As commercial tenants demand more flexibility and brokers face increasing complexity, the tools that power real estate decision-making have struggled to keep up. Floorspace, a Vancouver brokerage-turned-proptech startup, is building something better.
Co-founders Matt and Lindsay Carlson are industry veterans who saw firsthand how much time was wasted on outdated processes and fragmented systems. “We’ve lived the pain,” says Matt. “Spreadsheets, email threads, last-minute marketing – too much of it was manual and disconnected.”
So they built FLO – a proprietary platform that streamlines the entire leasing process, from prospecting and touring to negotiating and closing. Unlike traditional CRMs, FLO is tailored to how commercial brokers actually work, offering real-time deal tracking, market intelligence, and client collaboration all in one place.
Ahead of their appearance at Web Summit Vancouver, the leadership team sat down with Techcouver to share how Floorspace is giving brokers a modern toolkit and why the future of commercial real estate (CRE) may lie in platforms built by brokers, for brokers.
For those unfamiliar with Floorspace, what does the company do, and what problem are you solving?
MC: Floorspace is a next-generation commercial real estate brokerage. We help brokers work smarter and faster by combining modern marketing, data-driven insights, and our proprietary software platform, FLO. The problem we’re solving is inefficiency: too many brokers are stuck managing deals with clunky tools or no tools at all. FLO changes that by centralizing everything in one workspace.
What inspired you to create FLO and turn it into the center of your brokerage?
LC: We built FLO because we couldn’t find a tool that really worked for our day-to-day. Most solutions were made for enterprise reporting, not real deal-making. We needed something that let us move faster, track more, and communicate better with clients. Once we started using it internally, it was clear that FLO wasn’t just a tool, it was our operating system.
What kinds of brokers or teams benefit most from FLO?
MC: Brokers who want to spend less time on admin and more time on relationships and high value work that really matters. This is still a relationship business. FLO gives brokers structure without slowing them down. It’s especially valuable for brokers in growing markets or those handling multiple mandates.
How do you see Floorspace evolving in the next few years?
LC: Our near-term focus is twofold: expanding into new Canadian markets through regional partnerships, and continuing to enhance FLO with smarter workflows and deeper insights. Long term, we want to help build a new model for commercial brokerage – one that puts people and product on equal footing.
How has being based in Vancouver shaped the way you approach real estate and technology?
MC: Vancouver has a strong real estate culture, but it’s also a city that embraces tech and design. That mix has pushed us to build a company that respects brokerage traditions while pushing boundaries. We’re lucky to be part of a local ecosystem that’s open to innovation.
What’s one misconception about brokerage or proptech that you’d like to correct?
LC: Tech will not replace brokers. We see it as the opposite. FLO makes brokers better. It removes the noise so they can focus on what they do best – advising clients and guiding projects from start to finish.
What advice do you have for other founders building in traditional industries?
MC: Build what you wish you had. And don’t be afraid to start small. Some of the biggest changes in CRE won’t come from flashy AI demos but from solving everyday pain points brokers deal with right now.
What’s been your biggest surprise in launching FLO within your brokerage?
LC: Honestly, how quickly it became core to everything we do. Once brokers see how much time it saves and how much better it makes them look to clients – there’s no going back.
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