Top Real Estate Tech Funding Deals of 2020

Some got bailouts, others got boosters — but across the board, proptech firms continued to reel in cash in 2020 as the pandemic forced the slow-to-adapt real estate industry to fully embrace technology.

London Development Built on Ideal of Being Fully Walkable

The hot new trend for European development is neighborhoods where everything a resident needs is within a short walk. Now, a prominent U.S. developer is building one of London’s largest versions of this type of megaproject.

Empty Hotels Get Renewed as Tiny Apartments

Investors are buying hotels and turning them into rental apartments, in the latest sign of how the Covid-19 pandemic is changing the American real-estate market. These buyers are trying to take advantage of the hospitality industry’s crisis by taking over struggling or foreclosed properties at bargain prices. They are also looking to profit from rising demand for cheap housing from households forced to downsize during the recession….

Qualia Raises $65M in Series D; Acquires Adeptive Software

Qualia, a San Francisco, CA-based digital real estate closing technology company, raised $65m in Series D financing. The round, which increased its total funding to $160m and valued the company at over $1 billion, was led by existing investor Tiger Global, alongside other existing investors 8VC and Menlo Ventures.

The U.S. can get to net-zero emissions by 2050. Here’s how

Dozens of countries, including Japan, the U.K., and Germany, plan to hit “net-zero” by 2050, meaning that any greenhouse gas emissions that still remain will be offset by carbon captured by methods like reforestation or direct air capture. China, the world’s largest emitter, plans to get to net-zero by 2060. When Biden takes office, the U.S. is expected to make a pledge to reach the goal by 2050. Can we do it?…

Proptech Primer: HqO CEO Chase Garbarino On the Post-COVID Office

Apartment List’s Valuation Hits $600 Million Amid Pandemic Boost

Apartment List, a rental platform, has raised $50 million in a funding round led by Janus Henderson Investors. It roughly doubled its prior valuation to more than $600 million.

Yardi Acquires CommissionTrac, Adding Value for Commercial Clients

SANTA BARBARA, California , Dec. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Yardi® announced today the acquisition of CommissionTrac, an Atlanta-based software company that provides revenue management software for commercial real estate companies, with a focus on commercial brokerages.

Our Digital Lives Drive a Brick-and-Mortar Boom in Data Centers

The shift to digital work and play from home, hastened by the pandemic, has wreaked havoc on commercial real estate. But experts say it has also generated one surprising bright spot for the industry: data centers. The growing reliance on cloud-based technology — and the big, blocky buildings that house its hardware — has created greater opportunities for developers and investors as businesses and consumers gobble up more data in a world that has become increasingly connected….

Opendoor Valuation Soars to $18B Ahead of IPO

Even before Opendoor’s official stock market debut on Dec. 21, the iBuyer’s valuation soared to nearly $18 billion as Wall Street investors cheered its merger with a special purpose acquisition company. Shares of Chamath Palipatihiya’s blank-check company more than tripled Friday after it completed the merger with Opendoor.