From Combat Medic to PropTech Pioneer: How Vanessa Martin is Making Real Estate Safer

In an industry where 30,000 professionals fell victim to violent crimes last year alone, one startup founder is leveraging her military background to transform real estate safety. Vanessa Martin, co-founder of Tether RE, is addressing a critical yet often overlooked aspect of real estate: agent protection.

“Real estate is actually among one of the most dangerous professions when it comes to homicide,” Martin explains. “This is one of the few professions where a predator can stalk its victim very openly on social media, and with one phone call, they can end up in a home alone with them.”

Martin’s journey to tackling this challenge is anything but conventional. Before entering the proptech space, she served as a combat medic in the U.S. military, including deployments to Iraq. Her background in personal protection, combined with her experience as a single mother, gave her unique insight into vulnerability and safety needs.

The genesis of Tether RE came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Martin and her husband Scott were exploring applications for their existing mobile navigation technology. What began as a tool for staying connected while riding UTVs evolved into a comprehensive safety platform for real estate professionals.

The statistics that drove their mission are sobering: according to the National Association of REALTORS, an average of 25 agents are murdered annually in the United States. While existing solutions focused primarily on preventive measures like background checks, Tether RE innovated by providing protection throughout the entire showing process.

The platform includes several critical safety features. These include an SOS panic button for immediate assistance, a proximity safety timer that alerts authorities if agents don’t leave a property within their preset timeframe, impact detection for falls, physical altercations, or car accidents, and 24/7 safety monitoring with live dispatch center support.

The importance of comprehensive monitoring was highlighted by Carl Carter, who serves on Tether RE’s advisory board. Carter’s mother, Beverly Carter, was tragically kidnapped and murdered while working as a real estate agent. Her story helped shape one of Tether RE’s key features: backup monitoring when personal safety contacts are unavailable.

“What happens if they don’t answer?” Martin recalls Carter asking, leading to the integration of professional monitoring services. If agents don’t respond to safety checks or enter their safety pin, local authorities are dispatched to their precise location.

Since launching with full monitoring capabilities six to seven months ago, Tether RE has gained significant traction. The platform has attracted nearly 1,000 individual users and is gaining momentum with Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) and realtor associations, who are working to offer it as a member benefit.

As Tether RE enters an exciting growth phase, Martin’s military-honed focus on protection continues to drive innovation in real estate safety technology. Her transition from combat medic to proptech founder demonstrates how diverse experiences can lead to meaningful solutions for industry-wide challenges.

“I’ve always had this deep-rooted passion for personal protection,” Martin reflects. Her company’s success in recent pitch competitions suggests that the real estate industry shares her commitment to agent safety, recognizing Tether RE as a vital tool in protecting professionals who often find themselves in vulnerable situations.