Fello's Co-Founder & CPO Tom Schrader Honored as a 2025 HousingWire Tech Trendsetter

We have some exciting news to share! Our very own Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Tom Schrader, has been named one of HousingWire's 2025 Tech Trendsetters for his work in AI and automation, leading the development of the AI-native Fello platform. 

This is a huge honor, and while we’re incredibly proud of Tom, we’re also excited about what this award means for the real estate and mortgage industries and everyone using Fello. This isn't just about building "cool tech"; it's about building the right tech that solves the problems you face every single day.

Honoring the Visionaries Shaping Real Estate Tech

Every year, HousingWire recognizes the most impactful and innovative technology leaders in the housing economy. While other awards honor innovative companies (like the Real Estate Tech100, which we won earlier this year), the Tech Trendsetters award is different. It honors the people — the executives, product leaders, and technology innovators (like Tom) who are the driving force behind the innovation.

HousingWire states these are the product visionaries and engineers "redefining what's possible" and "driving the tools and platforms that power progress across the industry."

It’s one thing to have a good idea. It's another to have the vision, experience, and determination to turn that idea into a platform that transforms how thousands of professionals do business. That's what this award recognizes.

From Industry Vision to a Tool You Can Use Every Day

Tom's background isn't just in tech; it's in solving real-world sales problems. Before co-founding Fello, he spent years in the high-stakes automotive industry, overseeing sales, finance, and technology. He was also the founder of a SaaS CRM built to fix the broken follow-up systems and lack of consumer transparency he saw firsthand.

He learned exactly what happens when a business has a database full of potential but no intelligent way to surface it. Sound familiar?

That experience is the foundation of Fello. Tom co-founded Fello based on a simple but powerful philosophy: the greatest opportunities for more deals are already in your existing database. You just need the tools to find them.

This award is external validation of that very vision. It confirms that Fello's approach — using AI and automation to help agents and mortgage professionals work smarter, not just harder — is at the forefront of the industry.

How This Trendsetting Vision Helps You Win

This recognition isn't about a single feature; it's about a holistic, AI-native approach to making your life easier and your business more profitable. Tom’s vision is tangible in every part of the Fello platform you use.

When you feel overwhelmed by a messy, outdated database, that's the problem Fello is built to solve.

• Instead of guessing who to call, the AI-powered Lead Score tracks demographic and behavioral data to give you a prioritized list of contacts who are most likely to convert.
• Instead of spending hours on data entry, Fello's data enrichment automatically fills in missing property addresses, loan data, equity, and MLS info.
• Instead of stumbling through a cold call, the Ask AI assistant gives you instant insights on a contact, generates call scripts, and even helps you practice objection handling.

Tom's leadership ensures that Fello is more than just another tool in your tech stack. It’s an intelligent partner designed to do the heavy lifting — the prospecting, the data monitoring, the organizing — so you can focus on what you do best: building relationships and closing deals.

We’re thrilled to congratulate Tom on this well-deserved honor. It’s a win for him, a win for the entire Fello team, and a win for every agent and mortgage pro who trusts Fello to help them grow.

— — —

Ready to Put This Award-Winning Vision to Work?

Ready to see what an industry-leading, AI-powered prospecting platform can do for your business? Stop guessing and start converting the leads already in your database.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the HousingWire Tech Trendsetters award? The HousingWire Tech Trendsetters award honors the most impactful and innovative people in the housing economy. It recognizes the product visionaries and leaders who are building the technology that drives progress for mortgage and real estate professionals.

How does Fello's AI actually help me find opportunities? Fello connects to your existing database or CRM and starts by enriching your contact data — filling in missing info like property addresses and equity. Then, its AI tracks demographic and behavioral data for every contact, creating a unique Lead Score. You get real-time alerts when a contact's activity signals they are ready to sell, so you can reach out at the perfect moment.

How is Fello different from my regular CRM? Think of Fello as the intelligent prospecting and marketing engine that powers your CRM. While your CRM is great for storing contact information, Fello is the proactive layer that enriches that data, identifies who is most likely to transact, and provides the tools (like Ask AI and the consumer dashboard) to nurture them. It turns your static list into a dynamic, opportunity-finding machine.