How big data could help make it easier for landlords to evict you

StreetEasy is trying to steal our landlord clients: brokerage execs

UPDATED: Sept. 6, 6:41 p.m.: What started as a way for StreetEasy to vet rental listings has led to another all-out brawl between New York City resi brokerages and the Zillow-owned portal. Over the past year, StreetEasy has been asking brokers to submit copies of their exclusive rental agreements in order to “verify” the accuracy of the listing data. But in recent weeks, several of the city’s top brokerage firms have accused StreetEasy of using confidential information in those agreements to …

Saltbox to Debut Novel Shared Workspace Concept in Atlanta

The shared workspace sector continues to expand and evolve, and Saltbox Inc. is playing a role in the transformation. The new startup has just announced its first location, a 27,000-square-foot facility to open in Atlanta, providing a combination of coworking and co-warehousing space for what it calls the “concrete class.”

Modular Is Poised For Greatness — If Only CRE Understood How To Use It

After going through the entitlement process and breaking ground on Los Angeles’ first steel modular construction high-rise, BLVD Hospitality officials are now big believers in modular construction. Developers hope the steel modular hotel — set to rise in downtown sometime in October 2020 — can be a shining example of a well-built modular construction product.

Compass says it rejected Realogy’s offer to sell

UPDATED: Sept. 6, 6:58 p.m.: With his back against the mats, Realogy CEO Ryan Schneider considered selling the brokerage to its chief rival: Compass. In a statement Friday, the SoftBank-backed brokerage said Schneider even proposed a plan where the arch enemies would form a joint venture — a proposal Compass said it declined. The statement was made in conjunction with Compass’ motion to dismiss an explosive lawsuit filed by Realogy earlier this summer. In the suit, Realogy accused Compass …

Uber has surveyed some drivers on small loans, suggesting financial products are coming

Back in June Uber went on a hiring spree in New York, hiring at least 100 fintech-oriented tech workers to ostensibly look at creating products to increase loyalty and engagement among users and drivers, including things like banking. Cue a flurry of speculation. It now looks like Uber  is taking baby-steps towards building such a raft of products out, potentially by offering loans directly to drivers, according to a report from Recode/Vox….

WeWork’s plunging valuation could spell concern for other real estate startups

Since the start of 2019, WeWork’s lofty $47 billion has been a fixture of fascination — how could an unprofitable startup be worth more than 15 times its revenue?

Speaker Spotlight: Travis Putnam, Managing Partner, Navitas Capital

Attending the CREtech New York Conference on October 16-17, 2019? Don’t miss Travis Putnam, Managing Partner at Navitas Capital moderate the session, “How AI is Creating Property Value Today,” on the Innovation Stage at CREtech New York. Travis, alongside 3 portfolio companies: Matterport, Gridium and MeetElise will share the experiences of utilizing AI to create value for customers. Our team at CREtech recently caught up with Putnam to learn more about his role and his vision for the comm…

Five Tips from a Strategic VC to Accelerate Growth of your Proptech Startup

Recently, I was asked to share my thoughts with Forbes on how proptech startups should approach strategic growth within the commercial real estate industry. While we covered a lot of ground, there are a few things I wanted to add here. As Growth Lead for the Americas at JLL Spark, I guide proptech startup founders on strategy and sales growth and help teams navigate the myriad of decision makers within the commercial real estate industry. I also educate commercial real estate leaders about tech…

Online brokerage Dwellowner looks to raise $7M via token offering

Four months after leaving Purplebricks, the embattled firm’s top U.S. executive is looking to raise money for a new discount brokerage. Eric Eckardt is seeking $7 million to $10 million to help grow Dwellowner, a cloud-based brokerage, via a security token offering (STO) in which investors are given cryptocurrency representing their investment. An unnamed investor has already committed to chipping in $3 million, Eckardt said in a video posted to Dwellowner’s website on Wednesday.