This Sunday, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman will present at SXSW 2014’s Interactive Conference. In his presentation, “Why the Next $50B Business Won’t be a Website,” Glenn will elaborate on an accelerating wave of entrepreneurialism known as the end-to-end movement that’s set to revolutionize industries in need of some tech-savvy savoir-faire.
Glenn believes that pairing technology with real-world operations can totally transform schools, hospitals, factories and more. Providing real-world service takes a lot more time and resources than just turning on more servers, but the market opportunities for these types of companies tend to be very large and also make for a much more solid revenue structure — the type of business model that made it possible to gather $50 million in funding.
Redfin is one example of the end-to-end movement. Companies such as Amazon, Nest, Uber, Tesla and Airbnb all combine technology with service that goes well beyond the screen of a computer or smartphone. Uber didn’t just create an effective app; it hired a fleet of drivers, revolutionizing the traditional (and often irritating) taxi experience. Airbnb didn’t just create another website to search for hotels; the company engineered a network of homes away from home, creating a new alternative for travel accommodations that can be both more authentic and more reasonable than a standard hotel. And, in 2006, Redfin didn’t just deliver the first-ever interactive map-based real estate website, we hired real estate agents and hammered yard signs into the ground. But more than that, we reimagined the future of real estate and figured out a way to give you agents who are on your side. Agents who are advocates, not salespeople. And, with technology on our side, we give you value, too.
Those of you at SXSW can join Glenn live on Sunday, March 9, at 5 p.m. at the Hilton Austin Downtown. If you can’t be in Austin in person, you can check out the live tweet stream of #End2End during Glenn’s talk to learn more.
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