This week on Strong New York Podcast, Kenny sits down with Sam Bakhshandehpour, President of Merchants at Bilt, the platform that turned paying rent — historically "the worst day of the month" — into a rewards-earning, community-building experience.Sam's story starts long before Bilt: fleeing Iran with his mother at age 6 during the revolution, believing his father had been executed, then rebuilding a life from nothing in America. That immigrant grit carried him through decades in hospitality — running 80+ hotels and 50+ restaurants, including time at the Ritz-Carlton — before he came in-house at Bilt to help build what he calls a "B2B2C" neighborhood commerce network connecting your home, your merchants, and your travel into one loyalty ecosystem.In this episode, Kenny and Sam get into:What Bilt actually is (hint: it's not just a credit card) and how it evolved from a rent-rewards program to a full lifestyle platformWhy one in four apartment buildings in the U.S. — and over 100,000 mortgages a week — are now on the Bilt networkHow Bilt's AI concierge orchestrates everything from dinner reservations to Lyft rides to gym check-insThe hospitality lessons Sam learned running nightlife, restaurants, and hotels — and what "the gold standard" of hospitality really meansWhy merchants are racing to connect with new tenants the moment they move inBilt's next frontier: health and wellness, HSA/FSA integration, and Sam's vision for AI-personalized nutrition and recoveryBuilding real community in a hyper-connected, increasingly isolated worldIf you've ever wondered how your rent, your credit card, and your neighborhood favorite restaurant are all quietly becoming part of the same ecosystem — this one's for you.CONNECT: Follow Kenny: @kennysantucciFollow the Strong New York Podcast: @strongnewyorkpodFollow Sam Bakhshandehpour: @sambakhshandepourFollow Bilt: @bilt#StrongNewYork #Bilt #KennySantucci #RentRewards #Hospitality #Fintech #NYCPodcast #Wellness #ImmigrantStory #LoyaltyProgramThis episode is sponsored by:🔥 Celsius — the energy drink that fuels every Strong New York workout. Follow @celsiusofficial on Instagram for all the new flavors.🩸 Marek Health — optimize your hormones, recovery, and performance at marekhealth.com. Use code KENNY for 10% off Diagnostics, Supplements, and Guided Optimization.🤝 Founders Club — a trusted circle of 2,500+ builders across North America who share resources, open doors, and raise the bar for entrepreneurship. Learn more at FoundersClubOfficial.com.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related