Building Ventures Promotes Heather Widman to Partner

I couldn’t be happier to share that Heather Widman is now a partner here at Building Ventures. Having worked with Heather at two prior portfolio companies before recruiting her to leave the operating side and join Building Ventures in early 2019, I knew firsthand the impact she would have. Heather has been instrumental in our investment process, our portfolio leadership relationships, and our growth as a firm. As early stage team builders, Jesse Devitte and I appreciated the criticality of addin…

Hybrid Work Adoption Driving Rush Of Coworking Consolidation

The global coworking and flexible office industry is maturing into its next phase as it becomes an entrenched component of the hybrid work model being embraced by corporate America, and that means consolidation.

Esusu and Jonathan Rose Companies Partnership Leads to 95% of Residents Improving Their Credit Scores

HARLEM, N.Y., May 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Esusu, the leading financial technology company advancing rent reporting and data solutions for credit building, announced today new data from the company’s two year partnership with Jonathan Rose Companies, a leading developer of affordable residential communities. The new data demonstrates the impact of the partnership between the two mission-driven companies, with 95% of residents seeing positive long-term credit impact.

Technology and culture are reshaping the built environment

The built environment reflects culture, which is constantly evolving. The central question in my mind is, “How is real estate changing in light of significant culture shifts, especially when those shifts are accelerated by new technology?”

Belong secures $80M to take the pain out of rental property management

Historically, the relationship between landlords and tenants can be a contentious one.

At the same time, the experiences of managing a property, and renting one, are not always smooth.

Ex-Unibail Chief Raising £850M And Bringing Wooden Building Fund To UK

An investment management firm set up by former Unibail-Rodamco chief executive Guillaume Poitrinal is raising a new €1B (£848M) fund to develop sustainable commercial buildings using wood and will look to build in the UK for the first time.

Gensler’s Morgan warns of ‘collective near-death experience’ in climate crisis

Architecture firm Gensler’s ESG consultancy director, Juliette Morgan, has warned that the real estate sector and global population is facing a “collective near-death experience” in the face of the climate crisis. Speaking at the CREtech Climate event in Copenhagen this week, Morgan said that as the threat of climate change

Beckerman turns to climate, sustainability as next frontier for CREtech platform

For Michael Beckerman, the conversation began as a means of brainstorming for virtual conferences in the midst of the pandemic. Soon it would become a full-fledged epiphany. That’s how Beckerman — the commercial real estate technology guru, trade show host and former public relations maven — describes his discussions in 2020 with entrepreneurs Lindsay Baker and Brendan Wallace. As he recalls, the startup founders pointed to how real estate was affecting climate change, noting that the industr…

a16z’s IPO Megahits Fall Hard

Early last summer, iconic Silicon Valley venture firm Andressen Horowitz (a16z) was at the top of its game, having delivered the best exit year in its history. From Airbnb to Coinbase to Robinhood, high-profile portfolio companies were launching or planning public offerings with initial valuations in the tens of billions.

Is California multifamily housing ready for the new economics of solar?

California utility regulators have a decision to make about the financing of solar projects, and so do multifamily housing property owners. Regulators are considering greatly reduced rates for utility customers who feed solar energy to the grid. A December 2021 proposed decision by the California Public Utilities Commission would erode long-term solar cost savings and the timeline for return on investment. The timeline for approving new rates, known as net energy metering (NEM) rates, is uncl…