Christopher Saunders: From Apps To Home Investment – He’s Always One Step Ahead Of The Rest

Written by: James Carnell

At this point in time, society is so deeply immersed in the technology that we have such easy access to, that it can be challenging to remember the days before it all existed. With the ease of the internet, instant messaging and video chats, we rarely – if ever – stop to consider how these things came to be. While we all possess creative capacity, it takes a certain level of innovation to come up with these kinds of new ideas that fundamentally transform our society.

Christopher Saunders is one of these brilliant innovators, who seems to always be one step ahead. After completing his bachelor’s in computer science at Acadia University, he started working as a software developer. Over the 15 years of his career, his journey has taken several unexpected twists and turns, and each one has been a significant step in bringing him to where he is today.

Laying the groundwork for instant messaging

Saunders first started working in technical software development with BlackBerry in 2006, which was prior to the launch of both the iPhone and Android. As a founding team member primarily focused on UX, he provided major design and development contributions to BlackBerry Messenger. Although the scope of the impact was subtle at the time, he personally helped to design and create the first branded mobile instant messaging experiences on the BlackBerry platform which have been used as a model for future leading platforms such as WeChat, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Christopher’s contributions to the company were well-recognized, and reflected in his promotion to head of developer relations for the Australia and New Zealand regions in 2010. In this role, he was responsible for all developer relations activities across Australia and New Zealand including management and growth of the developer community, local developer marketing and technical software development consulting across the region for over 100 developer partners. During his time with BlackBerry, he successfully attained four different patents for unique software components and the company saw user growth in BlackBerry Messenger from less than one million to over 30 million users worldwide. That figure eventually reached over 200 million during the height of BlackBerry Messenger’s success, largely due to its innovative software.

Diving deeper into business

Through his role at BlackBerry, Christopher had become involved with app development before most even knew what an app really was. As a result, his expertise became very valuable and people started to seek him out as a consultant. He decided to focus on advising and supporting app developers as the new app industry was emerging, since he was one of just a handful with knowledge and experience. Although based out of Australia, he did a great deal of traveling around the Asia-Pacific region, helping developers solve technical challenges while also making sure to align with their overall business goals.

Saunders found the developer relations and consulting work to be very rewarding, but felt that it was time to expand his business education in order to provide developers with greater depth of understanding and support. He earned his MBA from the University of Calgary, and gained a wealth of experience from the program, as well as the two international courses that brought him further connections in both China and the Middle East. Then, with more substantial credentials behind him, he officially launched his highly successful consulting business, Silver Gull Innovation Inc., in 2014.

Next, he co-founded StromTech Energy Services Ltd. in 2017. StromTech is a sustainable energy developer focused on building and operating critical infrastructure for communities in Western Canada. StromTech provides clients with sustainable solutions to address their unique needs in the areas of electrical, heat, and water production as well as waste water treatment. In the role of CFO, Saunders was able to really understand what happens behind the scenes in the business world.

Set to revolutionize yet another industry

With such a diverse portfolio, it may not be surprising to learn that Saunders has ventured into a completely new industry. Founded in early 2020 by a group of four techies who realized that the real estate market was one of the last large markets to remain fundamentally untouched by the advent of modern technology, Divisible Inc. is here to help alleviate the homeownership crisis that is preventing an entire generation of people from achieving their dreams of homeownership.

Divisible creates fractional real estate products that enable more flexible financing options, through a focus on equity instead of a debt based approach. This can help home buyers with down payment assistance, as well as help homeowners to access the equity that they already have without taking out a loan secured against their property and incurring debt. In the past, those looking to become homeowners would have had to purchase a property or home outright which, of course, requires a substantial amount of money. With Divisible’s approach, it is possible to pool together multiple smaller investors in a single investment, making it much more accessible.

The real estate market has had a sense of exclusivity for many years, and although small changes had been made within the industry, this trillion dollar market was operating the same way it had for a thousand years based on the concept of a secured loan – a mortgage. Seeing all the challenges that this had caused in today’s modern world, the founders of Divisible set out to improve efficiency in the real estate market and to allow more people to participate, instead of real estate being a dividing line between the haves and the have-nots. As house prices continued to climb in most western cities during the pandemic, it solidified their mission by highlighting that there was an acute problem that required an innovative solution.

Saunders explains: “Whether you are a first-time home buyer or just looking to make a move, a Divisible co-investment can lower your total mortgage obligation, help you avoid costly mortgage insurance and increase your purchasing power. Through our digital platform and flexible financing options, we plan to make it as easy to access your home equity as it is to access your chequing account through online banking.”

While most would lean away from a market that is so stuck in the past, Christopher and his team are ready to take on the challenge. As a group of technical founders who are computer and finance nerds and very detail focused, they have joked that the one point of improvement for the business is to be more charismatic. Although, in truth, the real estate industry is already full of people to be wary of, and it is incredibly refreshing to finally have some technical innovation step into the industry – even if it is a little dorky.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes