Filmed live at Builder Innovator Dallas 2025 featuring industry leaders from PropTech IQ, SKBM Smart Tech, PropMatic Inc., and Builder Innovator.
The Hidden Cost Nobody Is Talking About
Multifamily operators have spent the past several years investing in technology. Smart locks. Resident apps. Energy management platforms. AI leasing tools. Maintenance automation. The list grows every year.
But somewhere in the process of adopting more, a new problem emerged—one that does not appear on any vendor’s sales slide: fragmentation.
Disconnected systems. Siloed data. Staff toggling between platforms. Residents are frustrated by apps that do not integrate. IT teams are managing integrations that were never designed to work together. And underneath all of it, an operational burden that quietly erodes the very efficiency technology was supposed to create.
This is the conversation that does not happen enough. And it is exactly what this panel at Builder Innovator Dallas 2025 was designed to address.
In this recorded panel discussion, four industry leaders cut through the noise to focus on what actually delivers measurable impact in a multifamily technology stack—and what introduces unnecessary complexity operators cannot afford.
The conversation covers how to assess and streamline fragmented proptech environments; why digital and network infrastructure is the non-negotiable foundation for everything else; how unified platforms reduce app fatigue and increase staff productivity; and how data integration, automation, and self-service tools can lower operating costs and support NOI growth.
This is not a theoretical discussion. These are practitioners and strategists who work within multifamily technology ecosystems every day, sharing hard-won perspectives on what works, what does not, and what the industry needs to do differently.
Featured Speakers
Brandon Savage — Builder Innovator Industry leader and host of the Builder Innovator Summit, bringing together multifamily operators and technology innovators to advance operational excellence.
Taylor Wiederkehr — Founder & CEO, PropTech IQ, Multifamily technology strategist and founder of the industry’s leading independent proptech validation platform. Former head of innovation at two of the NMHC’s top ten largest multifamily management companies. Founding member of the NMHC Innovation Committee and RETA Emerging Technologies Committee.
Cris Kimbrough — SKBM Smart Tech Technology integration expert and leader at SKBM Smart Tech, a leading agnostic technology integrator with a track record of connecting over 400,000 multifamily units with smart technology solutions.
Mark Schmulen — PropMatic Inc., proptech strategist and operator-focused innovator, helping multifamily organizations build smarter, more connected technology infrastructures.
What This Panel Covers
The Fragmentation Problem. As multifamily portfolios grow and technology stacks expand, fragmentation has quietly become one of the biggest threats to operational efficiency, security, and the resident experience. This panel examines how fragmentation happens, why it is so hard to detect until it becomes a crisis, and what operators can do to get ahead of it before it compounds.
Digital and Network Infrastructure as the Foundation. Before smart buildings, AI automation, or connected resident experiences can work, the underlying digital and network infrastructure must be robust. This session makes the case that infrastructure investment is not a cost center — it is the prerequisite for everything else that delivers value.
Unified Platforms and the End of App Fatigue: Residents do not want five apps. Staff do not want six dashboards. This panel explores how unified platforms reduce friction at every level of the operator and resident experience, and why consolidation — done right — improves performance rather than limiting capability.
Data Integration and Workflow Automation When systems talk to each other, operators gain something they cannot get any other way: visibility. This session covers how data integration and workflow automation create operational clarity, reduce manual processes, and surface insights that support better decisions across the portfolio.
Ancillary Revenue and NOI Growth: Technology is not just a cost-management tool. When implemented strategically, the right proptech stack unlocks new ancillary revenue streams and creates measurable NOI improvement. This panel discusses where those opportunities exist and how to capture them without adding unnecessary complexity.
Avoiding Tech Debt. Every platform added without a clear integration strategy creates technical debt that must eventually be repaid. This session offers a practical framework for assessing your current stack, identifying consolidation opportunities, and making technology decisions that create long-term value rather than short-term capability at the expense of future flexibility.
Key Takeaways
- Fragmentation is not a technology problem — it is a strategy problem, and it requires a strategic solution
- Digital and network infrastructure is the foundation on which all smart building, AI, and automation value is built
- Unified platforms reduce app fatigue, increase staff efficiency, and improve the resident experience simultaneously
- Data integration and self-service automation lower operating costs and support NOI growth across the portfolio
- The right proptech stack is not the biggest one — it is the most connected one
- Independent validation of technology performance, like PropTech IQ Impact Analysis Reports, helps operators make consolidation decisions based on data rather than vendor relationships
Who Should Watch This
This panel is essential viewing for:
- Multifamily owners and operators managing complex technology stacks across large or growing portfolios
- Property management executives responsible for technology strategy, operational efficiency, and NOI performance
- Innovation and technology leaders evaluating platform consolidation or digital infrastructure investments
- Proptech vendors seeking to understand how operators think about integration, complexity, and value
- Developers and builders are making technology decisions at the point of construction or renovation
- Investors and asset managers are evaluating how technology strategy impacts property performance and valuation
Download the Full Presentation
This session was filmed live at the Builder Innovator Summit in Dallas, 2025. Download the full presentation deck through Builder Innovator at https://builderinnovator.com/community-cashflow-dallas-2025/
About PropTech IQ
PropTech IQ is the multifamily industry’s leading independent property technology validation provider. Their Impact Analysis Reports use proprietary data and algorithms to assess the actual financial impact of proptech on NOI and ROI — eliminating the need for costly pilots and replacing vendor claims with objective, third-party analysis.
Services include:
Impact Analysis Reports — Data-driven assessments of proptech performance, NOI impact, ROI projections, and operational efficiency gains, generated in minutes rather than months.
Fractional Innovation Leadership — On-demand strategic guidance for multifamily owners and operators, from technology planning through implementation and optimization.
Business Development Consulting — Go-to-market strategy, lead generation, market expansion, and operational scaling support for proptech vendors and technology organizations.
