On the TechTO stage ×1
First seen on the TechTO stage in 2015. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Matthew ↗
In their words
It's really easy if you raise 10 million dollars and just build build build build build — you might be building the wrong thing and really spinning your wheels.
You can't start a business and be working full-time somewhere else.
Around the web ×1
Quick answers
Who is Matthew Slutsky?
Co-founder of BuzzBuzzHome, the Toronto listings site for new-construction homes and condos, which Zonda acquired in 2021 and rebranded as Livabl. Zonda lists him as vice-president of sales. Before starting the company he was VP of development for a luxury condo builder.
How did BuzzBuzzHome grow without venture funding?
He and Cliff Peskin each put in about $30,000 and went after paying customers immediately — the first cheque was $1,000 a month — reaching profitability inside the first year and taking no salary for the first year and a half. Builders paid a monthly fee to feature projects on a free listings site.
What did he say was the hardest lesson?
Learning to say no. He and his partner started a Groupon-style business early on, handed it to a friend — it became WagJag — and walked away, and they refused to add commercial or resale listings, because every one of those pulled focus off the core product (TechTO, February 2015).
How big was BuzzBuzzHome when he spoke at TechTO?
45 employees, profitable, no money raised, headquartered in Toronto with offices in New York and Vancouver, listing new residential construction across North America — his own numbers on the TechTO stage, 2015-02-09.