Revolutionizing CRE Data: Royden Cooper’s Journey from Developer to PropTech Founder
Release Date: 02/03/2025
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info_outlineEpisode 9: Revolutionizing CRE Data: Royden Cooper’s Journey from Developer to PropTech Founder
In this episode, Royden Cooper, Co-Founder and CEO of Epum, shares his journey from commercial real estate developer to launching a venture-backed proptech startup. Royden explains how geospatial AI and satellite imagery are transforming real estate research, allowing investors, developers, and analysts to track urban growth and identify market trends faster than ever before.
Epum’s latest product, ApprovalsArchive, offers a God’s-eye view of commercial real estate entitlements, helping industry professionals stay ahead of new developments, rezoning efforts, and construction trends across the U.S.
Royden also opens up about the challenges of building a proptech company, the lessons learned from raising venture capital in Europe, and why real estate needs more professionals who truly understand the industry.
Key Takeaways:
- How Geospatial AI is Changing CRE – The role of AI-driven mapping in real estate research.
- ApprovalsArchive: A Game-Changer – How Epum’s new tool helps investors track entitlements and urban growth.
- Building a Proptech Startup – Lessons from Royden’s journey in funding, scaling, and leading a data-driven real estate company.
- Future Trends in CRE Tech – Why access to real-time entitlement data is becoming a competitive advantage.
Related Topics for Further Exploration:
- The intersection of geospatial AI and real estate investment strategies.
- How real-time entitlement tracking can give investors an edge in emerging markets.
- The future of AI-driven property analysis and its impact on deal sourcing.
Guest Information:
Royden Cooper is the Co-Founder and CEO of Epum, a venture-backed proptech startup leveraging geospatial AI and satellite data to revolutionize commercial real estate research. A former commercial real estate developer, Royden transitioned into data science to tackle inefficiencies in CRE research. His latest product, ApprovalsArchive, launched in early 2025, helps users track zoning changes, entitlements, and new developments at the parcel level across the U.S.
Spotlight:
Access Royden Cooper’s LinkedIn here
Check out Royden’s co-founder, Marvin Mc Cutchan’s academic papers on this link