Blueprint 2024 Official Program Guide - Flipbook - Page 85
2024 Speakers
CEO & Co-Founder,
Backflip
Joshua Ernst
Chief Operating Officer,
REBNY
Sandhya
Espitia
Founder,
ezzie + co.
Josh Ernst is the CEO and co-founder of Backüip, a real estate ûnancial
technology company that supports entrepreneurs to acquire and renovate
single family homes, thereby reinvigorating the housing supply and their local
communities. The start-up, which has funded over 900 homes to date, offers
purpose-built technology and capital products to source, analyze, and ûnance
residential real estate investments. Prior to Backüip, Josh served as the Chief
Operating Ofûcer at DeShong Companies (dba "Trelly") and Myers the
HomeBuyers. Before that, he was a Principal VC Investor at Revel Partners in
New York, as well as the CEO and Founder of New York-based urBin Storage
where he successfully completed the company's acquisition by Dumbo
Storage & Moving. Josh lives in Dallas and is a graduate of the McCombs
School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.
Sandhya Espitia leads REBNY9s organization-wide strategy and operations for
programs, products and services. She works across departments to help
ensure that REBNY is delivering the best possible results for its members
across New York City. Prior to REBNY, Sandhya was Global Vice President at
ICSC where she managed learning and innovation initiatives in retail real
estate. She also previously worked at Harvard University as Senior Program
Ofûcer for the Americas.
Nadine is an innovation strategist + practicing attorney with almost 20 years of
unique experience at the intersection of commercial real estate, the law, +
technology. She is the founder of ezzie + co., a cutting edge real estate legal +
advisory ûrm that ensures companies are positioned to thrive within the real
estate landscape.
Nadine Ezzie
Vice President,
RET Ventures
Melissa Fagan
Co-Founder,
Propmodo
Franco Faraudo
Melissa is a Vice President at RET Ventures. In this role, Melissa works closely
with numerous portfolio companies on a day-to-day basis and sources and
vets potential startups for RET investment. Prior to RET, Melissa worked as an
Investment Associate at KSL Capital, where she invested in real estate and
private equity companies focused on travel and leisure. Melissa began her
career in private equity in Goldman Sachs' Real Estate Principal Investment
Area. Melissa holds a B.S.E. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from
Princeton University. Outside of work, Melissa enjoys hiking, traveling, and
watching the Chargers on Sundays.
Franco Faraudo has an MBA in entrepreneurship and has worked with
companies on their branding and content strategy. He has worked in real
estate as an agent, manager, and investor. He writes about the intersection
between the physical and digital world and is a co-founder of Propmodo.
