Prior to the pandemic, the term essential professional was virtually unused.  We quickly discovered just how important certain professions are to our existence.  While essential professionals may not have received any special benefits because of their efforts, startups like Landed are working to ensure that they do see some economic benefit.   Today, I sit with Alex Lofton, who leads Landed’s effort to create wealth for essential professionals through the home buying process.  His team has created an innovative fintech product that provides the financing required to buy a home.   Founder Bio: Alex Lofton is the Co-Founder and President of Landed.  He is a proud product of Bellevue Public Schools in his native Washington state. Alex previously worked as a member of Barack Obama’s field team in 2007 and 2008, managing hundreds of paid staff who organized thousands of volunteers for the then-Senator’s successful presidential primary and general election campaigns.   Alex then served as a Founding Regional Director of Organizing for America – the political mobilization wing of the Democratic National Committee – until 2010.   Alex has since served in leadership positions at numerous social enterprises and technology start-ups in D.C., London, and San Francisco. Alex got his start in real estate at developer Forest City, and he holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.   Timestamps: 2:41  From Seattle to Chicago | Alex’s early career in politics with Barack Obama’s early campaign 6:52  Building brand awareness for the Barack Obama and his Presidential campaign 10:21  How Alex found his footing in the startup ecosystem 13:58  How Landed is helping essential workers build wealth via home buying 17:21  Business Model | The Xs and Os of how Landed helps acquire a home using innovative finance 20:03  Automating data-driven financing decisions 26:30  Organizing the team to deliver the first version of a data driven product 28:46  The job of a startup President and “Chief Enroller” 30:29  The evolution of Landed’s go-to-market strategy 37:20  Why essential professionals became the ideal customer/partner 41:20  Adding to the 70+ person team after closing Series B 43:56  The value in finding investment partners with a stake in the constituency you serve 47:15  The differences between raising a seed round and raising a Series B