The U.S. can get to net-zero emissions by 2050. Here’s how

Dozens of countries, including Japan, the U.K., and Germany, plan to hit “net-zero” by 2050, meaning that any greenhouse gas emissions that still remain will be offset by carbon captured by methods like reforestation or direct air capture. China, the world’s largest emitter, plans to get to net-zero by 2060. When Biden takes office, the U.S. is expected to make a pledge to reach the goal by 2050. Can we do it?…

Proptech Primer: HqO CEO Chase Garbarino On the Post-COVID Office

Apartment List’s Valuation Hits $600 Million Amid Pandemic Boost

Apartment List, a rental platform, has raised $50 million in a funding round led by Janus Henderson Investors. It roughly doubled its prior valuation to more than $600 million.

Yardi Acquires CommissionTrac, Adding Value for Commercial Clients

SANTA BARBARA, California , Dec. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Yardi® announced today the acquisition of CommissionTrac, an Atlanta-based software company that provides revenue management software for commercial real estate companies, with a focus on commercial brokerages.

Our Digital Lives Drive a Brick-and-Mortar Boom in Data Centers

The shift to digital work and play from home, hastened by the pandemic, has wreaked havoc on commercial real estate. But experts say it has also generated one surprising bright spot for the industry: data centers. The growing reliance on cloud-based technology — and the big, blocky buildings that house its hardware — has created greater opportunities for developers and investors as businesses and consumers gobble up more data in a world that has become increasingly connected….

Opendoor Valuation Soars to $18B Ahead of IPO

Even before Opendoor’s official stock market debut on Dec. 21, the iBuyer’s valuation soared to nearly $18 billion as Wall Street investors cheered its merger with a special purpose acquisition company. Shares of Chamath Palipatihiya’s blank-check company more than tripled Friday after it completed the merger with Opendoor.

Apartment List’s Valuation Hits $600 Million Amid Pandemic Boost

Apartment List, a rental platform, has raised $50 million in a funding round led by Janus Henderson Investors. It roughly doubled its prior valuation to more than $600 million. The investment comes as Apartment List’s business gains momentum.

Supply-Chain Technology Provider Project44 Gains $100 Million in New Backing

Logistics technology provider project44 raised $100 million in a Series D funding round that will help to expand the reach of its supply-chain visibility software and build its business as it weighs a potential public stock offering over the long term. The funding round was led by existing investor Insight Partners, and backing from 8VC, Emergence Capital Partners, Omidyar Technology Ventures, Sapphire Ventures LLC, Sozo Ventures, and Underscore VC.

Future Of Flex: How Employee Choice Could Change Offices For Good

Of any sector in commercial real estate, the future of office is arguably the most tenuous. Even as some employees return to the office, many may not—now or potentially ever. Companies and their workers have found value in flexibility of the stay-at-home experiment, choosing to extend it for the foreseeable future in some cases. In other instances, a kind of middle ground is being explored: the use of flex space.

California Tops ACEEE Energy Efficiency Scorecard

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its 2020 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard on Wednesday, ranking California as its leading state for the first time since 2016, when it tied with Massachusetts. This is the first report since 2010 that Massachusetts has not held the No. 1 spot.