Corporate Venture Capital Is Here To Stay

Everyone is fascinated with predicting when the market will turn, especially venture capitalists. Perhaps now that Game of Thrones is over, we can put a merciful death to the refrains of “winter is coming” that seemed so much more clever seven seasons ago. And while Chamath Palihapitiya of Social Capital recently suggested that quantitative easing could prevent most recessions in the future, the rest of the industry seems steeled for the inevitable. At the 2019 Global Corporate Venturing & …

CBRE eyes 3 World Trade Center for its coworking brand

CBRE, the world’s largest commercial brokerage and real estate services company, is searching for space to house its newly launched coworking brand, Hana, and has recently entertained talks to open its first city location in the at 3 World Trade Center. CBRE announced late last year that it was entering the booming coworking sector to compete with a long list of fast-growing operators, including WeWork, Knotel and Regus….

Macerich exec says “the retail apocalypse is a good thing”

As e-commerce continues to kill brick-and-mortar stores, some landlords appear to be embracing the new reality for retail. “The retail apocalypse is a good thing,” said Jesse Franklin, the vice president of investment and innovation at retail giant Macerich, during a panel Monday at the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas. “It’s calling out all of those retailers that haven’t invested in their brand, that aren’t connecting with their customers, and it’s going …

Real estate’s surveillance state

The Edge in Amsterdam is widely considered the smartest building in the world. Since the 15-story office property opened four years ago, its 28,000 sensors have collected roughly 55 terabytes of data on everything from the air’s CO2 levels to workers’ daily coffee orders. If that information were stored as music files, it would play continuously for more than 100 years. And the more info the glass-encased building collects, the smarter it gets….

How Retailers are Using AI to Win

Retailer spending on AI is projected to grow from $2 billion last year to $7.3 billion by 2022. So say panelists at ICSC RECon 2019. According to moderator Deborah Weinswig, founder and CEO of Coresight Research, the retail industry spent the most on AI in 2018 (as compared to other property sectors like healthcare, for example), according to their research. “China’s retailers are using data to drive spectacular retail,” she explained. AI is all about personalization, she said. “As a futur…

JLL Panel Breakfast Talks AI, New Innovative Concepts

LAS VEGAS—Technology, demographics and culture are all in a constant state of flux and the changing retail landscape will create new winners and new losers. Those retailers and landlords who anticipate that change have the best chance for success. So said panelists at JLL’s breakfast presentation at ICSC RECon Monday morning. According JLL’s Greg Maloney, CEO of retail, the consumer is driving retail development. “It is great to know what we are going to do today or two weeks from today, but …

Openpath Expands Executive Team and Customer Roster With Notable Additions, Including Domino’s Pizza

LOS ANGELES – May 8, 2019 – Openpath, a leader in next-generation access control technology, today announced Kieran Hannon joined the company’s executive team as Chief Marketing Officer. Formerly Belkin International’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kieran has extensive award-winning marketing experience, and his appointment signifies Openpath’s continued growth and leadership in the smart office industry. The addition of Hannon to Openpath’s executive team coincides with the expansion of its Los Ange…

Coliving’s Historic Rise to Modern Prominence

While many used to sneer at the concept of co-living, not any longer. Forms of cohabitation have been happening from the beginning of time—spiritual ashrams and monasteries, tribal villages, boarding houses, residential hotels, and communal kibbutzim, to start. While the desire for increased privacy and space have ruled housing trends for centuries, coliving has always had a base, and it’s only getting stronger as the success of companies like Airbnb provide modern solutions to a range of issues…

CRE Tech Investments Volume Up in April

Robin picks up $20 million Series B to optimize the office

Robin Powered, a startup looking to help offices run better, has today announced the close of a $20 million Series B funding. The round was led by Tola Capital, with existing investors Accomplice and FirstMark participating in the round, along with a new strategic Allegion Ventures. Robin started as part of an agency called One Mighty Roar, where Robin Powered co-founder Sam Dunn and his two co-founders built out RFID and beacon tech for clients’ live events. In 2014, they spun out the tech as…