How this serial condo board member is shaking up the industry with her tech background

So I sat down with Lindsay Liu, a serial condo board member who saw the gaps in coop and condo building operations and did something about it.

Lindsay is the co-founder and CEO of Super, a software startup creating an operating system for buildings. Prior to founding Super, Lindsay led growth for technology companies ranging from startups to Fortune 100. She is also a founding partner of Common Space, a real estate investment fund, where she manages a portfolio of properties in New York and beyond.

Thanks for joining me, Lindsay. So, what's your experience as a condo board member?

Thank you Tina! Over the past 10 years, I’ve been a board member of condos that were transitioning management from the sponsor, self-managed, and that had a property management company. Some of those experiences include buildings with challenges ranging from repeated special assessments and major maintenance projects all the way to discovering management fraud and handling lawsuits.

I’ve found that even if you are paying a property management company, you still have to be quite hands-on and actively involved. The goal is to help the building do more than just stay afloat and start looking ahead by setting stronger foundations. As you often say, going from operating in a reactive mode only taking care of emergencies, to a proactive mode with a long-term plan for greater success. This is especially true as a building ages and its maintenance needs get greater.

Why did you start Super and how did you come up with the idea?

Super was born from these personal experiences. It brings my “day job” in technology and digital products together with a serious side hobby in real estate investing.

The idea first started forming when I joined the board of a 20-unit condo that was 9 years old at the time. We were plagued with issues: daily problems with residents, major repairs and assessments, lack of documentation and records in order to make warranty claims, and an unhealthy relationship with the property management company (to name a few!). It was a tense situation, and most of it fell on the board. This experience made me think: there has to be a better way. I started hacking together digital tools to organize our building, and it led to sketching up an early product vision.

Fast forward a few years (and another stint as a board member, this time at a self-managed condo), and the need for a platform like Super kept glaring at me. It was time to make the leap and get Super into the world.

What are the problems that you are trying to solve?

As a real estate owner, investor, and a condo board member, I’ve experienced how paralyzing it can be when you aren’t equipped with the tools and information to make the right decisions, especially the hard ones.?

How well a building is managed impacts people’s daily lives, the safety of their homes, and the value of their real estate asset—which continues to be the top investment and monthly expense most Americans make. The urgency for fixing building management became even more apparent following the tragic Miami condo collapse in the summer of 2021, right when we were ramping up on Super. It was a catastrophic event that could have been prevented.

We take that level of responsibility very seriously. Creating a company and a product that has the potential to make people’s homes safer; help people grow the value of an asset; create healthy communities and relationships—this is meaningful work.

What are Super's solutions to those problems?

Technology has changed so much about our lives: how we work, travel, eat, and yes, live. My vision is to provide building managers, board members, owners, and residents a tailored suite of tools that help them focus their time, energy, and resources. We aim to be a true partner with buildings, one that is proactive and predictive. A building on Super should have boosted confidence in both their day-to-day happenings as well as their long-term plans.

Our software brings together key functionality for maintaining a healthy building: maintenance tasks and compliance tracking, board governance and documentation, and financial payments and planning. What makes us extra differentiated is our perspective on automation and user experience.

Our platform streamlines—and wherever we can, eliminates—many of the manual processes in place today that take time and can fall between the cracks. This includes unique functionality to help buildings stay on top of essentials like filing required compliance (and as a result avoiding violations and hefty fines) as well as holding regular, actionable, and well-documented board meetings.

For residents, we have intentionally designed “no-UI” experiences that don’t require an app download or login; they can simply continue to email and text like they have before, but every request is centralized and made actionable for management.

I believe that Super is technology at its best. It is technology designed to fade into the background while solving meaningful problems for everyday people that protect their homes and investments.

Thank you for joining me Lindsay, I really appreciate your time!

Wow, isn't it refreshing to hear someone who sees a problem and finds a solution!?

? Do you know an coop or condo owner or board member who would like to speak with me about the problems that they have in their NYC coop or condo? Let me know. And yes, self-nominations are accepted and encouraged!

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Now it’s time to hear from you.?

1. What do you think could be better in your coop or condo??
2. What topics would you like for me to talk about?

Comment below!

Tina Larsson is the co-founder and owner of The Folson Group, a NYC coop and condo consultant specializing in increasing property values by cutting the buildings' costs. At The Folson Group, our goal is to inspire you to run your building like a business. We enable and inspire co-op or condo board engagements to be filled with a feeling of accomplishment, excitement, meaning, happiness, and increased probability of success.

For other best practices for co-op and condo boards, get our FREE Policies and Procedures Checklist emailed straight to your inbox. Email me at [email protected] or call (917) 648-8151?