AI Outfit Nabs $55M For Construction Tech

Construction documentation and analysis company OpenSpace grabbed $55M in a Series C funding round led by Alkeon Capital Management. Other Series C contributors include PSP Partners, GreenPoint Partners, New World Development, Lux Capital, Menlo Ventures, JLL Spark, Navitas Capital and Zigg Capital.

Data Center Operators Look To The Sea For Better Performance, Lower Carbon

Notorious for their massive energy requirements, data center operators began to seek alternate methods of powering the structures more than a decade ago. While companies like Google and Microsoft have been investigating the efficacy of water-powered data centers for some time, the concept didn’t come to fruition until the recent launch of a seven-megawatt data center created by Nautilus Data Technologies….

Futurists aim to build semi-autonomous city without “dumb regulations”

Bluebook Cities is looking for 2,000 people — selected based upon applications — to “settle” its charter city, according to the New York Post. The company said it is “building the city that Silicon Valley deserves.”

Companies Ponder Speeding Up Plans to Bring Workers Back to Offices

Rich Lesser, the chief executive officer of Boston Consulting Group, gathered with his executives Friday in the wake of the CDC’s new guidance that says vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks and observe social distancing in most instances.

Andrew Florance, Founder & CEO of CoStar Group, To Deliver Keynote At CREtech New York Conference This Fall

CEO of the World’s Leading Real Estate Data and Information Company Will Share Company Expansion Strategies and State Of The Tech Marketplace at Major Tech Conference in NYC New York, NY (May 14, 2021) — CREtech, the world’s leading community of professionals devoted to technological innovation in the real estate sector has announced that Founder and CEO of CoStar Group, Andrew Florance, will deliver the opening Keynote Presentation at its first in-person real estate technology conference sin…

This AI tool writes real estate descriptions without ever stepping inside a home

The results still need work: The real-life Oakland, California, home that fits with the above description (which my family is currently selling) actually has a pressed tin ceiling in the dining room, rather than the living room, for instance. The descriptions Listing AI created for me are not nearly as specific or well-written as the one crafted by our (human) realtor. And I had to provide the website with a lot of information about different rooms and features of the house and the outdoor lands…

What It Will Take to Make Employees Feel Safe Returning to the Office

Yelp to experiment with return-to-work plans

Starting in August, the company will pilot its reopening plan in Phoenix with 150 employees, according to a blog post Thursday by Yelp’s chief people officer, Carolyn Patterson. “Coming into the office will be completely optional unless an employee’s role specifically requires it,” she wrote.

How Latest Tech Is Transforming Real Estate Transactions

During the Emerging Business & Technology Forum at the 2021 virtual REALTORS® Legislative Meetings Tuesday, three proptech founders shared how the technology they’re developing can help real estate professionals improve their business during this low-inventory market while also adapting to the post–COVID-19 world where virtual interaction has become the norm.

Office Users On Why They Are Comfortable Signing Leases Again

The quick turnaround in the city’s public health metrics means it is decision time for Chicago office users. The emptying out of the downtown over the past year, and the uncertainty over when the crisis would end, led many companies to put off signing new leases. But with the pace of vaccinations ramping up starting in February, plans to move or extend leases can now be dusted off. …