After over a year of virtual conferences, CREtech was thrilled to return to a live, in-person event, held at Pier 36 in New York City on October 13–14, 2021. The CREtech organization is designed to “help the real estate industry embrace, adopt and future-proof their businesses.” The two-day conference featured networking, panels and presentations from pioneers in the real estate, venture capital, climate, construction, finance and technology sectors. The common goal pervading the conference was driving increased adoption of technological innovation within real estate–the worlds’ largest asset class.

Throughout the conference, key themes highlighted within the real estate technology/PropTech sector included:

Climate tech

As the risks from climate change grow exponentially, real estate companies and investors further emphasize the financial and moral case for investing in sustainability and environmental social governance (“ESG”).

Future of the workplace and the reimagined office

The post-COVID workplace environment will undergo fundamental reinvention to address the tenants’ health needs and desire for flexibility.

The data revolution

Improving the access to and implementation of data for acquisition/leasing deal flow, tracking of metrics, energy management, etc. will enable real estate companies to gain a competitive advantage.

Tech solutions for affordable housing

New technologies (i.e. modular construction) can reduce housing costs, thereby increasing access to affordable housing.

The multifamily experience of the future

Tenant retention and satisfaction via streamlined digital experiences and onsite amenities facilitates significant cost savings (i.e. decreased turnover costs).

Nearly 100 commercial real estate and innovation leaders who are ‘Reimagining Real Estate’ were in attendance, with featured speakers including, but not limited to:

PropTech Companies:

Andy Florance, Founder and CEO, Costar Group

Chase Garbarino, Co-founder and CEO, HqO — Developer of a professional tenant experience platform designed to connect people to places, experiences and each other

L.D. Salmanson, CEO and Co-Founder, Cherre — Developer of a SaaS-based financial database platform intended to collect and augment real estate data from public, private and internal sources

Nick Romito, Founder & CEO, VTS — A single platform for leasing and asset management

PropTech Venture Capitalists:

Brad Greiwe, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Fifth Wall — The largest venture capital firm focused on the global real estate industry and property technology for the Built World

Raj Singh, Managing Partner, JLL Spark — a global venture fund investing in early to mid-stage property technology startups

Real Estate Companies:

Mark Schwartz, Former Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs

Anthony E. Malkin, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

John Fitzpatrick, Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer of Alternative Asset Management Technology, Blackstone

Scott Evans, Chief Digital Officer, The Related Companies

Overall, a positive and optimistic sentiment ruminated amongst the conference attendees–it is an exciting time to be involved in PropTech as the real estate industry is ripe for technological disruption.

Written By: Kennedy Shields ‘23