Interview with CityNews: Redefining Rental Lead Qualification with AI Agents in Kitchener-Waterloo
Our Co-Founder and CPO, Dayna, sat down with Mike Farwell on CityNews to talk about how QuickCasa is addressing this problem for property managers and her journey as a female tech founder in Kitchener-Waterloo...
At QuickCasa, we’re tackling one of the biggest pain points in property management: timely and personalized responses to rental inquiries. QuickCasa is a residential property management platform that leverages AI-powered leasing agents to transform the lead qualification process, freeing up over three hours a day for property managers. Our cognitive AI ensures that every prospective tenant receives an immediate, personalized reply, speeding up the journey from inquiry to signed lease, ultimately helping people find homes faster.
Recently, our Co-Founder and CPO, Dayna, sat down with Mike Farwell on CityNews to talk about how QuickCasa is addressing this problem for property managers and her journey as a female tech founder in Kitchener-Waterloo. Here’s a look at some key moments from the live interview.
Addressing a key challenge in the rental process
Discussing the core problem QuickCasa solves, Dayna explained that renters often wait over 24 hours to hear back on rental inquiries, usually receiving a templated autoreply if they’re lucky. For busy property managers, managing tenant requests and on-site needs means they often can’t keep up with incoming leads.
“It’s not that building managers are purposely not replying,” says Dayna, “it’s that they’re busy tending to current tenants, maintenance requests, and a million and one other things at the property, making it difficult to respond to rental inquiries in a timely manner.”
QuickCasa’s AI Agents solve this issue by instantly responding to each lead, engaging in unique conversations that assess housing needs and guide prospective tenants on next steps. The result? Building managers gain key insights on leads without lifting a finger, and renters get closer to securing a home.
The journey that lead us to QuickCasa
Reflecting on her path, Dayna shared how she started her career with a property management tech startup, which gave her firsthand experience building and growing an enterprise SaaS product. “I also got to experience, not only the amount of hard work, but the constant innovating, pivoting, and adapting that has to happen when growing an early-stage business.”
This role exposed her to the struggles of property managers and highlighted inefficiencies in the process, sparking her vision for QuickCasa and wanting to help both housing providers and renters alike. "I got to learn what a day in the life of a property manager was like and was fortunate enough to work very closely with some of the largest property management companies in Canada." she shares.
What drives QuickCasa’s growth
When asked what keeps her up at night, Dayna smiled, admitting it’s the drive to bring QuickCasa’s full potential to life: “Seeing the future of QuickCasa, envisioning our roadmap and how we’re piecing together things that haven’t been done or seen in property management yet.”
The roadmap is ambitious, with plans to deliver unique features not yet seen in property management. This vision is supported by a team of advisors and growth coaches, guiding QuickCasa’s journey from a small team to a big player in the industry.
Being a female founder in property management tech
Dayna’s journey as a woman-identifying founder in tech has been fuelled by resilience and support from programs like Fierce Founders. “Fierce Founders, and Communitech as a whole, has been an incredible support system,” she shares. These programs offer resources, mentorship, and a strong network of women-identifying and non-binary founders who are building groundbreaking companies. The support of accelerators like DMZ and TechAlliance has further expanded these connections, bringing valuable expertise and fostering a tight-knit community of tech innovators.
Advice for aspiring female founders
Dayna’s advice for other founders, especially women in tech, is to tap into the resources and mentorship available within the tech ecosystem. She mentioned the broad network of partners, advisors, and mentors in KW who are always ready to offer support. This sense of community, she said, is one of the most empowering aspects of building a startup in Kitchener-Waterloo.
As QuickCasa continues to evolve, we’re excited to lead the charge in modernizing residential property management and to be part of a community that supports and amplifies innovation.
.webp)
