An Interview with Investor & Board Member, Dan Hobin
Mary: You are a co-founder and an investor in GreenT Climate Software, but this is not your first adventure with a start-up company, is it?
Dan: No, I have been actively involved in five different start-ups. About 20 years ago I started G5, a marketing software and services company also in the real estate prop tech space. I was lucky. We were in the right place at the right time. Over the next 17 years we built a very cool company that grew to over 250 employees, over 500 amazing customers, more than 8,000 properties and $50 Million in annual recurring revenue.
Mary: What brought you to invest in GreenT?
Dan: First off, I love the team. As you know, almost everyone on the team came from G5 and they know the multifamily space very well. They have “been there and done that” meaning they have experience with how difficult start-ups can be. They all have grit, and they were instrumental in helping G5 go from start-up to industry leader. Add to that, you, Mary - who I consider one of the top sustainability thought leaders in Multifamily and GreenT has the best team around. This team is purpose driven and knows how to win.
Secondly, the sustainability space in multifamily feels remarkably like digital marketing when I started G5 20 years ago. Over the next 10-20 years every large apartment community in the country will need to have a scalable way to manage their sustainability efforts on an ongoing basis. GreenT will be that solution. I believe GreenT will be bigger than G5. and maybe even more fun.
Mary: What have you done to bring the software to market?
Dan: The team and I have been working with the most sophisticated sustainability leaders in the NMHC Top 50. Those sustainability leaders are pioneers; they have experienced the pain points and have been helping us develop a simplified software solution to ease that pain.
Mary: What is your inspiration? What compels you to support Sustainability and Nature?
Dan: I moved to Bend, Oregon 22 years ago because I enjoy outdoor mountain town activities; I highly value nature. After selling G5, I wanted to do something of significance to give back. From my perspective, the depletion of natural capital and nature is the greatest challenge we will ever face.
Over the next 30 years, I believe that almost every business will need to become a nature positive company. What does that mean? Businesses will need to understand their dependency on, and their impact on, natural capital and nature. Companies will need to take action and set specific targets across a number of dimensions, including energy efficiency, carbon emissions, water, biodiversity, plastics, and chemicals. Shareholders, customers, employees, and government regulations will demand that companies not only minimize their impact on nature but make a positive contribution. The next wave of great companies will be the ones that innovate now to lead this nature-positive transformation.
Mary: Do your children think you are a cool dad or dorky dad for focusing on the environment and nature?
Dan: I am pretty sure they think I am cool. I have two boys in college and one who is about to be a senior in high school. They are all part of Gen Z. I think my boys, their friends, and possibly the majority of Millennials and Gen Z understand the severity of this challenge. These generations give me hope. Hope inspires action. When people see that positive change is possible, they are more likely to engage in efforts to address the challenge. Our kids will drive the nature-positive transformation.
