AIMx 2022: Startup Showcase

Connect

Connect Solves the Lead Source Attribution Mystery

Lead source attribution is something that continues to bedevil apartment marketers. Connect demonstrated how to overcome that mystery through its “Prospect Seeker” tool.

Prospect Seeker associates a street address to your target audience's digital devices. It then sends strategic, location-based ads drive your marketing message to the residents of your competitor properties.

In these ads, which can also be delivered via social media channels, Connect founder Todd Allen says, where apartment communities can tell them about your new dog park, your new renovation and amenities or your latest special.

“ILS’ and paid search ads on Google are great, but they don’t provide lead source attribution,” Allen said. “Besides, if you list on a google or ILS, the results pages give the searching party about five or10 of your competitors, too.”

Allen said Connect also can help to “supercharge your website because it’s your most effective marketing tool, with the highest conversion rates and the lowest cost per lease” through static or dynamic ads.

Connect is priced at $1,125 per month, based on impressions. Clients can scale up and down on their services and there’s a30-day out for any agreement that is signed.

Connect also offers tools for hiring through its HR Scout platform, that helps its customers scout job candidates with strategic, location-based marketing to increase your talent pool, filling openings faster with better qualified talent.

It can generate interest in a company by pitching a sign-on bonuses or other incentives to candidates where they currently work-locally, regionally, or nationally.

“We can find people with ‘search intent’ for maintenance jobs in a market,” Allen said. “We can look based on audience or ZIP code. We send them messages and ads that will, for example, hype your company culture as a great place to work."

Oda Studios

Supreme Photo Enhancements Create Unmatched Image Quality

More and more leading apartment communities are placing a higher premium on their photography. Oda Studios is helping to make that happen by providing “stand-out” images through its technological wizardry.

“We find that 89% want to see listing photos when searching for a new apartment and photos deliver highest ROI in marketing,” Mert Karakus, CEO, Oda Studio, said.

Oda Studio uses artificial intelligence and more to help communities enhance their photos, creating virtual staging and better organize their photography assets.

With just a swipe across a computer screen, Oda Studio can transform an image from showing a vacant to a fully furnished room, giving resident prospects a better impression of their new homes.

Its spectacular smart image enhancements application includes editing based on details of the image(color correction, exposure, specific editing based on light sources) with super-resolution for unmatched image quality.

“Using machine learning, we detect objects and fill in each pixel based on the object’s form (rather than just filling with a single color) for a better-quality photo every time,” Karakus said. “Make an iPhone 6photo look like you just shot it with the newest iPhone.”

With premium enhancements, Oda Studio gives images a general clean up (e.g. cracks on walls, dangling cables, etc.) and sky replacement (for both exterior and interior photos) to create a clean, inviting look.

When choosing to use its tools, clients do not have to onboard anything, there are no up-front fees, and 80 percent of its customers are repeat customers, Karakus said.

Oda Studio currently serves 156 communities and has created more than 1 million images. There are three pricing levels. Its “Pro” membership has no monthly fees, enhancements are 75c per image; and $18 per photo virtual staging. Storage is free. Gold membership is $4,500 per month; comes with 1,000 credits for enhancements; 250 credits for Virtual staging; and 500gb of space. It can be accessed by 25 users. Diamond membership is $7,500 per month; comes with 2,000 credits for enhancements; 500 credits for Virtual staging; and 1tb of space. It can be accessed by 50 users.

Stake

StakeHelps ResidentsEarn‘Cash-Back’When Paying Rent On Time

In a nation of 43 million renters, it’s easy to imagine that more should be able to save at least $400. But there we are.

Stake is a savings tool product for renters–that also benefits apartment owners–based on the basic premise of: Cash back.

Its program helps renters build savings by empowering them to act. And when they do, clicking on incentives that give them cash back, it spurs more on-time rental payments and increases renewals and retention.

The company has had 10x growth in one year, is working with 30,000 apartment homes in its network nationwide and includes two of top three REITs among its clients.

Stake also enables renters to report their on-time rent payment to help them to build credit.

With membership, residents gain a “free” checking account that has no fees. It’s often their first bank account whether it’s a student in their first apartment or someone who is entering the country for the first time.

The company says that 65% of “Stakers” have more money with us than in any other bank.

When you are taking the largest payment consumers make each month, you should be able to build wealth through the transaction.

With its first-of-its-kind app, the hardest parts of renting (the money) and the hardest parts of banking (the trust) are solved.

The app, in part, features:

• An industry first: Stake Visa® Debit gives renters 5% Cash Back on move-in costs and 1% for ever on everyday purchases.
• Free FDIC checking accounts for renters, with easy and simple direct deposit.
• It can be connected to any bank so users can instantly add funds.
• Stake’s digital wallet expands with GooglePay and ApplePay.
• Bank transfers are simple with Zelle, and recurring add funds let resident members deposit automatically.
• Express PayCheck gives renters access to their hard-earned income up to three days early