Min Alexander: We’ve had years of unprecedented gain. Even with a slowdown, economic conditions and market conditions make it hard for many people to manage. Housing is a key industry and has to be figured into regulatory planning. We also need to help people find financial pathways to homeownership.

Marketing Darwinism: Any parting thoughts?

Min Alexander: Homeownership is simple to dream but complex to manage without stress. We love and invite feedback on our technology and offering for continuous improvement. Let us know what you think

Marketing Darwinism:  Mayank, ITILITE is on a fast track of late.  Can you tell us what is going on?

Mayank:  Paul, thanks.  We are growing rapidly- in fact we’ve grown 5X, but want to remain focused and humble and not let the success get to us.  The world of corporate travel is back with a vengeance as latent demand built during the pandemic and is expressing itself now.  Commerce, trade, travel- they are all back!  With travel comes expense management and with all of that comes a decision – whether organizations want to make it easy or complex.  We help them make it easy and generate ROI simultaneously and as a result, they have cottoned on.

Marketing Darwinism:  Everyone has experienced issues with corporate travel booking and with filing expenses related to travel.  What are the main problems to solve?

Mayank:  You spotted the issue correctly.  Very few users are happy with their organization’s travel and expense management systems.  They are often disconnected and unwieldy.  They lead to a dearth of choices, sub-optimal travel, locked-in routes, and piecemeal and error-prone expense management.  Further, they create a burden on the entire company.  Offering choices to users within a framework that can be managed, offering integration, and one-stop shopping to users is proven to generate efficiency and ROI from day one.  We identified the issue and corrected it and our customers are very happy right now.

Marketing Darwinism: You managed to grow even during the pandemic years.  What is your secret sauce?

Mayank:  To be honest, our team held strong and believed that as the world recovered, we’d be there supporting that recovery. It is testament to our customers, our team, our investors, and our own belief in what we’re doing. That is what got us through the “tough years” with high marks and growth.

Marketing Darwinism: Travel is a global concept.  Did you set out to build a global company?

Mayank:  We are lucky to have hundreds of customers from all reaches of the globe.  Cloud-native solutions are easy to use from anywhere and the phenomenon of corporate travel and expense management is a universal need.  We are proud of our team’s focus and innovation and are grateful for all of our world-wide customers and partners.  We did set out to build a global brand and we feel we’ve executed well on that proposition.

Marketing Darwinism:  What are your predictions for 2022-2025?

Mayank:  We see companies employing a great deal of ingenuity in how they manage corporate travel.  We know that face to face interactions fuel commerce, that events are still hot, and that businesses are budgeting for an upswing in travel.  There are always going to be glitches and temporary issues but we see a secular path upward.  We will continue to innovate, to try to win markets, and to delight customers, and partners.

In an earlier article, Marketing Darwinism spoke to Pulak Sinha, Founder and CEO of Pepper.  Since we spoke with Pulak, the company has done some incredible things.  We enjoy watching the evolution and growth of those we’ve covered before.  

Marketing Darwinism:  Pulak, some amazing things are going on.  Tell us a bit about developments.

Pulak Sinha:  Thanks Paul.  There are many things to say but I’ll restrict it to three.  First of all, we couldn’t be happier with our customers.  They are amazing “partners” in the business and tell us that they are realizing real value very quickly from the Pepper platform.  As they take on new workloads, they are able to do so seamlessly and get to ROI in record time.  Nothing makes us happier.  Second, we are happy to announce that as of January 2022, we have over $6 billion on the platform, which is testament to the efforts of our team and the intense partnerships I referred to above.  Finally, we are happy to be able to announce our “Pepper Inside” campaign with you.  Please look for our ads on LinkedIn and elsewhere and check out our website for our benefits statement- how Asset Management and related companies can benefit from “Pepper Inside.”

Marketing Darwinism: Superb updates. Congrats on the $6 Billion.  What’s next?

Pulak Sinha: We are focused like a laser now.  We want to get more companies on our platform but also to deepen our footprint/partnerships with existing customers.  We built a platform for a reason- not to just offer one point solution and then be done.  We are talking full life-cycle, cross-workload stuff- truly a platform.  2022 is the year of the platform and “Pepper Inside.”

Marketing Darwinism: You’ve helped coin the term “AssetTech” as a sub-area of FinTech.  Tell us more.

Pulak Sinha: Paul, the numbers are just staggering.  PwC estimates that approximately $120 trillion is managed world-wide by Asset Managers.  $120 trillion!  This area dwarves so many others that get more “respect” and focus.  We want to change that. We want to help steward a new era of technology and trust in the world of Asset Management, an area of enormous importance.  Thus, the term “AssetTech.”

Marketing Darwinism: How do you see 2022 as compared to 2021?

Pulak Sinha: 2021 was a strange year.  People went through a lot.   Death and health issues were everywhere. Commerce pulled up.  Investors focused on different things than usual.  Tumult was a constant.  Our team worked hard to stabilize, to be optimistic, and to serve customers.  We more than doubled the business in the year and are very proud of that.  But there is so much more to do- that’s 2022!

Marketing Darwinism: Tell us about “Pepper Inside”

Pulak Sinha:  We as a team conceived of this campaign after a realization:  When we are “inside” an organization –which is to say when Asset Managers run the Pepper platform, the level of stewardship – of money, data, assets- goes up and investors can rest assured that their money is going to be handled with an eye towards high ROI, risk management, and so on.  Trust.  Pepper Inside is about trust and results.  When we realized that, we knew we had to go big with this campaign. 

Marketing Darwinism:  Gayle, you left a brilliant sales career at stalwarts like Informa and Microsoft to start your own gig.  Is this part of the “Great Resignation” or is something else afoot?  

Gayle Keller:  I have always been a woman who has reinvented her professional life.  It just so happens I pressed pause on my corporate career and left a role (and company) that I admire during The Great Resignation in search of more balance and fulfillment in this season of life.

I spring boarded from sales into the entrepreneurial abyss to reinvent myself while embracing the uncomfortable feeling of the unknown.

• Was I nervous?
• Was I apprehensive?
• Was I afraid of failing?

Absolutely YES to all three questions!  However, I knew I had to let my calling be stronger than my fear to guide me on my new path.  

Marketing Darwinism:  You emphasize re-invention and also the gendered aspects of work.  How are they connected?

Gayle Keller:  With respect to reinvention and gender inclusivity, unconscious bias still exists which influences our behaviors and ultimately can impede inclusion.  Corporate inclusion is acknowledging differences and collectively bringing them together for a common mission – to drive project success, build camaraderie, and recognize and acknowledge those who contribute to the company’s bottom line.  Diversity, equity, and inclusion are even more important in our globalized world today. To be a diverse organization, you must have a focus on inclusion; it’s no longer an option. 

Marketing Darwinism:  You once told me you were a marketer at heart and I recall you once led a marketing conference.  Can you describe how you have brought your “marketing bent” to bear on both our sales and your entrepreneurial endeavors.

Gayle Keller:  We are all marketers and sellers at heart, no matter what profession we choose.  As consumers, we buy from brands that speak to us.  As businesspeople, we buy and/or partner with people and organizations who we can related to and that will support us in exceeding our goals.

Marketing is a form of communication and a way to connect with others.  Communication skills (and good manners!) are critical in relationship building. To that point, your personal brand is everything and is a vital part of standing out in this world, especially if you are looking to reinvent your professional life.

Marketing Darwinism:  What lessons for a young marketer would you have?  What would you suggest they emphasize in their learning?

Gayle Keller:  My advice is to network and start as early as possible.  Starting to network when you’re in college is a key element to bridging the gap from campus life to professional life.  The sooner you start to network, the sooner the universe acknowledges your hopes, dreams, and begins to align people and potential opportunities your way.  

Networking at the organizations you desire to work at as well as people (both inside and outside of your industry) whom you admire can strengthen your confidence and give you the clarity you need to follow your aspirations.  The art of networking is truly magical. 

Marketing Darwinism:  Describe the services you offer to companies and how it helps them become better environments for success?

Gayle Keller:  The corporate ladder has a broken rung when it comes to inclusion, and I address revitalizing gender inclusivity head on with my advisory work and five pillar methodologies.  For example, if a company has a strong culture with happy employees, that company thrives, and chances are so does their profitability.  A positive culture improves performance and outcomes while decreasing employee onboarding and turnover costs and efforts which, in turn, increases employee retention.  

Furthermore, gender inclusivity fosters accelerated productivity in a collaborative environment, and results in all genders feeling respected, supported, and appreciated.

Marketing Darwinism:  Who are some of your marketing mentors? Do you recommend mentorship to all people, irrespective of age or experience?

Gayle Keller:  I have been blessed by having a few marketing mentors throughout my many seasons of life – Romi Mahajan has been one of my personal mentors for nearly 10 years.

Yes, I absolutely recommend mentorship to all people regardless of age or experience.  Career reinvention and professional risk-taking have no age limitations.  Having a trifecta of mentors, business coaches, and sponsors in your professional arena is a secret sauce to success, growth, and satisfaction.  You can never go wrong with investing in yourself for it will set you apart from your competition.  And a good rule of thumb is to pay it forward by contributing to the success of others.

Marketing Darwinism:  What are your predictions for business in 2022?  What are 3 or 4 trends you see as important?

Gayle Keller:  My predicted top business trends for 2022 are:

• The Great Resignation
• Flexibility and Autonomy
• Career Reinvention

The biggest trend defining the way we do business is The Great Resignation and mitigating employee turnover.  As a culture, we have craved the ability to navigate the intersection between work/life integration with a pinch of flexibility and a handful of autonomy.  With The Great Resignation underway, I don’t see the movement as a negative but more of a positive.  It’s an opportunity for companies to do a better job reaching gender parity, shine a spotlight on mental health and wellness while being more empathetic towards their employees.  

The Great Resignation provides an opportunity for employees to have more flexibility and autonomy to work on their own terms with their role given the hybrid work model and the ability to work from anywhere.  It also provides an opportunity for employees to seek career reinvention to find work/life integration and do something that makes their heartstrings sing. 

Career Reinvention is something we all should embrace, regardless of gender.  Reinvention occurs when you get a promotion, make a lateral move into another division/department, or leave a company altogether.  We are constantly reinventing ourselves and given we’re living in a global hybrid work environment; it is more important than ever to make sure you are continuing your learnings through trainings and courses while networking with people both inside and outside your company.

*****

Gayle’s Bio:  As a professional speaker, advisor, coach, podcast host, author and former award-winning executive leader who has a deep passion for improving communications and relationships, Gayle Keller, Chief Reinvention Officer, leads, facilitates, inspires, and revitalizes gender inclusivity programs for select corporations and universities. Learn more about Gayle here https://gaylekeller.org/

Marketing Darwinism caught up with Marketing Executive Todd Wells, CMO of award-winning Acumatica

Marketing Darwinism: Acumatica- the leader in Cloud ERP.  What is the value proposition of the company and what explains the torrid growth pace?

Todd W: Acumatica does indeed continue to grow at a very substantial pace – and it’s great to see how the product and the value proposition resonates so well with our prospects and customers.  The value prop is centered on three basic promises: superior technology, high value, and unflagging support. That is essentially what we provide to all members of the Acumatica ecosystem, from worldwide OEMs and regional VARs to ISVs, developers, and of course customers. We truly believe it’s our duty and obligation to ensure the success of all those who place their trust in Acumatica.

Marketing Darwinism:  Todd, you were a marketing and data leader at Microsoft and then transitioned to a much smaller company.  As a Marketer, how do you unlearn the “access” to massive budgets and teams and find a more guerrilla footing?

Todd W: I tend to think about it less as unlearning and more about bringing all of my varied experience to bear on the work – whether that is the experience with scale or even in different industries prior.  The scale was certainly different from when I left Microsoft to when I started at Acumatica, but I think that we are now scaling so quickly that much of the work is similar to what I did before with large, global teams.  Meanwhile, of course, you just have to roll up your sleeves and do the work rather than delegate it. Massive budgets often mean you have to get more people involved, and that doesn’t necessarily lead to a better result.

Marketing Darwinism:  Acumatica’s marketing is top-notch and ubiquitous.  How do you approach the marketing mix?

Todd W:  Marketing is directly responsible for a substantive portion of our licensing wins on a quarterly basis – and so no question that our demand generation is focused on those vehicles that are quantitatively proven to drive pipeline – and we continue to dynamically invest and optimize across the entire mix.  But given that we are a challenger in the ERP space – we do have other complementary objectives such as brand awareness – and you will see our presence in airports and other vehicles – even including highly targeted television ads.

Marketing Darwinism: I see that Acumatica Summit is a core piece of your outreach strategy.  What does the Summit/Physical Event offer you that other, “virtual” means cannot?

Todd W:  I do believe that the Summit is an extremely strong community event and one that will continue into the foreseeable future. The way our attendees come together with real enthusiasm is hard to duplicate, it can’t be livestreamed. Virtual events and webinars are certainly a critical component of our marketing mix – and have grown substantially in importance during COVID and quarantine – but yes, as you say, the Acumatica Summit is the seminal event for us and our customers, partners, and industry analysts.  We invest a lot of time and effort to ensure that it is motivating, engaging and informative for all attendees – and we just recently concluded our 2021 Summit at the Wynn Las Vegas – with over 2,500 attendees and record satisfaction levels.

Marketing Darwinism:  Acumatica’s growth one can argue is partner-led.  What are the challenges and opportunities of being a CMO on a channel enablement scenario versus a direct-to-customer scenario?

Todd W:  Acumatica is entirely dedicated to our partner channel – and I like to think about partners as a marketing flywheel driving awareness and demand generation beyond what we can do ourselves.  A critical focus of my team is our partner marketing enablement capabilities through which we can go to market through and with our vast partner ecosystem. A direct-to-customer scenario is certainly more traditional, but leveraging the channel and all of its breadth and expertise can be a very powerful combination.

Marketing Darwinism: What is your advice for young marketers today?  In the tech industry and others?

Todd W: I think that there has probably never been a better time to be in Marketing – the ever changing and progressing capabilities across marketing technologies, the changing dynamics of our lives across work and our personal, etc.  Companies are more and more realizing how critical Marketing is to deliver on business objectives – and we are witnessing a resurgence in the prominence of the role.  There is so much to learn and understand across digital marketing, analytics, customer experience, creative etc these days – my advice is simply to learn as much across as many of these aspects as possible and to be open to any new opportunities to learn – the strongest marketers I work with have a broad spectrum of experiences and knowledge and are able to leverage it to deliver results.

Marketing Darwinism had the opportunity to meet up with Paras Shah, Managing Director at LAMR Group Inc.

Marketing Darwinism:  Paras, you are an acknowledged expert in Security and Privacy.  Tell us about these areas and please inflect with your experience.

Paras Shah:  Thanks Paul.  I am not sure I am an expert.  I say this not out of false humility but because one can never truly be an expert in these areas, given the pace of technological change, always expanding attack surface and the complexity of risk scenarios  arrayed against any organization.  But, yes, I’ve been in the space for 20 years and am struck by two seemingly contradictory themes.  

The first is that much of what we knew even 10 years ago, particularly around probable targets, has been rubbished by later developments.  Technologies change rapidly and with the democratization of devices and technology-business singularity, threats are literally ubiquitous.  20 years ago, many thought only about large organizations and companies being under threat.  Now, threats are equal opportunity.  So yes, that has materially altered the threat landscape and along with it the solution market place.

The second is how much has stayed the same.  We had a mantra decades ago that security was about technology but also people, process, culture, and other factors.  Well, that’s still the same.  So, any framework you build to deal with Security and Privacy has to have multiple components in its composition and spirit.

Marketing Darwinism:  What roles does LAMR Group play in this space? 

Paras Shah:  We follow what I just covered as a core tenet of our value proposition.  We offer consultation and frameworks but also human capital to large and medium sized companies so that they can think of Security and Privacy holistically.  We also identify best in breed products and managed services in the Security space and either resell them or advise customers on their adoption.  Business has been brisk, which is an indication of just how much work has to be done in the space.

Marketing Darwinism:  Many of our readers are Marketers by profession though all are senior enough to wear multiple hats.  How does marketing play a role in this space?

Paras Shah:  Marketing plays a very large role in Security and Privacy, in some expected ways and in some unexpected ways.  

Given the ubiquity of the “Security” conversation, almost all companies that deal with technology, data, personal information, or anything even remotely “sensitive” have to refer to their security and privacy protocols in marketing literature – communicating good security hygiene has become “table stakes” for a competent marketer. This is good and bad.  It’s good that almost all organizations take these areas seriously but also, as is the wont of marketers, there are many boasts and hyperbolic statements that set organizations up for failure.  Too good to be true is, well, never true.  Technologists and Security professionals have to deal with the fallout of these marketing claims.  I’d ask all Marketers to consult with Security and Privacy people before making claims that cannot be paid off.

Marketing Darwinism:  It’s almost a marketing ethics issue isn’t it?

Paras Shah:  In some ways yes but also, to cut folks some slack, there are some misconceptions about Security and Privacy;  that there are quick fixes or silver bullets or that doing an “audit” then remediation is a one-time deal.  Not at all.  These are constant, continuous, dynamic spaces that require frequent attention –  top of mind always.

Marketing Darwinism:  Parting thoughts? 

Paras Shah:  All people in Security have to be evangelists of some sort.  So, all I can really say is that for all organizations, of any size, Security and Privacy to be a Board-Level issue and a core strategic pillar. Security and privacy cannot be relegated  to a parenthetical discussion.

Marketing Darwinism had the Opportunity to Meet Up with Jeremy McCarty, Co-Founder and CEO of Valligent Technologies.

Marketing Darwinism: Jeremy, the Real Estate Technology/PropTech space is, simply put, “on fire” as of the last few years.  Can you comment on this and on Valligent’s place in the mix?

Jeremy: Indeed, Real Estate as a sector and RE Tech specifically are buoyant and exciting.  It is important to remember that residential real estate is the largest “industry” in the country. US homes in aggregate are worth upwards of $35 Trillion collectively and this year almost 7 Million houses will be bought and sold.  The application of technology to this space is key to its future and we’re fortunate at Valligent Technologies to be at the heart of this.  While our valuation an appraisal business has been healthy for years, we saw huge potential in virtual appraisals and low-touch valuations and skated to where that puck was going.  We now have the most innovative virtual appraisal offering in the industry and the regulatory environment has made massive scale possible in this space.  All in all, we don’t feel like we have a ring-side seat; instead we feel like we are on the field playing the game!

Marketing Darwinism: Tell us more about the changes you see in the space?

Jeremy: There are so many changes, manifesting daily.  Some of these changes are “disruptive” and others are just natural extensions or evolutions of what existed.  On the former side, take the notion of house appraisals.  House appraisals are very much about the verification of valuation.  In the home buying process- still a lengthy procedure—the valuation of the house is the centerpiece.  From what loan you get all the way to the cost of insurance, the valuation pops up a dozen times at least in the process.  Now imagine being able to get an accurate valuation with technology, in less than an hour.  No long waits for appraisers and white-knuckling the results.  No costly and repetitive services to be subjected to.  Now, imagine further.  Of the circa 7M houses that will sell this year, 40% of so are eligible for waivers on the standard appraisal.  Enter virtual appraisals.  Such speed and scale are a sea-change in what is otherwise a slow moving industry.

Marketing Darwinism: We see a lot of VC, PE, SPAC, and other investment dollars going into this space.  Is there a bubble here?

Jeremy: As in all spaces, this one will have winners and losers.  There is a certain amount of rhetoric and exaggeration in the space, especially with regard to “dressing up” old business models with new “language.”  We see technology buzzwords abounding but when it comes down to it, many companies still rely on analog and traditional methods to transact.  We understood this and have partnered with leading technology players like Quantarium and have developed cutting-edge tech capacity of our own.  So, yes, there are bubble aspects but in reality we are just beginning to see this industry transformed by the combination of technology, regulatory change, innovation in business process, and highly capable and educated consumers.

Marketing Darwinism: Tell us about your Marketing work?  After all, we do care a LOT about Marketing!

Jeremy: Marketing is key to Valligent’s success.  We are big believers in participating in the industry community and in doing our part to promote the industry as a whole. We have been pleased to receive multiple awards in the space and that notoriety has helped create a flywheel of engagement, advocacy, referral, and growth.  Marketing is and will always be core to our company and we feel very strongly that we back up our messaging with a product and solution platform nonpareil.

Marketing Darwinism: Any parting thoughts?

Jeremy: We continue to be excited about Valligent’s growth in the new world of Real Estate and about the space in general.  We believe that top talent will be drawn to RE Tech and that the addition of smart, driven, and innovative people will help the industry mature into a fully tech-enabled and dynamic part of the economy.  It’s already the biggest part of the economy but we want it to be seen as cutting edge.

Marketing Darwinism chatted with Pepper’s CEO Pulak Sinha on progress since last time we spoke.

Marketing Darwinism:  Pulak, how has progress been since connecting six months ago?

Pulak:  I appreciate the question around progress since in fact that is the key determinant of a company’s success.  We’ve made enormous progress on a variety of fronts, most significantly around customers, product, and team.  We’ve expanded and deepened our customer connection; over $5B runs on the Pepper platform today- doubling in 6 months.  Produce-wise we’ve introduced a variety of new modules and connectors and have launched a low-code orchestrator for our customers.  And we’ve expanded our team, with two solid executives joining over the last quarter.  Miles to go still of course but real velocity in the right direction.

Marketing Darwinism: Remind us again about your “raison d’etre” and your core target market

Pulak:  We built Pepper from the ground up to offer simplicity, ease, success, and ROI to Asset Management and Portfolio Management teams.  That Asset Manager with a new fund or one that is seeking optimization of data to improve outcomes in a current fund, the portfolio manager who wants to harness data- across investment and asset classes- to drive customer value, the data-drenched Asset Manager who is looking to at once increase returns while simultaneously complying with the varied regulatory frameworks in the industries and geographies that government his/her investments—these are the people for whom we’ve built Pepper.  We believe we are the leading data platform for ROI optimization in the space.

Marketing Darwinism: As an entrepreneur, how did you land on this space and why does it continue to animate you?

Pulak:  Great question.  The numbers are striking.  Asset Managers have been given $120 trillion to manage on behalf of clients.  Such staggering numbers can overwhelm.  Of this, over $15 trillion is invested in alternatives.  Making sense of all these investments, optimizing current portfolios, and analyzing the benefits of new investments in a data-driven fashion – these are all areas we support.  I got into the space because when I was deep in the industry, I needed a “Pepper.”  Such stories to me are the essence of the journey we are on.  We’ve been successful so far but are humbled by the possibilities ahead.

Marketing Darwinism: Recent articles have emphasized the connections between great Chief Information Officers, Asset Managers, and Chief Investment Officers.  Can you comment on that?

Pulak:  Every time one of the articles comes out, it is great for us.  We’ve built an enterprise-class platform that would align all of these roles- a SaaS platform with low time to value, cloud-native and extensible apps, integrations, and ease of use—we believe that we are a crucial piece in the alignment of Asset Management ROI and technology.

Marketing Darwinism: What is your customer success strategy?

Pulak:  This relates back to our mission. Helping customers harness the power of data is never a one-off, point-in-time “task” but is instead a process.  While our platform is very easy to deploy, we make sure to connect with our customers regularly to ensure that they are prospering and getting what they need.  There’s nothing better than seeing them succeed but also getting their feedback and rolling it into the product.