It all started over a cup of coffee at a diner in the fall of 2015. My good friend (and eventually co-founder) Jim Bankston was sharing some of his pain points related to managing commercial properties. There wasn’t a simple solution – and I was consumed by the challenge of trying to find one. But life got in the way and it never happened.
Until it did.
Leasecake was born two years later when we pitched the idea for Leasecake at the Techstars Global Startup Weekend event in Orlando. We won the local award and then went on to become the Global Showcase winner in a field of entrepreneurs from 200 cities, 58 countries, and 6 continents. I had no idea what just happened (neither did my wife, Leigh!). And in case you’re wondering – yes, during my pitch I actually said, “It’s a piece of cake.”
But that’s getting ahead of myself. Let’s rewind more than two days to the beginning of the 54-hour weekend marathon to launch a business. Initially reluctant to get on stage at Startup Weekend, I rose to the occasion and made a 60-second pitch that launched us down the path to becoming the top vote-getter in Orlando.
I suppose the “a-ha!” moments of great ideas are often serendipitous, and the same was true for Leasecake. Seven amazingly talented, diverse and new-found friends selected Leasecake and joined me to create the winning team at Startup Weekend Orlando. By the end of the marathon, we had a vetted business model, working MVP (minimum viable product), our first paying SaaS (software as a service) customer and a four-minute pitch.
Leasecake advanced to win the North American competition of the Techstars Global Startup Weekend Regional Showcase. And then on December 19, 2017, we won the final award as the Global Showcase Winner against teams from England, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, and Nigeria.
With everyone either renting or owning property during their careers, our winning approach wasn’t just about technology. It was about how Leasecake makes the experience more enjoyable, authentic, and compelling for both owners and tenants.
Thanks for joining us on the journey. And enjoy Leasecake – we make commercial real estate lease management a piece of cake (I know you were waiting for that).
– Shailesh “Taj” Adhav
With more than 150 years of combined experience in real estate, business, and building technology platforms, our team has all the ingredients for a deliciously tasty FinTech software platform that solves real-world problems to simplify your life. We’re Leasecake.