From the Arctic Circle to Hawaii via Crypto Real Estate Innovation

I have always been drawn to technology's power to reshape entire industries, a conviction forged amid the frosty expanses of my hometown north of the Arctic Circle. In those early days, I never imagined that same drive would eventually lead me to create crypto real estate transactions, including in the balmy state of Hawaii.

That's where I am now, opening new frontiers in real estate and crypto. Yet each step of my journey—from the subzero climate of my youth to the vibrant entrepreneurial landscape of Silicon Valley—has only reinforced my belief that, with vision and determination, technology can open doors most people never knew existed.

I've come to see that even the most established systems—like real estate—can be transformed when we dare to question what's possible. Far too often, outdated processes and rigid norms block innovators from making their mark. My own life story stands as proof that there's a way around every barrier, whether it's political boundaries, economic limitations or the sheer weight of tradition. Today, that same sense of possibility propels me to blend blockchain, cryptocurrency and property ownership in ways that disrupt the status quo and invite others to see new horizons.

I founded a blockchain-powered real estate platform years ago and now find myself this month enabling buyers to purchase a condominium with an instant on-chain loan that uses both their cryptocurrency and the property itself as collateral—a revolutionary step that eliminates the usual 30-day escrow and lets them reclaim their crypto when the loan is repaid.

Without Winter, There Can Be No Spring

I grew up in a place called Polyarnye Zori—literally, "Polar Sunrise" —a town north of the Arctic Circle in the Soviet Union, which was built to support a nuclear power plant. This was an extreme physical environment in a different political and economic era. It might seem an exotic place to grow up, but the lessons I learned there—both intentional and accidental—planted a seed that has grown into a life spent striving for positive change through technological innovation.

As a girl, I never dreamed of becoming a tech entrepreneur. Such a thing did not exist in my world. At first, we lived a stable but circumscribed existence under the Communist government. Everything was provided for, but there was no room for individuality, let alone ambition.

Yet no political system can erase the contours of the earth itself, and the wild geography of my hometown shaped me as much as Soviet conformity. In the winter, the sun would not rise for three months straight. Nevertheless, school activities took place outdoors, and we learned to find fun, learning and companionship in any environment and to make the best of the resources available to us. This is a lesson that has stayed with me ever since.

Into the Great Unknown

At 18, I left for Moscow to attend college. My goal was to get into one of the city's best universities. Although I was still in the same country, Moscow was another world, and despite my best efforts, corruption stymied me. Instead, I enrolled in the Dubna International University of Humanity, a relatively new institution with a forward-thinking ethos. The curriculum required every student, regardless of major, to learn coding.

It was transformative. I'd always been fascinated by technology—I still remember my awe at learning about CDs, how they could hold music, even data. When I finally touched a computer, I was hooked. I switched my major to software engineering and became one of the best coders in my class.

Then, when I was 19, love took me to Bulgaria. It was an impulsive move, and it shaped my future. I was able to continue my studies remotely, traveling back to Moscow for exams. My thesis was, in retrospect, groundbreaking: I built the first social media platform for the European region. Though it gained popularity, I lacked the vision to monetize it, and I shut it down. A few years later, Facebook would emerge, teaching me a hard lesson about the importance of timing.

A New Approach to an Ancient Idea

In the early 2000s, as Bulgaria prepared to join the European Union, I saw an opportunity in real estate. Foreign investors, especially from the U.K., were flocking to buy property. I got investors to back me in acquiring land and developing properties for resale. My team and I built a thriving real estate development business that spanned a decade, attracting high-profile investors and media attention. It felt surreal to be part of Bulgaria's economic transformation, but I craved a bigger challenge.

That search for scale brought me to the homeland of those foreign investors, to Oxford University, where I pursued a program in sustainable urban development. My advisers were some of the best minds in real estate, and they encouraged me to think globally. It was here that a new, bigger idea began to crystallize. What if buying real estate, anywhere in the world, could be as simple as a few clicks?

Turning Ideas Into Action

The only question was where to launch. I considered Dubai, but the venture ecosystem there at that time was still relatively nascent. Then I attended a conference in Silicon Valley, where I found a vibrancy and a desire to innovate and disrupt. I moved to California that month.

It was in the intellectual and financial ferment of Silicon Valley that I first heard about blockchain technology. Engineers explained how it could revolutionize property transactions, ensuring transparency and security. I was inspired. I realized this was the technology that could grab the outdated, cumbersome financial and regulatory systems around real estate and pull them into the 21st century.

The journey has been fraught with challenges. Real estate as an industry is resistant to change. Venture capitalists have pushed me to abandon my belief in blockchain or pivot into more traditional models like brokerage or mortgages. But I have remained committed to my vision: to simplify and democratize property transactions on a global scale. Each turn of the market has brought new struggles but also new breakthroughs and supporters.

Today, I am based in Miami and more committed than ever to streamlining real estate transactions, removing intermediaries and unnecessary complexity. My dream is to enable seizure-resistant property ownership around the world, ensuring that no government can compromise people's rights. For now, though, I'll be happy if we simply revolutionize how homes are bought and sold in America.

For the next generation of dreamers, my message is simple: Don't wait for permission to pursue your vision. Whether it's coding in a remote town or pitching an idea to a room full of skeptics, trust your instincts and keep moving forward. You never know where the journey will take you. It could even be innovating in the U.S. real estate industry, from Florida to Hawaii.

Natalia Karayaneva is the CEO of Propy, an AI and blockchain-powered real estate platform that simplifies the buying and selling of property and brings real estate transactions online securely and efficiently.