Techtalk Radio

On this week's Tech Talk Radio podcast Emily Wright is reunited with original co-host and esteemed EG editor Sam McClary to celebrate EG Tech Week. OK, so EG Tech Week might not be its official title but an apt one for a week in which we have a Tech Live event, a TTR and a special tech-themed issue of EG.    Coyote's Oli Farago and Rob Bould join Wright and McClary on this week's episode as they reveal what 2020 holds for the business as the plan for ambitious overseas expansion. 

On this week's Tech Talk Radio, co-hosts Emily Wright and Lucy Alderson (temporarily) slow down and take stock as they discuss all things mental health ahead of this week's special issue of EG. As our survey of nearly 700 real estate professionals  - including those from the tech sector  - has revealed some "tough to read" statistics, Alderson digs into some of the contributing factors that working in a fast-paced industry can have on those operating within it.  Also this week we speak to Jess Ford, co-founder of the new property management start-up Herddle, about giving up a career in investment banking to become a founder, why acquiring a company two years ago to trial the concept was "crucial" and what the future holds for the fledgling firm.  Also on this week's episode find out more about the tech special of EG due out before Christmas and the final Tech Live event of the year where the man behind Google Maps will be speaking and answering your questions. 

Redmayne, who has moved to New York with the connectivity ratings business to take on a new role as senior director joins EG for the final instalment of the Big Apple Breakfast series to talk Brooklyn, relocation and the “idiosyncrasies” of doing business in the US.   Tune in to hear his take on getting used to a new way of doing business, which major company’s AI committee he pitched to last week and why he believes that while US might be ahead on tech, the UK leads the way when it comes to building communities. 

Leila Collins, former enterprise investor at Metaprop VC, joined Emily Wright for a breakfast podcast to discuss her plans to step into affordable housing with her new company EqualRoot where she is working with affordable housing organisations to introduce them to technology companies and solutions to help “streamline their operations” and deliver more houses, more quickly.   

Is real estate still comprised of assets? Or is it becoming an operating business? Dror Poleg poses some big questions in the first episode of our Big Apple Breakfast podcast series    Dror Poleg joined EG bright and early on day one of Mipim Proptech New York to as his new book, Rethinking Real Estate launches worldwide this week.    The co-chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Technology and Innovation Council in New York explained that book, which he fondly refers to as his “love letter to real estate” examines the history of how humans have lived and how the assets that support those lives have changed over time. It then looks forward to how technology and digital disruption look set to transform lives and, by default, assets in the future. “I want people to rethink the meaning of location, the meaning of visibility, the meaning of accessibility, the power of zoning laws...and at the asset level I want people to think is it real estate still what we assume to is when we allocate capital against it? Is it st

NYC Real Estate Tech Week: Investors told are beginning to swerve away from the US proptech market to score better deals amid sky-high proptech company valuations. Speaking at MIPIM Proptech New York, Concrete VC partner Taylor Wescoatt said finding a good investment deal in the US has become increasingly difficult, describing current valuations as being “bananas”. Wescoatt said Europe was a better place for investors to seek a good deal for investing in proptech companies.  “There is so much money here [in US] and the market is so big, there are so many funds competing for any hit deal that Valuations are bananas,” he said. He added that in Europe there are “lower valuations and there is less people competing for each deal which drives them [valuations] down[…] there’s good deals to be had”. Meanwhile, JLL Spark head of growth Americas Andrea Jang said that one of the most attractive areas to invest in was Canada. She said that there was “a lot of very good tech talent” in the country and that the gove

On this week’s Tech Talk Radio, Emily Wright and Lucy Alderson bring you two podcasts from New York as Real Estate Tech week kicks off in the city.   First up, Emily visited the new Sandbox space at the Zaha Hadid Residences to speak to Related Companies’ Greg Gushee about the launch of this tech education space. As the man behind the concept, Gushee said that he hopes other developers will follow suit and that a plethora of fresh, new maker spaces will emerge around the world.    A dual space incorporating a public area as well as one reserved for residents at 520 West 28th Street in New York, Related Companies’ The Sandbox space has been created to help encourage people, and children in particular, to learn about all aspects of technology.    “It’s like a Soho House for mad scientists in one way,” said Gushee. “But equally we want spaces like these to be open to everyone so we have our public area too.”   Then Lucy met with Carlos Valverde, VP real estate development at Silverstein Properties to tal

This week on Tech Talk Radio Sam McClary is back in the studio. EG's editor joins Emily Wright a week after the roaring success of the new look EG Awards where black tie was banned and light-up footwear positively encouraged.  After an all-important awards round-up, our TTR co-hosts are joined by Evan Petitt, director of operations and events for MetaProp NYC. On this episode he gives a sneak peek into what delegates can expect at Mipim Proptech New York next month. Part of NYC Real Estate Tech Week, this will mark the fourth year since the event was launched as Petitt reveals who will be speaking and what has been added to the ever-evolving programme in 2019. 

It’s all very well having access to data, but where does the real value lie? Is it in being able to analyse that data? Yes, to a degree. But the real returns come when you know how to use it. This was one of the overriding points made by two people who know their stuff when it comes to applying data to real estate and the wider world; Savills director of urban design Andy Dowding and chief executive of VU.CITY Jamie Holmes. This dynamic duo join Emily Wright on this week's Tech Talk Radio to talk data, delivery and how to avoid falling into the trap of "analysis paralysis". 

On this week's Tech Talk Radio Emily Wright is joined by guest co-host EG publisher Damian Wild to talk all things offices in a sparser than usual space as the studio prepares to go on the road.  Then Smart Spaces CEO Dan Drogman makes his TTR debut as he joins the podcast to talk about the growth of the IoT platform and what it means for office space in and around London and beyond.  Tune in to find out about his future plans as well as why he recently drove from one side of London to the other with a robot in the boot of his car. 

In this week's episode of Tech Talk Radio, reporter Lucy Alderson heads up north to talk to WiredScore Home director Henry Pethybridge and WiredScore director of business development Tom McClellan about the company's launch in Leeds.  The pair talk about why WiredScore has landed in Leeds, and reveal that the digital connectivity rating company has also launched in Australia too.  What better way to celebrate WiredScore's sixth anniversary this week than with a Tech Talk Radio episode! 

It's Lucy Alderson's first attempt to take the podcasting reins in this week's Tech Talk Radio, but as sod's law has it, she's come down with the lurg. So co-host Emily Wright offers a helping hand in introducing this week's guest, Search Acumen managing director Andrew Lloyd. Lloyd talks about how being a perfectionist has helped shape his career, the challenges of collecting data from both the public and private sectors, and things take a futuristic turn while discussing what the future of data collection could look like. The discussion turns to the ethics of data collection, and what information real estate should, or shouldn't be, gathering.

On this week's Tech Talk Radio, co-hosts Emily Wright and Samantha McClary are joined by Great Portland Estate's director of workplace and innovation James Pellatt and Laura Mack-Titelius, urban innovation manager for Bosch. From the new building app which launched in Bosch's London Connectory at GPE's 160 Old Street last week to taking the pain out of commuting, the duo talked all things seamless connectivity.  Tune in to hear more about how collaboration between developer and occupier can be harnessed in the pursuit of better buildings and how a traditional real estate company is evolving to not only create spaces of the future, but to consider how these spaces will fit into a wider, smarter world. 

On this week's Tech Talk Radio podcast co-hosts Emily Wright and Sam McClary are finally reunited and another duo joins the episode as we catch up with JLL Spark co-CEOs Mihir Shah and Yishai Lerner.  This is the pair's second turn on Tech Talk Radio after first appearing on the podcast 18 months ago to talk about the launch of JLL's tech and innovation investment arm. Now, nearly two years on and following the launch of a $100m global venture fund. JLL Spark has made a number of significant investments in companies including Hubble and Orbital Witness.  On this episode two Silicon Valley veterans, who were early investors in Uber, reveal their tech friends doubted they would last the course in real estate and discuss how they plan to deploy their next tranche of capital. 

It's that time of year. As we say goodbye to summer the inevitable back to school feeling creeps in.    But there is nothing like a fresh start and we have decided to mark September with a special episode of Tech Talk Radio. After something of a summer hiatus we are back this week with a podcast where we have not one, not two, but three guests.    First up Samantha McClary interviews Goldacre's investment MD Fionnuala Hogan about tech, innovation and how she felt when she scooped the coveted Bridging the Gap gong at the EG Awards in July. Then Emily Wright sits down with UKPA managing director Sammy Pahal after a chance meeting on the Northern line to talk about the association's new launch and all things collaboration. And finally EG tech reporter Lucy Alderson meets JLL's digital innovation lead Anindya Biswas to find out more about the company's facilities management tool.    Triple trouble this week from us here at EG - enjoy. 

  When founder and chief executive of Netherlands-based Edge Technologies and OVG Real Estate heard a speech by Al Gore some 20 years ago, he was inspired to implement change. He decided to transform his “Trump-like” real estate business into something Gore would be proud of and embarked on an epic change management mission – starting with taking everyone’s BMWs away. Now his company has become synonymous with some of the smartest, most sustainable buildings in the world, including The Edge and Edge Olympic, both in Amsterdam. Last month it was announced that Edge Technologies was making its London debut with a £50m acquisition of 60 St Thomas Street on the South Bank. On this week’s Tech Talk Radio, Emily Wright travels to Amsterdam to meet with van Oostrom and find out more about his plans for London, sustainable development and how to instil change in a traditional sector. And back in the EG studio Samantha McClary,  finds out about in office air quality and the impact it has not just on our quality

Micheal Phillips is President of Jamestown LP, a 35-year-old investment manager based out of Atlanta, Georgia. He spoke to EG at Mipim Proptech in Paris about how he has pivoted to grow the business by focussing on investing in spaces that can be turned into innovation hubs.   Some of the firm’s most iconic projects include Chelsea Market in New York which was sold to Google last year as part of a $5bn package, Industry City in Boston and Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco.    Now Jamestown is also turning its attention to European markets including Germany and Amsterdam.    Phillips spoke to EG about the strategy he put in place to steer a traditional, 35-year real estate investment business into the world of the innovation economy and reveals why Jamestown is exploring the launch or its own fund to run as a pilot in the US.

MIPIM Proptech Paris: It's every tech firm’s dream. You build up the business, you embed yourself in the market and then one of the biggest real estate asset managers in the world not only wants to acquire you, but does so for over $1bn.    This is what happened to alternative investment management software provider eFront in May when BlackRock paid $1.3bn to acquire the Paris-based firm. EG spoke to eFront’s senior product manager Davide Manstretta at MIPIM Proptech in Paris to find out what’s next in the wake of the acquisition, to learn more about the development and the future of the technology behind eFront and to find out what BlackRock’s purchase could mean for the wider real estate sector. 

The tech buzz in real estate has “far from died down,” according to CBRE’s global chief digital and technology officer. If anything, things are kicking up a notch as property companies the world over start to focus their attentions on delivering tech solutions rather than just talk about them. This is just one of the points covered by Chandra Dhandapani in this week’s Tech Talk Radio with Emily Wright and Sam McClary as she also addresses the reason behind the influx of major tech players from Silicon Valley and beyond into the real estate sector and talks about the growing power of data. Now three years into her role at CBRE, Dallas-based Dhandapani also reveals her thoughts on the perceived gap between digital transformation in companies and sectors in the UK compared to the US and explains why she firmly believes that now has never been a more exciting time for property.

Energy consultancy ZTP is back to talk about how far they have come in just over a year since last visiting the TechTalk Radio podcast studio. Alex Hill and Joe Warren talk to Emily Wright about their new product Kiveev, a guardian for energy that enables consumers to get a view of where the opportunities for energy purchasing lie, and potential more importantly, the risks associated with energy acquisition prices. Kiveev, launched in March this year, has been designed to digitalise the procurement and management of flex power and gas contracts, providing users with enhanced clarity of position, risk mitigation, time saving and budget control. Listen in to hear more and for some insight from last week’s Future Proptech event with EG’s tech reporter Lucy Alderson.