Delivery Platform Avo Raises $84M in Funding

Vertically integrated residential and office delivery platform Avo has revealed that it has so far raised $84 million in funding. The company’s most recent investment, a $45 million Series B round led by New York-based global private-equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners, will be used to rapidly expand operations across 10 major markets over the next 12 months. Existing investors Kleiner Perkins and JLL Spark also took part in the Series B round.

Winners Announced For The 8th Annual 2021 Real Estate Tech Awards (#RETAS)

The Most Recognized Award for Industry Startups and Technology Companies Backed by Colliers  New York (October 4, 2021) —  CREtech, the largest international community of professionals devoted to technological innovation in the real estate sector, announced the winners of the 8th Annual Real Estate Tech Awards (RETAS). The 2021 RETAS were sponsored by Colliers, a leading diversified professional services and investment management company. The Real Estate Tech Awards are the leading internation…

Facing the new cybersecurity challenges of hybrid work

The hybrid model is taking over workplaces. Employees are increasingly being encouraged to take advantage of cloud-based technologies to work from anywhere, while coming into office whenever necessary. Initially driven by the pandemic, this mixing of remote and office work has proven to increase employee productivity and wellbeing, and many companies are going all-in. In fact, a CNBC survey of top executives in human resources, finance, and technology found that 45% planned to use a hybrid work …

Owners Are Turning to Technology to Fill Sublease Space

The sublease market exploded during the pandemic. As companies moved employees offsite and shut down offices, they looked to shed unused space through subleasing. Alpha Lease Management CEO Phil Raglin says that the sublease market is going to become a new normal in commercial real estate.

Californian cities install smart city signs to connect with citizens

Eastvale, San Jacinto and Fair Oaks are installing the solar-powered  Soofa Signs to provide communities with city announcements, public health information, real-time transit updates, and citizen feedback.

New Analysis Has Majority Returning to Office in Q1 2022

Current data issued this week by Cushman & Wakefield suggests that most of the world will achieve herd resiliency—i.e., over 70% either vaccinated or infected—by Q2 2022 and that current trends suggest most office workers globally will be able to return to the office in the first quarter of 2022. Cushman & Wakefield reported that 40% of the workforce had returned to the office as of September.

SoCal’s “Space Beach” is ready for liftoff

Amazon, UPS and FedEx were all interested.

In 2019, a former Boeing C-17 manufacturing facility in Long Beach, abandoned by the firm in 2015, was up for redevelopment. The 1.8 million-square-foot facility included large hangars fit for rockets, plane assembly and other aerospace manufacturing. 

Investing with a Learning Mindset, Part 3

Breton Birkhofer discusses the importance of technology in creating a solution for affordable housing, and why he’s concerned that the industry is not moving fast enough to address climate change.

SoftBank-backed Indian start-up Oyo files for $1.2 billion IPO

Indian hotel chain Oyo is planning to raise about 84.3 billion rupees ($1.16 billion) in an initial public offering, according to draft papers submitted to the country’s market regulator. Oyo plans to issue new shares worth up to 70 billion rupees while existing shareholders could sell shares worth up to14.3 billion rupees. Some of the start-up’s prominent backers include SoftBank Vision Fund, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital India.

Report: Investors put more capital into proptech companies

Property technology (Proptech) startup companies are currently on the rise, Crunchbase News reports. Venture capital-backed real estate companies have raised approximately $11 billion in 2021—a 22% boost from last year, according to recent Crunchbase data. Low interest rates, a good construction market and government spending have all played key roles in the uptick in proptech investment dollars. The flood of institutional money into the real estate industry has been the biggest factor, however….