This episode is one for the commercial real estate agents out there, in particular in the retail space. My guest in this episode is Simon Fonteyn, Managing Director of LeaseInfo, which specialises in retail space data. They have a new product called Accurait, which extracts retail lease data from contracts, and structures it so that it’s completely searchable, removing the need to laboriously search through contracts manually. It’s tech they’ve developed with the CSIRO.

(01:19): Background on LeaseInfo

(02:56): The story of Accurait and CSIRO’s Data61

(04:17): The complexity of commercial leases and the new standard IFRS16

(07:05): How Accurait extracts information from commercial contracts.

(08:25): How it allows contacts to be compared to invoices and the AI involved.

(11:28): The importance of lease searchability and transparency during Covid-19

(16:17): The overseas opportunity for LeaseInfo and Accurait

(18:21): Simon tells us about his relationship with CSIRO and how his proptech has used R&D grants to grow.

(24:12): Simon discusses the challenges of bootstrapping to grow your business.

(25:49): Managing good – and challenging – economic times. Simon provides his insights on growing through times of crisis.

(31:11): Simon discusses the extraordinary changes in the retail environment over the past 10 years driven by digital behaviour and the shape of what’s to come.

(37:45): The importance of diversification and collaboration to help you future proof your business.