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Raising the Bar: How William Hollis is Using AI to Revolutionize Real Estate Investing
William Hollis’ story begins not in a boardroom, but on the floor with a disassembled Windows 95 computer. What started with curiosity has evolved into Raise AI, a platform that is modernizing how capital is raised for real estate private equity — an industry still clinging to cold calls and Rolodexes.
Key Takeaways
- ✓ William's journey into technology began at a young age.
- ✓ He became a self-taught software engineer through online resources.
- ✓ Raise AI addresses inefficiencies in capital raising for real estate.
- ✓ AI helps connect developers with accredited investors.
- ✓ Tokenization can create a secondary market for real estate investments.
- ✓ Scaling a PropTech company presents unique challenges.
- ✓ Global expansion requires understanding different legal structures.
- ✓ AI's rapid development necessitates a clear vision for companies.
- ✓ Investors should focus on stable, non-speculative opportunities.
- ✓ Real estate remains a reliable investment vehicle despite market fluctuations.
In this episode of PowerTalkShow, William shares his journey from self-taught engineer to AI entrepreneur and explains how his platform is transforming a slow-moving sector with speed, intelligence, and automation.
From Code to Capital: How Raise AI Was Born
William’s tech background intersects with his real estate journey in a unique way. After observing outdated capital-raising tactics in real estate investing, he began using AI tools to streamline the process. Initially solving problems for himself, he organically grew into a B2B solution provider.
“I built Raise AI for myself at first. Eventually people started asking for help, and I realized there was a real need for this.”
How Raise AI Works: AI-Powered Fundraising for Real Estate
Raise AI assists developers and real estate operators in identifying, engaging, and converting accredited investors through intelligent automation.
- AI finds the investors – across platforms like LinkedIn, email, and networks
- AI starts the conversations – initiating and nurturing investor outreach
- AI supports the process – guiding investors through documents and Q&A
“We’re solving the bottleneck in capital raising. AI doesn’t just connect you — it walks your investors through the entire process.”
Why Tokenization Could Be Real Estate's Next Frontier
William also touches on tokenization as a promising solution for real estate liquidity. With AI helping discover and engage investors, tokenization could soon allow fractional ownership and secondary market trading of real estate shares.
“Tokenization could unlock resale opportunities in private equity, something that doesn't exist now.”
AI’s Rapid Growth: Challenge and Opportunity
The fast pace of AI development is both an asset and a headache. For Raise AI, it means constant evaluation of tools while staying focused on the core mission.
“There’s a new model or tool every day. The real discipline is knowing what to ignore.”
Global Outlook: From U.S. to Dubai and Beyond
Raise AI is already expanding its reach with clients in Central America, Italy, and Canada. But international markets bring their own legal complexities — something William and his team are actively navigating.
Back to Basics: Advice for Founders and Investors
His advice for investors? In volatile times, choose “boring” investments — those with consistent, predictable returns.
“It’s time to get back to boring. Solid returns, not speculative hype.”
For a values-led counterpoint to the AI-driven model, BTW's interview with Betsy Pepine on building a purpose-driven property empire is essential reading alongside the technology angle.
Lessons Learned: Start Sooner
If William could go back, he’d launch faster. In a world where AI lowers the barriers to entry, being early matters.
“I built the product before the business. That delay cost valuable lead time.”
In This Episode
00:00
Journey into Technology and AI
02:24
Understanding Raise AI and Its Impact on Real Estate
06:06
Tokenization and AI in Real Estate
08:13
Challenges in Scaling PropTech
11:02
Global Expansion and Market Adaptation
12:42
Future Disruptions in AI and Robotics
14:18
Reflections on Growth and Opportunities
16:25
Investment Strategies in Uncertain Times
“There's a new model or tool every day.”
— William Hollis, Founder, Raise AI
“I would have started sooner.”
— William Hollis, Founder, Raise AI
“AI has lowered the barrier to entry.”
— William Hollis, Founder, Raise AI
About the Guest
William Hollis
Founder, Raise AI
William Hollis is founder of Raise AI, a platform modernizing how capital is raised for real estate private equity. A self-taught software engineer since childhood, he initially built AI tools to solve his own capital-raising problems before growing them into a B2B platform that helps developers identify, engage and convert accredited investors through automated outreach and document support. Raise AI now has clients in Central America, Italy and Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Raise AI?
Raise AI, founded by William Hollis, is a platform that uses AI to help real estate developers and operators find, engage and convert accredited investors, automating outreach across platforms like LinkedIn and email and guiding investors through documents and Q&A.
What is tokenization in real estate, and why does William Hollis see it as promising?
Tokenization would allow fractional ownership of real estate to be traded on a secondary market, something private equity investments generally lack today — potentially unlocking liquidity and resale opportunities that don't currently exist.
What is William Hollis' advice for investors in uncertain economic times?
"It's time to get back to boring" — he recommends choosing investments with consistent, predictable returns over speculative hype during periods of market volatility.
What would William Hollis do differently building Raise AI?
Launch faster — he built the product before the business, and in a market where AI is lowering the barrier to entry, he believes that delay cost valuable lead time over competitors.
The Host
Navin Shetty didn't set out to build a media company
After a decade advising founders on go-to-market strategy across Dubai, Riyadh and Mumbai, Navin kept noticing the same gap: the most useful conversations he had happened off the record, over coffee, after the panel ended. The PowerTalk Show is that off-the-record conversation, recorded on purpose.
He hosts every episode himself — no rotating co-hosts, no outsourced pre-interviews. Guests get one rule going in: nothing is off-limits except numbers they’re legally required to keep private.
Under Business Talks Weekly, the show now anchors a small editorial operation producing written deep-dives, sponsor features and syndicated audio distributed across six platforms.
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