Construction Startup Katerra Attracts Former Oil-Industry CEO

A Silicon Valley-based construction startup has hired a former oil-industry chief executive, a sign that its rapid growth is starting to attract prominent talent from other industries. Katerra Inc. has brought in Paal Kibsgaard as its chief operating officer, the Menlo Park, Calif., company said. Mr. Kibsgaard was until recently CEO of Schlumberger Ltd. , the world’s largest oil-field-services company….

Uber Wants to Sell You Train Tickets. And Be Your Bus Service, Too.

DENVER — When Julia Ellis arrives at a train station in a Denver suburb to go to work, she opens her Uber app. Next to the ride-hailing options, she taps a train icon marked “Transit.” The click buys her a ticket for Denver’s public transit system, the Regional Transportation District. Ms. Ellis said she had used Uber to get her train tickets since the company rolled out the feature this spring. She also often takes an Uber ride to the station because a medical condition limits her driving….

Self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics begins deliveries in Texas

A year after coming out of stealth mode with $40 million, self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics will begin making its first commercial deliveries in Texas. Kodiak will open a new facility in North Texas to support its freight operations along with increased testing in the state. There are some caveats to the milestone. Kodiak’s self-driving trucks will have a human safety driver behind the wheel. And it’s unclear how significant this initial launch is; the company didn’t provide details…

AI vs A-Try: 3 Questions to Help Cut Through the Hype

By Guy Zipori, CEO and co-founder of Skyline AI From Deep Blueto DeepMind, the pace of AI progress has been dizzying. Exponential growth in AI has led to compounding interest from investors and consumers alike. Over a decade in the industry, I’ve seen AI’s breathless growth firsthand. Watching the miraculous become routine is enough to make anyone bullish. But as AI continues to make great strides, the gap between reality and expectations only widens. The current AI market is at the pea…

Boston involves neighbourhoods in urban tech via local newsfeeds

The City of Boston is installing neighbourhood newsfeeds across a number of diverse communities as part of the Beta Blocks project, run by the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics. Screens will be located in Codman Square, Chinatown, and Lower Allson, enabling community members to be more involved in how new urban technologies should be used in their neighbourhoods.

Co-Living Keeps Growing As Tripalink Raises $10M At $100M Valuation

Tripalink, a Los Angeles-based real estate startup providing co-living space for students and  young professionals, has raised a $10 million Series B at a $100 million valuation. Founded by University of Southern California-Los Angeles (USC) graduates in 2016, Tripalink has grown rapidly. According to CEO Donghao Li, the company has been profitable since the year it was founded and tripled its revenue in 2018….

Solar panels help retailers tap into savings

Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre has 35-acres of flat roof area that’s wide open to all-day sun. For owner and operator Oxford Properties, there was no better place to install and test a massive, 20,000-square-foot solar array. Their mission? To generate enough green energy to power the mall’s one million square feet of retail space for at least 20 years, possibly longer. To make it work, Oxford management hired Canadian engineering company RESCo Energy Inc. in the spring of 2017 to install 6…

Austin airport moves into public testing of driverless shuttle

The office landlord’s big gamble: WeWork is sole tenant in at least 5 NYC office buildings

Office landlords in New York City — known to play it safe and fill their buildings with multiple tenants to mitigate risk — are breaking the rules for WeWork, the office space startup that has gobbled up 5 million square feet across the city. In the rare case that a landlord is smitten by that one tenant, they’re almost always looking for a company with a great track record or a sturdy business model, such as a white-shoe law firm or a well-capitalized financial institution.

Microsoft, First Solar Partner for Solar-Powered Data Centers

Microsoft’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its operations is making big steps. The company’s amount of renewable energy powering its data centers will reach the 60 percent mark this year, ahead of schedule. Although the tech company is nowhere to be found in SEIA’s 2018 Solar Means Business Report, the answer lies in wind—Microsoft has invested consistently in wind projects.