Articles by Michael
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Michael Griffin shared thisThe Service Revival is my take on what an AI dividend could mean for commercial real estate: not fewer people, but better human service powered by smarter systems.
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Michael Griffin shared thisI’ve built CRE tech for a long time. But this feels different. Faster. More creative. More human. This post is about what happens when AI stops trying to replace brokers—and starts helping them rediscover the art of dealmaking.
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Michael Griffin shared thisI’ve spent decades building tech for CRE—and I’ve changed my mind about something big. This post isn’t about how to get brokers to change. It’s about what happens when we stop trying.
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Michael Griffin shared thisI’ve been thinking about how easy it is to stay busy in this business—but how hard it is to build something that lasts. I’m figuring out how AI can help turn day-to-day work into long-term leverage.
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Michael Griffin shared thisBefore dashboards and distractions, dealmakers relied on instinct. This post is about reviving that clarity—with a little help from the machine.
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Michael Griffin shared thisEver feel like your competitive edge depends on memory, caffeine, and a little luck? Same. But maybe it doesn’t have to. I’ve been working on something quietly ambitious—and a bit retro. This one’s for the momentum-minded.
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Michael Griffin shared thisEvery January, most CRE professionals quietly restart from zero. But what if that reset wasn’t inevitable? I’ve been exploring how AI could change that—and the possibilities are bigger than I expected. Curious what this could mean for your business?
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Michael Griffin posted thisThis wasn’t always obvious to me. But lately, it’s hit with full force: AI won’t just enhance CRE workflows—it will rebuild them from the ground up. And unlike blockchain, crypto, or other tech buzzwords of the past, this time is different. AI isn’t hype. It’s not a feature you bolt on. It’s a new foundation for how business will be done. After years in CRM and deal management, I see it clearly now: most legacy systems—even those layering on AI—are still trapped by outdated assumptions. It’s like putting jet engines on a train—you’ll move faster, but you’re still stuck on tracks laid for a different era. Real innovation isn’t speed along old lines. It’s freedom to forge new paths. I used to design product workflows by dreaming up the perfect process, then scaling it back based on what technology could actually do. Today, it’s the opposite. Workflows that once felt magical—even impossible—are now within reach. And the biggest shocker? I’m probably not thinking big enough. Imagine relying on a solution that doesn’t just assist you—it amplifies you. Whether you’re just getting started or have decades of experience, it learns your voice, your strategy, your goals, your vision. Every note, email and file you share, every deal you track, every insight you provide fuels it. The more you give, the smarter it gets—surfacing opportunities you didn’t even know to look for. It’s a living, evolving system—sharpening your strengths, bridging your gaps, and building a competitive edge no one else can replicate. And the best part is that it's never outdated. It never slows down. It never quits. It grows with you and is always eager to learn. We’re standing at the edge of something entirely new. These ideas are just beginning to take shape—that’s why I’m sharing them now. Privacy challenges? They’ll be solved. Technical limits? They’ll fall away. The real question is: what will we create when the barriers are gone? If this stirs something in you—whether you’re building, investing, advising, or simply thinking big—I’d love to connect. The future is unwritten. And I believe that it belongs to those bold enough to rethink from zero.
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Michael Griffin posted thisOver the past few months, I’ve had countless conversations, read extensively, thought deeply, and written more than expected. I had no set agenda—just a desire to spark creativity and strategic thinking. I'm still going strong. For better or worse, I know CRE tech inside and out, so that’s where I've been focusing. As a CRM founder, people often ask for my take, and in nearly every conversation, three questions come up: How can I use AI? What am I doing next? And—my personal favorite—what CRM should I use? Even after 30 years in this business, I’m surprised the CRM question is still unresolved. That tells me no one has truly nailed it. There’s no dominant solution, no “killer app,” and if you measure actual engaged users no solution has ever hit double digits in market penetration. Why? Is CRM too hard to use? Maybe—if it requires training, it’s already set up for failure. Is there no demand? Doubtful, given how often people ask about it. Or has no one really cracked the code? That seems more likely. So I’ve been taking a fresh look at CRM—how data is collected, how it fits into workflows, and whether the traditional model even makes sense anymore. AI is revealing possibilities I never imagined too. Maybe the old CRM playbook is flawed. Maybe it’s time for something different. I’m not sure if I’m on the right track, but exploring new ideas is so exciting. If you have any insights, I’d love to hear them.
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Michael Griffin liked thisMichael Griffin liked thisLynch Graham Wealth Management is pleased to spotlight Ed Lynch, who has been serving clients in the financial services industry since 1992. A University of Michigan graduate, Ed specializes in helping individuals navigate retirement income planning and supports those interested in charitable giving strategies. He holds both the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designations. Outside of work, Ed enjoys spending time with his wife and two adult children, staying active, relaxing at his family’s West Michigan lake house, and cheering on University of Michigan athletics.
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Michael Griffin liked thisMichael Griffin liked thisStuck in traffic at DTW this morning. Except I’m sitting on a plane bound for IHS at The Independent Hotel Show Miami. We’re lined up waiting to take off, and the unmistakable smell of jet exhaust is making its way into the cabin. My first thought was: What’s wrong with the ventilation system? Turns out, probably nothing. The ventilation system is doing what it was designed to do. The filtration is doing what it was designed to do. It just isn’t capable of eliminating everything the air is carrying. And there’s the indoor air quality lesson. We talk about “bad air” as though the air itself suddenly became bad. It didn’t. It’s what the air is carrying. Odors. VOCs. Particles. Allergens. Microorganisms. And, in my case this morning, jet exhaust. Airflow is a transportation system. That’s true on an airplane, and it’s true in a hotel room, office, school or pretty much any other occupied indoor space. Filtration plays an important role. But filtration also has limitations. It depends on contaminants reaching the filter, and not everything traveling with the air is something a conventional particle filter is designed to capture. That’s a big part of what fascinates me about the technology behind Airvya. Our eH2O2® technology takes a different approach: it uses existing airflow to distribute active purification into the occupied space rather than relying solely on contaminants finding their way back to a filter. If airflow is going to move things throughout a space, why not put that airflow to work? Sometimes the best way to understand indoor air quality is simply to pay attention to what you’re breathing.
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Michael Griffin liked thisMichael Griffin liked thisWhat started as sales consulting became my full time AI obsession. When I launched in 2025, the timings meant I could build my own business as an AI-native org. No old fashioned anything. That has meant that I never needed headcount, I never needed consultants, I never had to wait on anybody - everything I did need; I could build myself. But it started off kinda wonky… I was using GPT-3 and had never heard of Claude. I was copy and pasting from my AI browser sessions into squarespace and building my own websites using html. Except I didn’t know html (still don’t). I had all the ideas, but no technical experience and I had to let AI become my engineer. Since then, the models have been leaping ahead at insane speeds - what was amazing months ago, is now table stakes and obvious. And with those leaps, I became a builder very fast too and have since rolled out my own low-code software system - completely agentic - and it’s what we use to build apps and tools for clients. I’ve now just come back around to reviewing some of my early GoToMarket and revenue systems - work from 20+ years in sales - and it’s exactly what AI needs… defined structure, triggers, right and wrong paths, and a scoring methodology baked in. I anticipate a fun weekend with Claude Code and Codex in my very near future. Who’s building what?
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Michael Griffin liked thisMichael Griffin liked this🎙️ The CRE Weekly Digest by LightBox has been named #4 on CREi Summit's 2026 list of top commercial real estate podcasts! Congratulations to Manus Clancy, Dianne P. Crocker, Alyssa Lewis and the entire team for bringing insight and perspective to the news, deals and trends shaping CRE. Thank you to CREi for the recognition and to our listeners for making us part of your week. 🎧 Listen to The CRE Weekly Digest https://lnkd.in/gParpcU7 #CommercialRealEstate #LightBox
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Michael Griffin liked thisMichael Griffin liked this36 months of pushing a huge boulder up the hill - then things started clicking. For most of three years the work was unglamorous for the founding team. Training the model. Back-testing it against stores it had never seen. Improving it. Expanding it. Sitting on video calls where sophisticated people said the idea was interesting but didn’t understand what predictive modeling was or whether it could be trusted. This month we have agreements out to institutional owners and private buyers in the same week. A public REIT is running our model against its own deal history before it sets next year's budget. A net lease lender asked whether we could build the loss curve their asset class has never had. One family office told me, "I wouldn't have had to lose sleep about my most recent renewal if I'd had you." Two of the best conversations came in from people we never pitched – but from people who heard about us through a colleague. Every one of those traces back to something small from months ago that looked like nothing at the time. We are still early enough to build around what a specific owner actually needs. If you have been watching this from a distance, now is a good time to talk.
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Michael Griffin liked thisMichael Griffin liked thisI'm pleased to welcome Steve Price to CoStar Group as President of Ten-X. Steve has spent his career building and scaling disposition and auction businesses, and he knows this space as well as anyone in the industry. Ten-X is an innovative digital auction platform, and brokers and sellers who use it benefit from great underwriting, strong marketing, a proven digital auction process all backed by a massive buyer audience. Ten-X is an important and valuable part of CoStar Group's future roadmap and success. With Ten-X as a standalone brand and a dedicated leadership team focused solely on the opportunity ahead, I am highly confident in our ability to innovate, reimagine the product, grow revenue, and regain share in the online real estate auction space. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4g6gljZ
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Michael Griffin liked thisMichael Griffin liked thisYou can teach a lab to do anything with the right motivation.....food! Angus sends his love - 🐶 💕 Have a great weekend!
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Michael Griffin liked thisMichael Griffin liked thisI have a question for wellness consultants working in real estate: How often is indoor air quality part of the plan from day one? Because I see a lot of wellness spaces being designed around what people see, touch, buy, and experience, but far less around what they breathe the entire time they are inside. I see so much focus on beautiful renovations, recovery technology, fitness concepts, spa design, lighting, materials, certifications, and how a space looks once the project is complete. All of that matters, but the one thing every person interacts with the entire time they are indoors is the air. That part still seems to sit in the background. People breathe the air in the lobby, guest room, corridor, meeting space, fitness area, office, residence, or treatment room. Yet indoor air quality often seems to become a priority only after there is an obvious issue: odor, humidity, mold concerns, stale air, or complaints. To me, that feels like a major gap in wellness real estate. A space can be beautifully designed, thoughtfully renovated, and marketed around wellness, but if the air feels stale, musty, heavy, or poorly maintained, the wellness experience is already working against itself. I am genuinely curious who in the wellness real estate world is making indoor air quality a core part of the strategy from the beginning. Because if wellness is about how a space supports the people inside it, then the indoor air environment should not be treated like a background detail. It should be part of the foundation. #WellnessRealEstate #IndoorAirQuality #HealthyBuildings #HospitalityWellness #BuiltEnvironment #WellnessDesign #RealEstateDevelopment
Experience & Education
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Most Innovative Real Estate Tech Entrepreneur/CEO
CRE/Tech
I was awarded the Most Innovative Real Estate Tech Entrepreneur/CEO as part of the 2017 Real Estate Tech Awards (#RETAS) from CRE/Tech.
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Spencer Stuzynski
Problem: How do you consolidate a $600 billion fragmented home services industry when every acquisition increases operational complexity? Most people think home services consolidation is "buy more companies, hope for synergies." WRONG. Peter Connolly and Andrew Hollod at Cobepa solved this by building PLATFORMS, not portfolios. Here's what they did differently: Heartland Home Services (December 2020): Andrew Hollod led the investment - assembled a platform of recognized brands across Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin. Ned Stevens (November 2022): Peter Connolly and Andrew Hollod co-led - acquired from AVALT, rebranded to Ned's Home, expanded from single-service (gutter cleaning) to full exterior home services. The pattern most miss: They didn't just buy companies. They bought INFRASTRUCTURE that could absorb future acquisitions systematically. What separates their approach: Board representation ensuring operational oversight Geographic density strategy - dominate regions before expanding Service expansion within existing customer base (Ned's rebrand proves this) The arbitrage: Most PE firms acquire home services companies at market multiples hoping organic growth and cost cuts get them to a decent exit. Peter and Andrew built platforms that acquire at below-market multiples, integrate systematically, cross-sell services, and exit at exponentially higher multiples because they're not selling a collection of companies - they're selling a MACHINE. This is the difference between buying revenue and building enterprise value. But here's what's missing: You've built the acquisition machine. You've built the platform infrastructure. But without WORLD-CLASS customer acquisition systems and lifetime value expansion, you're leaving massive exit value on the table. Peter Connolly, Andrew Hollod - let me run the customer acquisition systems for your platforms. Not manage. RUN. Heartland and Ned's Home have the service expansion infrastructure. What they need is the tracking infrastructure that turns: First-time gutter cleaning customer → power washing → window cleaning → lawn treatment subscriber $200 transaction → $2,400 lifetime value with complete revenue attribution Ad spend optimization based on ACTUAL customer acquisition costs and lifetime value, not clicks I'll build the systems that maximize customer lifetime value across your entire service stack and prove which acquisition channels are actually driving profitable growth at scale. You built platforms that can absorb acquisitions. I build the engines that transform market-multiple businesses into exponentially higher-value exits. Peter Connolly Andrew Hollod Jean-Marie Laurent Josi Let's Speak.
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Nate Nead
Most deals don't fail at the table. They fail in the data room. If you're running M&A due diligence or a fundraising round, the platform at https://vdr.ai was built specifically for the pressure those processes create. Investors and acquirers move fast. They request hundreds of documents. They need instant access, version control, and a clear audit trail showing who viewed what and when. A generic file-sharing tool doesn't cut it when the stakes are this high. VDR.ai uses AI to organize and index documents automatically, so your team spends less time filing and more time closing. Deals that used to take weeks of back-and-forth can move in days. Security is where most platforms cut corners. The https://lnkd.in/gcVYs6ne page lays out exactly how VDR.ai protects sensitive documents, covering enterprise-grade encryption, granular access controls, and permission settings that let you decide precisely who sees what and for how long. That level of transparency matters when you're sharing cap tables, financial models, or IP documentation with outside parties. Some context on why this is worth paying attention to: global M&A volume exceeded $3 trillion in 2023, and the majority of those deals involved a virtual data room at some stage. The quality of that room shapes how buyers perceive your organization. A disorganized data room signals a disorganized business. If you've been through a deal process recently, what was the biggest friction point in managing documents and access for your counterparty? #MergersAndAcquisitions #DueDiligence #VirtualDataRoom #DealManagement #DocumentSecurity #MAtech
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