NAR’s 2026 REACH program gives these startups the opportunity to connect with real estate leaders, gain industry exposure and build relationships through the startup showcases, pitch battle, educational sessions, media interviews and more.
At Inman Connect, BrokerBot—an AI-powered operational assistant for brokerages and agents—showcased its platform in “Startup Alley” across three days of programming. The showcase gave BrokerBot direct access to brokers, agents, investors and technology decision-makers, allowing the team to test its messaging, gather market feedback and network with industry professionals.
“I’ve been going to Inman for over a decade, and this was my first time going as part of the REACH program. It was incredible to be part of the community they’ve built throughout all spokes of the industry,” said Jerimiah Taylor, co-founder and CEO of BrokerBot, and 2026 NAR Innovator of the Year award recipient.
“The thing I was most excited about was seeing compliance and AI as a main-stage conversation, with multiple panels around compliance and guardrails. The exact problem we started solving at BrokerBot a year and a half ago is now front and center for millions to see, and that was incredibly validating that we’re on the right track. We couldn’t be more excited for the future.”
LotRoll—a 2026 REACH startup bringing transparency to manufactured housing—and BrokerBot also put their technologies to the test and competed in the Inman Connect San Diego Pitch Battle alongside other rising proptech startups. Each founder made the case for how the company’s technology is tackling a real estate challenge before a panel of industry judges and a live audience.
“One of my biggest takeaways from Inman was that almost everyone knows manufactured housing exists, but few realize the opportunity it’s creating for real estate professionals,” says Grayson Gibson, co-founder and CEO of LotRoll. “It was a great chance to introduce LotRoll and share our story. It also helped validate that educational materials are essential to expanding knowledge for this housing segment, which is why we’ve created a Manufactured Housing 101 webinar series available in NAR’s Right Tools, Right Now program for the month of August.”
Advancing the AI Conversation
Artificial intelligence remained a central conference topic at Inman Connect, with NAR’s REACH companies contributing practical perspectives on how AI is being applied across the real estate industry. In the session “AI in the Room: What Real Estate’s Tech Leaders Are Actually Building,” Divya Aathresh, founder and CEO of MaxHome.ai, joined fellow tech leaders to discuss the AI applications delivering measurable value today. As compliance and transaction management remain major pain points for brokerages, MaxHome.ai is focused on automating workflows, streamlining compliance and reducing the number of manual tasks in transactions for brokers and agents.
“Successful AI isn’t measured by how much it automates but by how much it empowers people,” explains Aathresh. “The future of real estate will be built on thoughtful partnerships between human expertise and intelligent technology.”
Justin Gelwicks, co-founder of AiRE, also presented during “New Kids on the Block,” one of Inman’s signature startup showcases. The session placed AiRE before an audience of brokers, investors and industry innovators on a platform that has introduced many recognizable real estate technology companies. AiRE, a 2026 REACH startup, helps brokerages turn their existing data into actionable insights for lead generation and client engagement.
“It was such an honor to be recognized as one of the rising voices in real estate technology this year,” said Gelwicks, “and to create so many meaningful new connections.”
Building Visibility and Connections
StackWrap and MaxHome.ai carried the conversation beyond the conference agenda by recording episodes of the “NAR REALTOR® News Change Agents” podcast. They shared perspectives on entrepreneurship and the trends reshaping real estate with the broader REALTOR® community.
StackWrap, a 2026 REACH company, tackles disconnected brokerage technology by bringing multiple systems into one dashboard.
For founder and CEO Max Fitzgerald, the event offered an opportunity to connect with others focused on emerging innovations. “This event is always a great place to connect with people who are shaping the future of real estate,” Fitzgerald says. “Being there alongside my fellow founders in this year’s NAR REACH class made it even more meaningful, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent StackWrap.”
That opportunity to connect and build visibility was a common theme among REACH companies at the Inman event.
Association Online used the event to show off how it’s solving another industry pain point: the delays, missing documents and confusion that can accompany HOA transactions. The 2026 REACH company is working to streamline HOA data collection and improve transparency in helping agents navigate these transactions more efficiently.
“It was great connecting with fellow proptech companies and agents who are embracing the efficiency and business-building power of AI-driven software,” said Jerie Schwab, COO of Association Online. “These are the professionals who will be positioned to capture the market rebound—with the highest transaction volumes and the strongest financial returns.”
Current REACH cohort founders were joined throughout the conference and expo hall by REACH alumni, including Roomvu, Real Grader, Purlin, RealScout, Earnnest, and HouseCanary.
Overall, Inman Connect San Diego gave REACH companies a national stage to show how they’re not just identifying real estate’s challenges—from transaction inefficiencies to fragmented technology and data gaps—but actively building what comes next and leading the industry forward.
Author
Lyubov Wood is a program manager for NAR REACH.
