4 minute read
Since launching in 2019, HousingWire’s Tech Trendsetters award has recognized the visionaries and innovators driving the technology that powers housing. From product leaders and data scientists to executives shaping digital transformation, these honorees represent the people behind the tools that are reshaping mortgage and real estate.
Six years later, many of our very first Tech Trendsetters have gone on to lead companies, launch groundbreaking products, and redefine how the industry thinks about technology. In honor of the 2025 nomination period, we’re revisiting several original Tech Trendsetter honorees to see where their careers have taken them and how their influence continues to ripple across housing and fintech.
Nominations for the 2025 Tech Trendsetters are officially open as of September 1, 2025, and will close on September 30, 2025. This year’s award will once again honor the professionals who are innovating for their organizations as well as the mortgage and real estate clients they serve.
Erik Bernhardsson — Founder & CEO, Modal Labs
Then (2019): Founder and CTO at Better.com, Bernhardsson helped build a loan origination system that replaced the commissioned loan officer with an automated system. With his leadership, Better.com funded nearly $4 billion in loans and was producing $350 million a month in loans at the time of his Tech Trendsetter award.
Now: Left Better.com in 2021 and is now founder and CEO at Modal Labs, a NYC-based startup creating cutting-edge machine learning (ML) infrastructure tools for data teams.
Stacy Hoover — Chief Product Officer, Ellevest
Then (2019): As Reali’s first Head of Product, Hoover drove innovation by launching the company’s scalable market expansion model, developing the AI-powered Price Predictor tool, and leading the acquisition of online mortgage lender Lenda. She also forged key partnerships with companies like Hippo Insurance, Lemonade, and Modus to deliver additional savings and services for Reali customers.
Now: Hoover is currently serving as Chief Product Officer at Ellevest, a financial services platform built for women. She took on this strategic leadership role in July 2022 after holding positions such as Senior Director of Product at The RealReal from March 2021 to July 2022—and various product leadership roles at Reali until March 2021.
Mike Cagney — Co-Founder, Figure Technologies & CEO, Figure Markets
Then (2019): CEO of Figure Technologies, innovating in blockchain-enabled home equity, mortgage, and secondary market lending.
Now: After reorganizing Figure (2024 spin-off of Figure Lending), Cagney now serves as Executive Chairman of Figure Technology Solutions and CEO of Figure Markets, signaling an expanded leadership role in fintech and decentralized trading. The company is preparing for an IPO, with strong revenue growth (22% YoY) and profitability reported for H1 2025.
Gary Beasley — CEO & Co-Founder, Roofstock
Then (2019): Recognized for transforming single-family rental (SFR) investment with Roofstock.
Now: Still at the helm, Beasley led Roofstock through a merger with Mynd in 2024, further scaling its SFR marketplace dominance and was honored as a HousingWire Vanguard in 2019 and 2020.
Briana Ings — Chief Product Officer, Snappt Inc.
Then (2019): As Director of Product at Snapdocs, Ings (formerly Briana Whelan) led the development of the company’s digital closing platform, driving the integration of lending and settlement services. She harnessed automation and AI to streamline hybrid and eClosings, reducing in-person closing times from hours to as little as 10 minutes.
Now: Today, Ings is Chief Product Officer at Snappt, the leading document verification platform for the multifamily industry. Under Ings’ product leadership, the platform has analyzed more than 12 million documents, prevented over $1.8 billion in bad debt, and continues to set the standard for fraud prevention and trusted leasing in multifamily housing.
Click here to nominate a 2025 Tech Trendsetter.
