2025 Year in Review: Gary Kao, Dealpath

What accomplishment, milestone, project or transaction stood out for you or your firm in 2025? 
Dealpath Connect gained significant momentum in 2025. Fueled by adoption from our top buy-side institutional clients, our expanding partnerships with major brokerages now enable the direct distribution of approximately 65% of institutional listings to 100 of our top institutional clients currently leveraging the Connect platform. We expect this adoption to over double next year. We prioritized implementing AI tools in Connect through the launch of AI Studio, a suite of AI tools designed for real estate. These tools were implemented in the Connect platform, allowing users to screen more deals.

What emerging trends or shifts will shape opportunities for you, your firm, or market sector in 2026? 
For decades, the primary method of deal sourcing for most brokers was a “spray & pray” approach, essentially just sending out emails to a vast number of potential buyers. In 2025, we started to see that change as more brokers began using the Dealpath Connect platform for deal sourcing. Dealpath Connect offers a modern solution to a decades-old problem, allowing brokers to source easier, and close faster. We have seen great reception to the platform thus far and expect that to continue into 2026 as more brokers break away from “spray & pray.”