UrbanTech News Roundup

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What We're Reading

On Cities and Urban Tech Trends

On Real Estate Tech

  • The SoftBank Vision Fund lowered its investment in WeWork, putting into question whether the company is fundamentally a tech company or just a risky real estate play. Read about how the deal collapsed. The NYT writes about why some venture investors are ready for valuation dips. 

  • Zillow is expanding its home buying program (Zillow Offers) to California. The program lets sellers take an instant home buying offer from Zillow, which then renovates and flips the home later. 

  • A new iBuyer startup has entered the market, but this one is focusing on duplex and multifamily properties. 

  • Co-living is a trend that is poised for even more growth. The model is gaining steam because of the affordability crisis and because it gives people a sense of community. 

  • The Urban Land Institute on the real estate tech trends expected to shape cities in 2019 (view full report here). 

  • Proptech and rent tech are poised to take off in 2019. Propmodo explains why. 

On Construction Technology

  • Financial firms are so desperate to acquire homes to rent that they are not building single family rental properties from scratch. Many of these firms began acquiring homes during the financial crisis, when prices were low. Rising property prices have made bargains harder to find. 

  • Startups are trying to solve the US housing crisis by completely changing the way we construct buildings. 

  • Lighting control systems are significantly curbing energy costs, but the penetration of these technologies is relatively low. 

Built World Fundraising News

  • Juniper Square raised $25 million in Series B funding. The startup streamlines back office operations for commercial real estate investors. 

  • Bowery Valuation, a tech enabled appraisal firm, raised a $12M Series A. 

  • Electric skateboard company Boosted raised $60M as people continue to seek alternative modes of transportation. 

  • Real estate data firm ATTOm acquired by private equity firm. 

  • Carson raised $3M from BuildingLink. The product allows property managers to operate unstaffed multifamily properties. 

  • Block raised $4.5 million from NEA. The startup attempts to streamline small construction projects by allowing people to pick materials, design packages, and a contractor with one click. 

 

Upcoming Events

Projects Conference NYC | February 21 | This event is designed for GC's, construction executives, project managers, and real estate developers to learn how to use to technology to better execute on large-scale building projects. More

Buildings 2.0 Conference in Chicago | March 14 | This event is a great opportunity for real estate executives, building owners, AEC professionals, and technology professionals in the built environment to learn about the newest technologies being deployed in buildings. More

CRE Tech Los Angeles | March 28 | CRE Tech events bring together thousands of commercial real estate and tech professionals in a fun, casual and candid atmosphere to learn about innovation in the industry. More 

 

Curated by Charles LaCalle (@charleslacalle) and the Dreamit Ventures team


Applications are still open for Dreamit UrbanTech Spring 2019

We're looking for market-ready real estate tech, construction tech, IoT, and smart city startups to join our growth-focused accelerator program. Startups entering the program work with Managing Director Andrew Ackerman to pressure test business strategies, sell to our network of more than 55 leading real estate and construction firms, and pitch their products to a curated list of prospective investors during a two-week Investor Sprint

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