Weekly Radar #283- Sharing the Way Forward, The Good Bad and Ugly of Recreational Reuse, Tools of The Office Conversion Trade, Equity Angels, and Coffee to the Future
Here's what we're covering in this week's edition of the GEM Crystal:
- Mark Choey from Highnote spoke with us for our Executive Interview Series.
- REColorado recently partnered with four major MLS groups, unlocking listings in relocation markets for REcolorado agents.
- Indianapolis' Bush Baseball Stadium was transformed into an apartment complex. While the effort to protect the bones of the facility are praiseworthy, the development falls short of its potential.
- Converting office spaces for multifamily properties is the holy grail of reuse. New York City's Office Conversion Accelerator and CityBldr's data-driven product are making these adaptive reuse projects more feasible.
- Equity Angels, a new fund focused on uplifting proptech/fintech startups with founders of diverse demographics was launched.
- Figure relased a video of their robot prototypes... making coffee.
- An update on our Proptech Index and GEM Diamond Member News
Blog Recap:
Geek Estate Team
Geek Estate Team
Transmission Recap:
We released the current membership makeup of GEM Diamond, as well as 2023 business reflections and 2024 resolutions. Before that, Drew Meyers and other GEM Diamond members shared thoughts on what's coming in 2024.
As always, links surrounded by the ❇️ emoji indicate exclusive GEM Diamond content. If you would like to have access to all links, please consider GEM Diamond membership.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW SERIES
Mark Choey From Highnote
By: Geek Estate Team
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Mark Choey, a San Francisco-based real estate tech entrepreneur and founder of Highnote (highnote.io), a cutting-edge presentation and proposal platform for sales and marketing professionals. I’m currently focused on building a sales platform for the real estate industry: agents, teams, brokerages. I’m technical by education (Master’s degree in Computer Engineering and two patents) and became a real estate professional because I saw so many inefficiencies that could be solved with technology.
As a real estate professional, I was the #2 condo salesperson in San Francisco by using a unique blend of sales expertise, leadership experience, and my technical background. I then co-founded Climb Real Estate in 2010, growing it to a top independent brokerage, and eventually leading it to an acquisition by Realogy in 2016. Beyond the tech world, I’m a dedicated father of two, a traveler, and an avid skier and golfer.
What problem does your product/service solve?
The real estate industry needs help. Brokerages, teams, and agents have a very busy life and very few tools that can adequately help with their every day selling, and client services needs. Highnote solves several key problems for the real estate industry and busy real estate agents. It provides a platform that enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of communication for agents. This allows agents to better manage their relationships, reputation, and branding without relying on traditional, less efficient methods of marketing and client interaction. We also offer personalized support and resources, Highnote ensures that agents can maximize the utility of the platform, streamlining processes and helping them to win more leads and business opportunities with ease. Of course this problem doesn’t just exist in the real estate industry. Highnote also helps other industries with “high-touch” sales processes such as lending, title, financial services, solar sales, software sales and recruiting among others.
To keep reading Mark's interview, check out our recent post on the GeekEstate Blog.
Geek Estate TeamWe’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (Ben@ geekestate dot com).
REAL ESTATE
Sharing the Way Forward
By: Drew Meyers
REcolorado agreed to a "data-sharing partnership with four MLS powerhouses: Atlanta-based First MLS, the country's fourth-largest MLS; the Miami Association of Realtors, with nearly 50,000 members; MLS Listings in Northern California; and Heartland MLS, which serves the greater Kansas City area," according to Real Estate News. The deal unlocks listings in relocation markets for REcolorado agents. "Property information from FMLS will become available to REcolorado subscribers first, with data from other partners opening up soon after."
The question, in my mind, is how many years will it take the industry to get to a nationwide MLS? And will that future reality come via a massive series of data sharing agreements, or CoStar or Zillow stepping in to bring it to fruition years faster than the industry can pull it off more organically? Only time will tell.
BUILT WORLD
The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Recreational Reuse
By: Ben Godfrey
The transformation of Indianapolis' Bush Baseball Stadium into apartments went viral on twitter and even had a SportsCenter appearance, but is a mixed bag of innovation and concern. Repurposing such a historic site while preserving the bones and facade is an incredible architectural feat. Especially compared to demolishing it. That’s praiseworthy.
That said, even as big of a stadium fan as they come and in love with the concept, the execution falls short of its potential.
Repurposed in 2013, the field is dated and seems unsuited for baseball, functioning more as a private courtyard. The presence of a volleyball court in the foul ball area of right field poses safety concerns. A more practical redesign could include a batting cage, protective netting on the foul lines, and a multi-sport turf outfield, increasing cross-sport utility and safety.