Geek Estate Team

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #310: Crowded Insurance Future, The Golden Moment for Materials Emissions Measurement

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * The EPA's $160 million in grants highlights the need for better data on construction materials emissions, with companies like Measurabl and Kojo positioned to enhance visibility and comprehensive Environmental Product Declarations. * With the wildfire in Jasper exacerbating the home insurance crisis, alternative

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #309: Co-buying's Finance Moment, Carb-free Treasure, Four Weeks Can Change Four Generations

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Grimshaw Architects' new a decarbonization toolkit, Minoro, shows the potential for high quality content marketing...a missed opportunity for a tech company to gain mindshare with building owners. * A recent Zillow "Homeowner Mates" ad promotes co-buying as a cost-effective solution for

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Weekly Transmission

A Block Approach to Ownifying Houses (Transmission #299)

WRITTEN BY: BRAD HARGREAVES This week, Brad Hargreaves explores Ownify's "bricks" fractional ownership model as one of the promising approaches in the landscape of players working to unstick the housing market. Last week, Pierre Calzadilla suggested that driving agent adoption after partnerships requires detailed contracts, pre-launches

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #308: The Hedge Fund Farce, The Sustainable Sourcing Gorilla In The Room

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Rep. Katie Porter supports the End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act, but John Burns research indicates hedge funds are not the ones driving prices. * McKinsey’s new Sustainable Materials Hub helps clients create sustainable supply chains, signaling a new focus on decarbonization

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Gaining Adoption Once the Contract is Signed (Transmission #298)

WRITTEN BY: PIERRE CALZADILLA Signing brokerage and franchise partnerships to reach agents is a common distribution strategy among residential proptech startups. But once a broker signs on the dotted line, driving agents to actually use your tool or service is critical to ensuring partnership success.  I’ve learned quite a

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #307: Legal Battles Roll On, Big Box Retail Wades In

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Move, Inc. sued CoStar for trade secret theft, prompting a call for industry leaders like Zillow, Redfin, Homes.com, Realtor.com, and Movoto to prioritize product innovation over lawsuits. * Costco plans to build a new warehouse in L.A. with 800 apartments, including 184

GenAI Rails Rule the Roost (Transmission #297)

💡CRYSTAL TRANSMISSION: Thought-provoking long-form articles covering a wide spectrum from innovative shipping container co-living spaces to the battle for listing acquisition in the first iBuyer world war to the implications of floating cities seen from beaches far and wide. Curious? Additional examples. Proptech's Leader has Been Crashing Our

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #306: Is Now The Time For Cutting Out The Agent?, Bidding For Listings, World Climate War II

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Companies like 280 Earth and Neustark, which raised $69 million for carbon mineralization, innovate in decarbonization, but their existence may conflict with the goal of completely eliminating carbon emissions. * In a rough time for startup funding, peer practice pitches would be a great way

Time for an API Aggregator to Emerge (Transmission #296)

💡CRYSTAL TRANSMISSION: Thought-provoking long-form articles covering a wide spectrum from innovative shipping container co-living spaces to the battle for listing acquisition in the first iBuyer world war to the implications of floating cities seen from beaches far and wide. Curious? Additional examples. Proptech's Leader has Been Crashing Our

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #305: Hooking Commission Disclosures, Chokepoint of Innovation is Regulation, the Next Chapter: Building Profitable AI

In this week's Weekly Radar, we cover: * HUD announced a potential pilot for direct cash housing assistance to address Section 8 challenges, inspired by successful programs in Philadelphia, D.C., and Rochester, and tech innovations from Propel and Code for America. * At the Innovative Housing Showcase, regulators and

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #304: A Proptech Excursion For The Ages, Stormproofing Against Mother Nature, To Lunar Infinity And Beyond

I couldn't be more excited to announce GEM's first international excursion, GEM Walks the Camino. The seven-day journey starting in Sarria, Spain and ending at the Cathedral Santiago de Compostela will take place in May 2025. The cultural experience has been on my radar for years.

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #303: Ideas Are Everything?, Freddie Mac Goes For Seconds, A Material Question

In this week's Weekly Radar, we cover: * Freddie Mac's proposal to enter the secondary mortgage market by purchasing second mortgages has received support from Wall Street analysts and fintech startups like Point, Figure, and RenoFi, but also raises concerns about potential risks reminiscent of the 2008

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #302: Zero To A Billion, NWMLS Charts A Different Course, Sucking Carbon

In this week's Weekly Radar, we cover: * NWMLS decided against joining NAR's settlement agreement, citing it reduces compensation transparency and restricts sellers' options. * Alphabet-backed 280 Earth opened its first carbon capture plant and secured $50 million in funding, furthering the ability for landlords to use

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #301: The State of the the Insurance Crisis, Red Rentals, Renting in Chunks

In this week's Weekly Radar, we cover: * With climate change driving up insurance costs homeowners and renters, especially those who are "house poor," are at risk. * Keyper, a UAE rent payment startup, joins a competitive market with U.S. players like Bilt Rewards and Piñata after

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Weekly Transmission

Tooling and Templating A Path to the Top (Transmission #291)

In our latest essay, Nate Smoyer details how creating tailored tools & templates can boost organic traffic and lead generation, positioning your products as a natural next step. Let's get to it...

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #300 🎉: Robots Coming To A Home Near You, Two Mynds Are Better Than One, GPT 4o = Voice Is Here

In this week's Weekly Radar, we cover: * GPT-4o could popularize Hume's emotionally intelligent experience, making it crucial for AI developers to focus on unique data as big tech will dominate innovations in other areas. * Roofstock's merger with Mynd provides complete SFR solutions, highlighting the

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Proptech Earnings Radar

Proptech Earnings Radar - Q1 2024 (Series IV, Part IV)

First quarter results are in for proptech’s public companies. We’re back at it, with high-level summaries of the ten companies we deem as the most important players in the broader category, and a table view covering the top thirty companies. The quarter included several notable updates, led by

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #299: Automating Buyer Inquiries, Proptech Index down 2.55%, Office Amenities Get A Clue

In this week's Weekly Radar, we cover: * Redfin launched "Ask Redfin," a nationwide AI assistant for home searches, which often pushes for tour scheduling over addressing buyer queries, highlighting a need for improvements in the consumer experience. * Office occupiers may find a winning recipe for their

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #298: Sustainability Is But A Flip Away, Yardi Doubles Down on Flex Space

Weekly Transmission

Controlling the Real Estate Software Canals (Newsletter #289)

Written By: Nima Wedlake [Adapted from What's Interesting in Real Estate Tech? From The Appraisal] Vertical software companies have proliferated over the last decade. Across real estate and construction, there are now specialized products for roofers, commercial kitchen operators, pool service companies, and even flooring retailers. Venture firm

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #297: Futurizing With Geek Estate 4.0, HSA Agrees To A Cool Quarter B, The Struggle Is Real, Completing A Courtship Of The 3D World

What's covered in this week's GEM Crystal Weekly Radar: * Our team has launched Geek Estate 4.0. - our brand-new marketing site! * Drew covers the recent HomeServices of America settlement, and comes to the conclusion that the lawyers have won. * The Foundation for Innovation in Real

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #296: Fracking Green, Rates The Other Way

What's covered in this week's GEM Crystal Weekly Radar: * Is it possible to use every part of a building to generate energy or sequester carbon? Logan dives into clean startup Modern Hydrogen and how the company is helping to reduce carbon emissions. * The potential for another

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #295: Grassroots To Green Loans, Seller Concessions Unpacked

What's covered in this week's GEM Crystal Weekly Radar: * Building Decarbonization In-a-Box is launching in nine cities, addressing the emissions of sub-50,000 square foot multifamily and commercial buildings that represent the vast majority of properties in America. * Drew revises his thoughts on the future of

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #294: The Glass Act, Have A Little Empathy Mate, Co-Ownership's Price Moment

What's covered in this week's GEM Crystal Weekly Radar: * Smart window maker View declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy and goes private. * Hume AI's Empathic Voice Interface (EVI) technology optimizes for human well-being. The demo is open for new users to try. * Pacaso is lowering the

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #293: Flexing Flex Living, Climate Conveyor Belt, The Bull For $34M In MLS Fees, Free Riding On Water

What's covered in this week's GEM Crystal Weekly Radar: * Landing acquired Barsala for $30M + Blueground raised a $45M Series D. * Montauk Climate is a new climate-focused incubator. Founded by Casper founder Philip Krim, the incubator focuses on electrification and decarbonization. * There are 30 MLSs that are