Zach Aarons, co-founder and partner of MetaProp, joins host Raphael Sidelsky, Director of Equity Strategies at JVP Management and a 1999 Columbia Business School alumnus, on the Real Estate Forum Podcast to discuss how AI is reshaping real estate, PropTech, and the investment landscape. Zach shares his journey from real estate and finance to venture capital and explains how MetaProp evaluates emerging technologies and the founders behind them. He explores AI’s growing impact across real estate—from data centers and office demand to construction, multifamily, retail, and spatial analysis—while highlighting opportunities and challenges for investors. Zach also discusses the future of PropTech, AI-driven fraud and identity verification, and where he sees the most compelling real estate investment opportunities over the next decade.

Be sure to also check out Zach’s podcast, Between Zak and Aaron, with Zach Aarons, for more conversations at the intersection of real estate, technology, and innovation.

00:00 — Is AI Making Real Estate More Valuable?

08:16 — How MetaProp Started

14:07 — AI Is Transforming Construction

19:38 — Will AI Kill the Office?

23:00 — Betting on the Future of Data Centers

27:34 — Where AI Is Changing Real Estate

31:35 — The New Risks of AI

33:24 — The Rise of GeoAI

37:08 — Preparing for Real Estate’s AI Future

44:34 — Building Your Career Story