Hitting the High Notes: Realto's Greatest Hits 2022

Music has always been part of my life. I love singing, playing the piano and several other instruments. I was a member of the Florida State University marching band (Go ‘Noles!) and I even produced my own holiday music video.

As 2022 winds down, I’ve been thinking a lot about our business and what the Realto team achieved in the last year. Before we turn to the first blank page of 2023, I want to take a moment to share a few company high notes – our greatest hits, if you will – from the last 12 months.

Going live

When you’re the first to launch a new type of business, you don’t have the luxury of trying to break a mold or of history to avoid repeating.

Fueled by adrenaline, guts and the smarts of our team, we successfully launched Realto.ai as the first automated marketplace for public non-listed real estate investments.

The wizardry of our technical team amazed me. They transformed mere thoughts on a page to a first-of-its-kind platform that matches buyers and sellers of alternative and real estate investments – a $10 trillion industry.

Getting the regulatory go-ahead

Before we could execute a single trade, Realto had to successfully pass comprehensive SEC and FINRA audits. These took grit, a lot of time and follow up. (Did I mention they were comprehensive?)

But getting the regulatory green light gave us a competitive advantage we hadn’t anticipated. Today, Realto is the only platform for alternative and real estate investments to have successfully completed FINRA and SEC audits.

Meeting the audit requirements wasn‘t easy but the diligence our team showed in completing these sends an important message to all investors: Realto is committed to compliance, transparency and ethical standards.

Making that first trade

I won’t soon forget how I felt when the first trade was finally executed on Realto.ai. I was overwhelmed with pride for what our team pulled off and I was grateful for the hours they spent testing and retesting until the technology was right.

But pride and appreciation weren’t the only things I was feeling. There was also the matter of my nerves.

For the parents out there, seeing that first trade happen was a lot like watching your teenager drive alone for the first time. You’re pleased that they’re so independent. At the same time, your hands cover your eyes because you can’t bear to watch as they pull out of the driveway.

Fast forward to a year later and we just celebrated the anniversary of our first trade. Along with this milestone, Realto had its highest trading month and week to date. Plus, the platform now has hundreds of millions in buy-side interest, and funds in the marketplace range from several million to nearly $70 billion in value.

And, it all started with that first trade.

Becoming more than a fintech

As talk of a recession has taken center stage with news outlets, more investors are exploring paths to liquidity. During the last recession in 2007, a lot of people were stuck. They couldn’t get the cash they needed because they had illiquid investments.

But that’s no longer the case. Realto gives today’s investors an option for an exit or a different financial outcome. It feels really good to know Realto isn’t just another fintech; it’s a potential financial lifeline for investors.

Bonus track

I want to end this post by sharing a bonus track. It’s a bit of advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Regardless of what your business plan says, your start-up probably won’t unfold the way you think it will. For every high note and unexpected opportunity, there will be a low note or a setback – sometimes several.

But if you stay open, stay agile and stay at it, before long you, too, will be singing your company’s praises and sharing a blog just like this one.

Thanks for being part of Realto’s greatest hits in 2022. I can’t wait to see what the next 12 months bring – the pivots we’ll take, the challenges we’ll overcome, the doors that open and what I’ll write about this time next year.