What's covered in this week's GEM Crystal Weekly Radar:

• BlueLayer raised a $10M seed round to build a product supporting carbon developers.
• Drew Meyers covers Tomo, a new entrant into the home search portal space. Will the way it uses AI differentiate it enough from other competitors already in-market?
• The GEM Proptech Index ended the week with a combined market cap of $193.279B, a .74% increase from the previous week.

Geek Estate Blog Recap:

Meet the 2024 Ivory Prize Top 25

An applied academic institution at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business, Ivory Innovations is dedicated to supporting innovative solutions in housing affordability. They recently announced the Top 25 Finalists for the 2024 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability. These finalists will join the…

GeekEstate BlogGeek Estate Team

The Rise of Climate Tech and NYC’s Developing Climate Hubs

[Adapted from The Rise of Climate Tech and NYC’s Developing Climate Hubs from Proptech Consulting LLC] New York City is the nation’s epicenter for the financial, real estate, and media industries. In recent years, climate technology has also become a growing new sector for which…

GeekEstate BlogJonathan Klein

Meet the Real Estate Tech Founder: Luca Dahlhausen from Realfinity

In our latest real estate tech entrepreneur interview, we’re speaking with Luca Dahlhausen from Realfinity. Without further ado... Who are you and what do you do? My name is Luca Dahlhausen. I am 26 years old and originally from Germany, now making my mark in…

GeekEstate BlogGeek Estate Team

Proptech Job Opportunity: Growth Product Manager at Apartment List

We have a job opportunity to share from a member of GEM Diamond, Apartment List, a rental platform for apartments. Role Description Apartment List is seeking a Growth Product Manager who will be responsible for leading their digital marketing strategies across email, SMS, and push…

GeekEstate BlogGeek Estate Team

Would This “Perfect Tax” Really Solve Our Housing Crisis?

[Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on the Ivory Innovations website.] Lauded by many economists as an idea that could “fix just about everything”, the land value tax is gaining traction in the U.S. While it has recently garnered national attention, the land value tax is…

GeekEstate BlogHannah Gable

Transmission Recap:

In our last Transmission, Drew delved into the long and short of Zillbnb - what Zillow's announcement means for the future of short and long-term rentals. Before that, Drew discussed the Rabbit's 'r1', a compact AI device, as a glimpse into the future of blended hardware and AI...or perhaps just another fad the smart phone makes irrelevant.

CLIMATE

THE SAAS CARBON GRASS IS GREENER
By: Logan Nagel

As building sustainability regulations take effect around the world, on-site carbon reductions are one effective way to slow climate change. Fresh off a $10 million seed round, German Startup BlueLayer is offering a software layer to support carbon developers engaged in reforestation, habitat restoration, and similar projects. The SaaS platform connects to carbon registries and rating agencies, offers project management integrations, and includes carbon pricing intelligence. 

Tools that do similar things for property owners are a dime a dozen, but the voluntary carbon offset market, already worth billions and predicted by Morgan Stanley to hit $250 billion by 2050, is comparatively fertile ground. PropTech firms looking for less turbulent growth markets should view the carbon development world, where projects look like restoration and reforestation as opposed to building structures, as a massive expansion opportunity. The Juniper Squares, NorthSpyres, and Procores of the world already help teams with funding, staffing, and planning. Since each of those verticals is experiencing ferocious competition, perhaps smaller yet ambitious firms in these crowded niches should consider entering the carbon offset market instead of only serving real estate firms. 

Image created by: Midjourney
Description: Pixar-style robots planting trees