As America celebrated this week its 245th year of Independence, New York City is beginning to show signs of liberation from the past year of Covid captivity. Even my landmark office skyscraper, The Empire State Building, recently loosened its pandemic mask and social distancing restrictions. Unfortunately, the bustling of Midtown suits is still far from […]
Real Estate
Swapp Raises $7M for its End-to-End Construction Planning Platform Powered by AI
The use of technology is reshaping the construction industry today just as the introduction of specialized tools did in the past. With so many variables and moving parts in a typical construction, there’s always a risk for delays and these delays can be costly. Swapp is the AI-powered software solution that provides a centralized platform designed for the construction industry to create, manage and refine an end-to-end construction plan as circumstances change. Typical planning for a project can take anywhere between 9 months to a year; Swapp brings this down to a month. London TechWatch caught up with CEO, Cofounder, and serial entrepreneur Eitan Tsarfati to learn more about how his work at Autodesk Israel inspired this venture, the company’s future plans, and latest round of funding led by Point72 Ventures and Entrée Capital.
My Bespoke Room Raises £700K to Make Interior Design Accessible
As folks spent more time at home as a result of the pandemic and with fewer places to spend discretionary income, homeowners in the UK have spent £55b on home renovations since March. My Bespoke Room offers a technology-powered, personalized interior design service for a flat fee to anyone looking to hire a professional to spruce up their homes. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete your design brief and then you are connected with a designer based on your preferences and tastes. The service starts at a very affordable £195 per room. London TechWatch caught up with Cofounder Diana Greenlaugh to learn more about the inspiration for the business, how the lockdown has bolstered interest in interior design, and the company’s recent funding round.
Arthur is the Cloud-Based Solution That Makes Multi-Property Management Easy
Find out how this dental surgeon became a proptech entrepreneur. Marc Trup founded Arthur, a cloud-based platform that centralizes all aspects of property management. Trup shares more on the inspiration for the company from personal experience, the company’s future plans, and impressive traction.
Hammock Raises £1M for Finance Solution for Landlords with Multiple Properties
There’s over £85B in rent collected by landlords each year in the UK and much of this is by multi-property owners. Hammock streamlines the financial aspects of managing several properties through its platform that handles the books and banking. CEO and Founder Manoj Varsani shares some insight on the benefits of the platform, the company’s COVID response, and recent funding round from investors that include Fuel Ventures, Acension Ventures, and Founders Factory.
Lick Home Raises £3M to Disrupt Legacy Paint Brands with its DTC Décor Approach
The global decorative paint and wallpaper market alone is worth $93B. The global paint market is dominated by incumbents, with the top 5 global paint brands owning 50% of market share. Lucas London launched Lick Home, a direct-to-consumer home décor brand focused on wall treatments, on the very same day that the UK was put into lockdown. The pandemic has given people a new appreciation for their homes. Lucas shares more on the company’s launch, product line, and seed funding round from investors that include Felix Capital, Magnas Rausing, Alex Chesterman, Piton Capital, Talis Capital, and Samos Investments.
Urban Jungle Raises £2.5M to Help a Generation of Renters Get Affordable Insurance
Relative to previous generations, millennials are much more reluctant to purchase any type of insurance, specifically home or rental insurance. One of the reasons for this is the perceived high cost versus value received. Urban Jungle changes that by providing flexible, monthly rental insurance subscriptions that are easy to buy and manage – all done […]
Silver Sharers Helps Older People Age in Place Through its Roommate Marketplace
The cost of housing is increasing rapidly and especially in large cities. Older individuals often have extra space in their homes and need supplemental income. Silver Sharers, cofounded by Suzanne Noble, is the marketplace that connects renters to older individuals who are looking to rent out space in their homes. Income for older individuals + affordable housing for renters = a win-win. Find out what inspired Suzanne to enroll in Y Combinator Startup School and launch this company…
The PropTech Report: An Open Frontier For Hardware Entrepreneurs
Two constants have guided my professional life: venture capital and real estate. Every year, I eagerly await to see which portfolio will produce greater returns. Today, in the words of the great (fictional) New Yorker George Louis Costanza, “Worlds are colliding!” Enertiv, a New York Angels investment, keeps growing with an impressive client list of property managers and […]
A 360 Degree View Of Incubating Mechatronics
Recently, private equity giant Blackstone Group announced the acquisition of Colony Capital for $5.9 billion, a deal that encompasses 60 million square feet of warehouse space across 465 facilities. Blackstone is reported to manage now over $250 billion worth of property worldwide, and the Colony purchase comes on the heels of previous warehouse acquisitions of Singapore’s GLP […]