Three tech innovators were honored Tuesday for advancing real estate through creative problem-solving and forward-thinking solutions—tackling challenges like the housing inventory crunch and business inefficiencies.
Gene Eidelman, Terrence Nickelson and Katherine Aronsson were named 2025 iOi Innovators of the Year during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings, taking place May 31–June 5 in Washington, D.C. NAR’s iOi is a year-round collective for real estate innovation. Publishing cutting edge news, hosting in-person proptech meetups and webinars, and developing dedicated programming at NAR conferences, iOi offers a continuous learning experience for real estate professionals.
“We started the Innovator of the Year Awards three years ago to recognize individuals that aren't just keeping pace with real estate innovation—they’re defining the future of it,” says Dan Weisman, director of Innovation Strategy at the National Association of REALTORS®. This year's honorees are “thinking differently and helping to drive the industry forward.” Their impact spans delivering cutting-edge tech solutions, serving as a voice for industry improvement and excelling in real estate practice—efforts the awards aim to recognize, Weisman says.
Recipients are selected by a panel of industry leaders who evaluate candidates based on the originality and impact of their innovations.
Meet this year’s winners.
Transforming Housing: Gene Eidelman
Co-founder of Azure Printed Homes Inc.
Gene Eidelman, a veteran in real estate development, is tackling two major industry challenges: the housing shortage and environmental waste. As co-founder of Azure Printed Homes, he’s redefining construction by combining 3D printing with recycled materials to build affordable, sustainable homes—billed as 70% faster and 30% cheaper than traditional construction methods.
“The problem I was most driven to solve is the severe shortage of affordable, sustainable housing—and the outdated, inefficient way we still build homes in the 21st century,” Eidelman says. “Traditional construction is time-consuming, costly and wasteful. It simply can’t scale fast enough to meet urgent housing needs, especially for communities recovering from disaster, like the recent LA wildfires.”
Since its founding in 2019, Azure has constructed more than 100 homes, generated $35 million in preorders across 19 states, partnered with developers and resort operators and opened a state-of-the-art factory in California, with more expansion underway.
“Housing is more than shelter—it’s dignity, stability and opportunity,” Eidelman says. “As an immigrant who grew up in a cramped Ukrainian apartment and later experienced the transformative power of safe, inspiring living spaces in the U.S., I know firsthand how much home matters.”
Eidelman’s goal is not only to reduce costs and environmental impact but to elevate the design of 3D printed components. “I believe that everyone—regardless of income or geography—deserves access to a well-built home that supports both people and planet,” he says. “By solving this problem, we’re not just building structures—we’re building futures.”
The Deal Saver: Terrence Nickelson
Founder and CEO of Goby Homes and an agent with EXIT First Realty
Terrence Nickelson, a real estate pro with EXIT First Realty in Crofton, Md., is on a mission to stop real estate deals from falling apart—something he witnessed firsthand when helping his aunt buy her first home. That experience sparked a deeper look into the issue, and what he found surprised him: Nearly 250,000 real estate deals collapse annually, and more than 570,000 more face critical delays.
Nickelson identified the core issues: lack of real-time transparency, unclear responsibilities and missed information in a transaction. In response, he launched Goby Homes in 2019, an AI-powered, multiparty collaboration platform that unites all parties—agents, clients, lenders and more—into one secure digital space. It embeds compliance, clarifies roles, and surfaces potential risks early—with the goal of transforming how professionals manage transactions.
“We designed the platform to bring alignment, real-time visibility and structured collaboration to every transaction,” Nickelson says. “By embedding compliance, clarifying roles and surfacing risks early, we reduce delays, eliminate blind spots and help more deals reach the closing table faster and with confidence.”
Nickelson’s vision goes beyond efficiency. Goby Homes also aims to reduce bias, human error and malpractice in real estate through responsible AI use. His work has earned national attention: This spring, Goby Homes received a National Fair Housing Alliance Innovation Impact Award for its role in advancing equitable homeownership.
“My mission is to improve the home buying and selling experience for everyone involved, ensuring that clients ultimately get what they came to us for,” Nickelson says.
AI Lead Changer: Katherine Aronsson
Co-founder of Kevin AI and an agent with Pinnacle Realty Advisors
California real estate professional Katherine Aronsson of Pinnacle Realty Advisors in Los Angeles is using AI to automate lead generation and streamline prospecting so no prospect gets left behind.
In 2024, Aronsson co-founded Kevin AI, a proptech startup hailed as “the AI revolution in real estate.” The platform boosts marketing, prospecting and lead conversion through personalized, data-driven engagement.
“Too often, real estate agents get a long list of leads that are just names and phone numbers,” Aronsson says. “There’s no real insight into who these homeowners are ... It’s like shooting in the dark.”
Kevin AI changes that by giving lead information “real-life context—things like how long someone’s lived in their home, signs they might be thinking about selling and what’s happening in the local market,” she says.
Agents get a clearer picture that can help them:
- Prioritize high-potential leads
- Start meaningful conversations
- Build trust faster
“Instead of just piling up more leads, we’re helping agents focus on quality,” Aronsson says. “It’s all about turning strangers into real relationships.”
Kevin AI also automates the workflow—from identifying likely sellers to launching hyper-personalized outreach. The program uses pattern recognition to find overlooked prospects and handles follow-ups automatically. It also includes an autonomous “neighborhood watch” and lets agents interact with data via web, email, text, chat or voice. The goal: Automation that feels human.
“Real estate is all about people and relationships,” says Aronsson, who has also served in leadership roles for both NAR and the California Association of REALTORS®. “For me, it was about giving agents the chance to focus on the human side of the business—helping them connect faster, build trust and ultimately do what they do best.”
