The News Funnel Spotlight: Andrew Ackerman of Dreamit Urbantech

On this week’s Spotlight, The News Funnel is excited to feature Andrew Ackerman, Managing Director at Dreamit Urbantech. Since the launch of Dreamit Urbantech in 2017, Andrew has been closely involved with proptech and construction startups, leading them through the process of pitching to investors and securing funding. Outside of commercial real estate, you might find Andrew skiing or enjoying a good book. Read on to learn more about Andrew:

WeWork’s Troubles Increase Scrutiny On Other CRE Unicorns

Growing Bricks and More Ways to Shrink Concrete’s Carbon Footprint

Cars. Airplanes. Power plants. Cows. These are among the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are warming the climate. Another culprit? Concrete. The world’s most widely used construction material, concrete plays a significant role in emissions of carbon dioxide, a common greenhouse gas, simply for the sheer scale of its production. More than four billion metric tons of cement, a primary ingredient in concrete, is produced a year, accounting for

First American to buy Docutech for $350M

Title insurance giant First American has reached a deal to buy housing tech company Docutech for $350 million. The deal should close by the end of March, and Docutech’s current management team, including president and CEO Amy Brandt, will stay on board to lead the company, according to HousingWire.

Gables Residential expands resident experience with rollout of Amenify in Dallas Fort Worth portfolio

Gables Residential, a vertically-integrated owner and operator of multifamily and mixed-use communities, announced the expansion of Amenify — a platform for services and experiences — to their residents across the Dallas Fort Worth market. The thirteen high-end communities in the DFW market will now provide best-in-class services for residents and their pets, including the following:

• Dedicated home cleaning services
• Laundry services

Boston University is building an enormous new building that looks like a Jenga tower and uses no fossil fuels

Boston University is taking a major step towards sustainability with its 19-story, 350,000 square-foot building planning to be finished in 2022. The building, which will be the tallest on BU’s campus, will combine the math, statistics, and computer science departments.  Plans for the building are in line with the university’s climate action plan, which was approved in 2017. The plan revolves around eliminating carbon emissions totally be 2040, estimated to cost $141 million, based on the city’s …

The Rise of PropTech in the U.K.

The proptech sector has been experiencing tremendous growth in Europe. New companies are coming forward from all corners of the continent, and introducing new technologies that aim to transform the traditional real estate processes. Their collective goal is to incorporate innovation and a customer-focused approach into one of the oldest industries in the world. So far, they have been showing significant progress.

Forget WeWork’s Woes, Research Shows Most Flexible Offices Are Turning A Profit

The ginormous losses unveiled by WeWork during its IPO process last year linger long in the mind. But new research shows that a large majority of flexible offices around the world are actually turning a profit. However, how you configure your flexible office makes a big difference to revenue, according to the global annual flexible office benchmark report compiled by Workthere, the flexible office advisory brand of Savills.  Here are the key numbers from the report, which examined 64 flexible of…

Jeff Bezos’ investment Sonder takes over Long Island City hotel rooms

Jeff Bezos will have an investment in Long Island City after all. Sonder, which counts Bezos’ family funds, Alex Rodriguez and Elon Musk’s fund among its investors, is taking over its first Long Island City hotel rooms. The tech-enabled hotel company has leased all 100 of the apartment/hotel units at the Z NYC Hotel at 11-01 43rd Ave., Long Island City, from Merchants Hospitality. “This continues the trend of great tenants and smart money moving into Long Island City,” says Merchants principal A…

Prepare For Elevators That Move Sideways, Spiral Escalators And Robots Riding Lift

Elevators and escalators get little fanfare in the commercial development space, but some new technology may make you sit up and pay attention. From cableless elevators that go every which way, to escalators that spiral up to top floors and elevators designed exclusively for use by robots, the future is on the rise.