Sunday PropTech Review 7th October, 2018
James Dearsley
CEO, Transformational leader. Author. Keynote Speaker. Professional Conference Emcee
So there you have it.......the first week I genuinely manage to fulfil my ambition of trying to give myself a Saturday without finishing (or even starting) the review in a mad panic........and I screw up the send.
14 of you enjoyed mentioning that I had done so and 8 of those 14 were nice enough to suggest it could have been because of the Latvian beer I had so gleefully mentioned drinking while building last weeks beers (missed my turntable of Latvian beer? See them here!)
Let me admit it and tell you that yes, it may have had something to do with it!
Anyway, this week. Wow, what an event in Paris. There must have been at least 700 in my opening keynote session. It was all going swimmingly until the slide deck froze - for the first of three separate times!
What made matters more interesting was that the technician in charge of the disappeared meaning myself and the chap doing the translations for some of the audience were left to sort it out!
Before I really get started, if you want this in your inbox each week please do subscribe here
Aside from that, what a great event. Great building, good turn out and must be the precursor to Expo this next week. Sadly I am not able to make it and enjoying the luxury of some family time this week. Can't wait.
Anyway, on with the news......
Actually no, let me stop before i get on with the news and rant. I love reading. Why so many books with swear words in the title! I was buying a couple of books this week and saw these in a row. Really? I know I swear in my speeches quite a bit but this is a different level. I'm a bit saddened by this.
Most Shared: Which 4 companies did Urban-X pick for it's accelerator?
I am growing a bit bored of this 'most shared' feature as often it is owned by the large publication. However, Propmodo get the accolade this week and I like this article so maybe I am a bit restored by it.
Urban X is an accelerator that offers companies $100,000 each over a 20 week period to bring products to market (at last an accelerator with a decent investment.......). Here Propmodo analyse the 4 selected. Like the sound of all of them; particularly RentLogic - I was only talking about ratings in the residential space just this week and stating that there needed to be a significant move to that model. Hey Presto, here is a company doing it - though not quite like I was suggesting in this article about digital connectivity but love the idea.
It's all about the Robots......or robot/human augmentation at least
Some of you will know about the excellent PropTech Whatsapp group I set up before MIPIM 18mths ago. It is forever a source for excellent news. This week they shared a couple of great stories about robots. One was a phenomenal video showing a robot putting up a bit of plaster board.......
You will often hear people talking about how robots will take our jobs. Whilst there is no doubt some roles will be replaced. There is also every likelihood that we will also work in combination with robots, even be helped by them. Take this excellent perspective and evidence of how robotic structures will augment human beings.
It is interesting as I often discuss how humans will work with computers/AI on a mental level and there is a skill set that humans will require as these tools are developed to enable a future role. However, here we are seeing how we need to work in combination with structures to further enable our physical prowess too......love it.
PropTech in France - 505 businesses and counting......
So, some more information filtering out from Unissu; the single source of truth for PropTech data, information and research. This was one of the slides I presented this week and you will soon see much more true data coming out about your own domestic markets.
If you would like early access (November most likely), register your interest now
GAFA and the fight for the smart home........A MUST READ
I have to be honest. I hadn't heard of GAFA before this week but I now know I will be (and have been) talking about it a lot - Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.
In this article there is no Facebook but you can bet that they are not far behind in their thinking - or perhaps they are going one stage higher even to own underlying infrastructure with their balloon technology facilitating the actual internet itself.
Let me jump back. How is GAA (in this case), looking to own the smart home? Whoever does, who owns the data? A very obvious statement made by a VC in the article but you should get the picture now:
"If you can capture how people live in their homes, and how they want to live, you can unlock significant value"
And:
"Where and how we live in our homes seems to be the next frontier for them to compete"
Interesting times........
Its all about Blockchain this week......
The conference in Latvia had a serious bias toward Blockchain technology and how it was going to impact the real estate sector. As such let me share some stories from this week that have caught my attention.
$30m building in New York tokenised.........
I am always a little suspicious of the origins of blockchain based deals . First there was the UK Peer whose partner was promoting house sales in Bitcoin which was a complete PR stunt - and failed miserably as you can read here. Here we have a star of one of the US's reality shows (property admittedly) doing some interesting (and I mean that; I do love the concept of tokenising assets)
"The market in New York is always strong, but it can take some time to sell for the right price in a new construction building. With blockchain tokenization, we can remove the unruly pressure of traditional bank financing, which is much healthier for the project and all of the stakeholders. Tokenization is paving the way for a new forefront in real estate development"
Still; I like tokenisation. Lets see if this $30m building can do it.
Some others for you:
Nasdaq article on how Blockchains can change real estate
A blockchain based real estate fund is launched out of Malta......
Talking of Blockchain opportunities..........if you are in the UK and want to learn more, worth checking out the below. Email Propy for more information or visit their website
How will Augmented Reality Impact the Real Estate Industry?
For as long as I remember I have been pushing AR into PropTech. In fact it was what got me into PropTech initially. Just seeing the potential of what could be done. The hype seems to have died down a bit so I just wanted to include this article (and video below in to it all)
PropTech Events Coming Up this week:
That's all for now, folks...this is a Saturday after all and my youngest is nearly finished Stagecoach
Speak next week
James