Virtual tours, open houses providing exposure for commercial properties during pandemic

With a growing collection of revitalized office buildings, American Equity Partners has become well-versed in recent years in welcoming brokers to its new-look properties in New Jersey. Naturally, that changed last spring with the onset of COVID-19. But the landlord and brokers with JLL still managed to catch the attention of dozens of tenant representatives in mid-November with a virtual open house, seeking to showcase a newly upgraded, 197,000-square-foot building in Parsippany.

Darwin Homes Raises $15M to Ease Single-Family Rental Business

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Real estate technology startup Darwin Homes received $15M in Series A funding to make it easier for anyone, anywhere to invest in and manage single-family rental properties. Led by Canvas Ventures, the funding round included new investors Camber Creek, existing investors Khosla Ventures, Wave Capital, Pear Ventures, and Silicon Valley Bank, and angel investors Tony Xu (DoorDash), Ryan Graves (Uber), and Andrew Marks (TQ Ventures)….

10,000 More Retail Closures On the Way in 2021

An analysis released this week predicted that as many as 10,000 retail stores could close nationwide in 2021, Business Insider reported. The study, by Coresight Research, found that 8,741 retail stores shut their doors last year, led by 3,151 apparel store closures.

“We’re only just scratching the surface”: The potential of 5G in creating the metaverse

5G is the next big frontier in enabling new forms of entertainment — especially the metaverse. The technology is starting to catch up with a level of ambition that’s already being displayed in areas like gaming, but more broadly, in an AR and mixed reality world.

Start-ups take on the challenge of climate change and city living

Reonomy’s New Product Provides View of Companies’ Assets

Simon Property Group Forms $300M SPAC

Simon Property Group has formed a special purpose acquisition company with a target value of $300M, according to a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday. The filing stipulates that the new SPAC, called Simon Property Group Acquisition Holdings Inc., doesn’t have a target company. The SPAC could raise up to $345M if its underwriter, Goldman Sachs, exercises an option to purchase an additional 4.5 million shares….

WATCH NOW: Retail Real Estate After COVID – What Changed, What Changes Will Last

LEARN MORE: Reimagining Real Estate Business Intelligence Exhibitor Voxelgrid

Welcome – We are Voxelgrid, a very innovative startup from Munich, Germany, with the ability to digitize existing buildings. For that we have developed a hard- and software solution that enables us to scan buildings while walking. We offer pointclouds, CAD- and 3D-plans as well. On top of that our service is super cheap because our patented technology does it all. …

Flying taxi investment takes off with Wall Street

The next big thing in transportation could be electric flying taxis — think of a drone crossed with a helicopter — that would ferry people and goods high above congested roadways. Why it matters: Air taxis are billed as a cheaper, faster, cleaner mode of transportation, and an important link between remote areas and population centers. But there are still technical and regulatory challenges to overcome — not to mention public skepticism.