# Michael Martin

> Michael Martin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sidekick, a generative AI assistant purpose-built for real estate agents and brokerages. A Dartmouth-educated executive with a career spanning investment banking at Deutsche Bank and Apollo Global Management, digital agency leadership at Code and Theory, and proptech entrepreneurship, Martin co-founded Avenue 8 in 2020 as a tech-enabled mobile-first brokerage. When Sidekick's AI tooling proved more compelling than the brokerage itself, he made the bold call to shut down the brokerage entirely and go all-in on the software platform. Sidekick has raised $18M in funding, won back-to-back Webby Awards in 2024, and secured MLS partnerships covering over 120,000 real estate agents across the US.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Sidekick
- **Organizations:** Sidekick, Avenue 8, Code and Theory, Apollo Global Management, Deutsche Bank, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA with High Honors, Comparative Literature, Dartmouth College
- **Known for:** 28th Annual Webby Awards (2024): Won Best AI Product & Service AND Best AI Work & Productivity App, 2024 Inman Innovator Awards: Finalist for Company of the Year and Most Innovative Use of AI, 2024 HousingWire Tech Trendsetter award recipient

## Career timeline

- **2002-2006** — BA with High Honors in Comparative Literature, Dartmouth College
- **2006-2011** — Investment banking at Deutsche Bank and Apollo Global Management - focused on leveraged buyouts, M&A, and equity offerings (Clear Channel, Harrah's, Ceridian deals)
- **2011-2019** — Managing Partner at Code and Theory (digital creative agency) - helped grow firm from 50 to 500+ employees; firm later exited to Stagwell (Nasdaq: STGW)
- **2020-03** — Co-founded Avenue 8, a mobile-first tech-enabled real estate brokerage in San Francisco
- **2020-12** — Avenue 8 raised $4M seed round led by Craft Ventures, with Zigg Capital and Good Friends
- **2020** — Avenue 8 achieved $600M in California home sales in its first year with 25% compounded monthly agent growth
- **2021-05** — Avenue 8 raised $14M Series A co-led by Craft Ventures and Threshold Ventures
- **2023-11** — Launched Sidekick publicly as a standalone AI assistant for real estate agents
- **2024-05** — Sidekick partnered with San Francisco Association of Realtors (4,000+ members) and MIAMI Association of Realtors (100,000+ agents)
- **2024-06** — Announced Avenue 8 brokerage shutdown to focus 100% on Sidekick software platform; received investment from Cox Enterprises
- **2024-07** — Sidekick partnered with The MLS (Greater LA, 18,000+ members) and OneKey MLS (New York)
- **2024-10** — Named HousingWire 2024 Tech Trendsetter
- **2024** — Won 28th Annual Webby Awards - Best AI Product & Service AND Best AI Work & Productivity App
- **2025-01** — Offered Sidekick free to all Los Angeles area agents through end of 2025 during LA wildfires

## Achievements

- 28th Annual Webby Awards (2024): Won Best AI Product & Service AND Best AI Work & Productivity App
- 2024 Inman Innovator Awards: Finalist for Company of the Year and Most Innovative Use of AI
- 2024 HousingWire Tech Trendsetter award recipient
- Raised $18M in total funding for Avenue 8/Sidekick ($4M seed + $14M Series A + Cox Enterprises investment)
- Achieved $600M in California home sales in Avenue 8's first year (2020)
- Secured MLS partnerships covering 120,000+ real estate agents across SF, Miami, LA, and New York
- Helped grow Code and Theory from 50 to 500+ employees; agency exited to Stagwell (Nasdaq: STGW)
- First generative AI assistant to license MLS data (SFAR partnership, May 2024)
- Presented alongside Adam Goldberg from OpenAI at Inman Connect New York 2024

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Offered Sidekick free to all Los Angeles real estate agents through end of 2025 during LA wildfires
- **2025-02** — Published Substack post on DeepSeek and declining AI costs benefiting real estate agents
- **2024-10** — Named HousingWire 2024 Tech Trendsetter
- **2024-07** — Sidekick partnered with The MLS (Greater Los Angeles, 18,000+ members) and OneKey MLS (New York)
- **2024-06** — Announced Avenue 8 brokerage shutdown; secured investment from Cox Enterprises to focus 100% on Sidekick platform
- **2024-05** — Won 28th Annual Webby Awards - Best AI Product & Service AND Best AI Work & Productivity App

## Links

- Website: https://sidekickdata.io
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsunmartin/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelsunmartin/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michael-martin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-12