a16zCan AI Fix Housing and Healthcare Affordability?
Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- August 21, 2025
- Duration
- 40m
- Channel
- a16z
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Housing and healthcare make up nearly half of household spending, yet both sectors are riddled with inefficiency and rising costs. In this episode, Erik Torenberg is joined by a16z Growth partner Alex Immerman and Minna Song and Tony Stoyanov, cofounders of EliseAI, to discuss why they’re tackling these critical industries and how AI can transform everything from leasing and maintenance to patient scheduling and compliance. The conversation covers:
- Why the U.S. is 5 million housing units short — and how technology can help unlock existing supply
- How automation can cut waste, reduce labor costs, and improve affordability
- What fully autonomous buildings might look like, and how that model could extend to healthcare
This is about the costs that touch every household, and the role AI might play in finally bringing them down. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction 0:28 Why Housing and Healthcare? 1:55 Technology’s Role in Housing 3:30 Housing Affordability & Supply Challenges 5:29 Regulatory and Capital Barriers 8:13 Improving Efficiency in Real Estate 12:50 Automation & The Future of Property Management 18:15 The Human Role in an Automated Future 20:35 Financial Engineering & Data Bottlenecks 21:51 The Future of Housing: AI, Robotics, and Mobility 25:33 R&D and Technology Adoption in Real Estate 27:40 Addressing Criticisms of PropTech 29:30 Tackling Repairs, Maintenance, and Operations 30:49 Expanding from Housing to Healthcare 33:04 Parallels Between Housing and Healthcare 37:46 The Ultimate Vision Resources: Link to blog: https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-eliseai/ Find Minna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minna-song/ Find Tony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stoyan-tony-stoyanov-07690a53 FInd Alex on X: https://x.com/aleximm Stay Updated: Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details, please see a16z.com/disclosures.
SPEAKERS
Minna Song
guestElise AI executive/operator focused on applying AI to automate housing and healthcare workflows.
Erik Torenberg
hostPodcast host at a16z who interviews founders and investors about technology and markets.
Alex Immerman
guesta16z growth/investing team member discussing portfolio strategy and market perspectives.
Tony Stoyanov
guestElise AI operator/founder voice discussing PropTech automation and housing/healthcare affordability.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of a16z, featuring Minna Song and Erik Torenberg, Can AI Fix Housing and Healthcare Affordability? explores elise AI targets housing, healthcare costs through autonomous operations automation Elise AI argues housing and healthcare dominate household budgets and GDP, so cutting operational waste via AI can meaningfully improve affordability and quality of service.
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