In this episode of Founders’ Tales, David Bender shares how he built Brickgraph, a data platform designed to solve one of commercial real estate’s biggest pain points: fragmented, hard-to-use information scattered across multiple systems. Drawing from his early career in London’s real estate industry, David explains how the daily struggle of working with disconnected data sparked the idea for a unified platform powered by geospatial analytics, knowledge graphs, and AI.

David opens up about the realities of being a solo founder, describing the challenge of balancing product development with sales, marketing, and the emotional pressure of building a company without a co-founder. He talks about how his product evolved over time while still staying true to the original vision of making real estate data easier to work with and more valuable.

He also shares how his first paying customer emerged from consulting work, proving the value of the platform and giving him real-world feedback that shaped its development. David compares startup ecosystems across London, Toronto, and Boston, noting that Boston’s environment pushes founders to think bigger, move faster, and tap into a supportive network.

Central to his story is the importance of community, well-being, and sustainability. David highlights that founders must prioritize physical health, mental balance, and relationships to stay resilient over the long term. His core belief is that a founder’s most important responsibility is to consistently show up and manage their energy so they can move the company forward with clarity and momentum.