The Propcast

Louisa Dickins
The Propcast

The Propcast, by Louisa Dickins, Co-founder of LMRE the leading Global Built Environment Recruitment Consultancy. The aim of the show is to introduce you to a PropTech innovator and discuss how their work has created a shift in focus when it comes to digitising the built environment. If you are interested in finding out more about PropTech, or applying for a job in this space or keen to know who the big players are that are moving and shaking the RE industry? We have you covered and will be bringing you an episode each week to connect you to the VCs, PropTech start-ups and real estate professionals from around the globe.

  1. Navigating Venture Success: Insights on Returns and Strategic Funds

    FEB 14

    Navigating Venture Success: Insights on Returns and Strategic Funds

    In the final episode of season 12 of The Propcast, Louisa is joined by Jeffrey Berman, General Partner at Camber Creek, where they discuss how to set yourself on a path for the potential to create venture return, Camber Creek’s investment thesis, portfolio, their approach to investment and JB’s predictions for 2024. Jeffrey dives into the importance of a ‘less is more approach’ when it comes to investment, and how Camber Creek’s investment strategy is based around a ‘need to have’, rather than a ‘nice to have’ method, providing examples like Flex and Built whose products provide solutions to the challenges that tenants and landlords are facing in the US. Tune in to this episode to hear more about what 2024 has in store for the real estate technology space, as well as what JB’s ‘walking out’ song would be if he were to headline Coachella…   Companies mentioned Flex Notarize Bilt Measurabl Placemakr Pet Screening VTS Curbio Arcadia Jones Bowery   Shoutouts Michael Beckerman Casey Berman Shragie Lichtenstein YeTong Shao Matt Ellis   Episode Highlights We invest in exceptional entrepreneurs who are building companies that are changing how we interact with the built world – Jeffrey The way we always thought about fund size was we looked backwards. Not forwards. – Jeffrey We have this massive group of strategic limited partners, over 300 around the globe, whose reading points become the foundation layer of ‘these are the types of companies we need to look at’ – Jeffrey   Key Takeaways How Camber Creek has created its investment theses from an initial investment hypothesis, and how they continue to utilise that to invest in the best companies within the real estate technology sphere. The two main questions that sparked Camber Creek’s investment thesis idea Camber Creek’s different funds, including its opportunity fund Jeffrey shares with us a bit more about some of their fastest growing companies, like Flex and the mission behind it The massive opportunity set for climate tech and carbon tech   About our guests Jeffrey Berman Jeffrey Berman is a General Partner at Camber Creek. Jeffrey participates in all aspects of Camber Creek’s operations and portfolio management and serves on the boards of numerous Camber Creek portfolio companies. He has more than two decades of executive management experience and deeply rooted relationships in the startup, real estate, and venture capital ecosystems. Prior to Camber Creek, he was a Principal at one of the Washington, DC area’s largest privately held real estate development and management companies. Jeffrey has also been an active early-stage investor, backing more than three dozen startups, including Jackpocket, Kindbody, and Rappi.    Camber Creek Camber Creek is a venture capital firm providing strategic value and capital to operating technology companies focused on the real estate market. Camber Creek contributes in a direct and significant way to the success of its portfolio companies by leveraging the real estate expertise, operating experience and portfolio of assets of its partners, investors, and advisors. Our investment team has investing, operating, and technology experience and expertise across a range of real estate businesses, including construction, property management, development, and leasing. Our investors own, operate and manage billions of square feet of real estate in the U.S., giving us a unique competitive advantage as an investor and value-added partner in the real estate technology space. The firm has ~$1bln AUM.   About Our Host     Louisa Dickins     Louisa is the Co-Founder of LMRE, which has rapidly become the market-leading global built environment recruitment platform and search consultancy, specializing in finding the best strategic talent for the most innovative organisations in PropTech, ConTech, Smart Buildings, ESG, Sustainability and Strategic

    39 min
  2. Climate Solutions in Real Estate: Tackling Risk, Affordability, and Insurance

    FEB 6

    Climate Solutions in Real Estate: Tackling Risk, Affordability, and Insurance

    In this episode of the Propcast, Louisa is joined by John Rogers, Chief Innovation Officer for CoreLogic and Kirby Brendsel, Flagstar Bank’s VP, Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) and Sustainability Director, where they discuss all things climate and housing affordability, and the solutions that are out there to help solve the issues!  John and Kirby explained the importance of providing data and analytics around climate risk to allow companies to measure the financial impact of climate change up to the year 2050, thus helping companies, cities, and governments to put in place mitigation plans.    Tune into this episode to hear more about how climate solutions can help with mitigation, housing affordability and insurance, and how our guest’s collaboration create a rising tide that lifts all ships.    Companies mentioned  New York Communities Corp Inc  IBM  Deloitte   LMRE’S 2023 Salary Report  IPCC    Episode Highlights  My big advice for anyone would be that if you're passionate; follow your passion, go for the things that you want to do, or things that you can make a difference on, even on a small scale related to sustainability. – Kirby  We provided something called ‘climate risk analytics’ which is an insight that allows companies to measure model and mitigate the financial impact of climate change – John   It’s all about using data, improving your data, and capturing your data to make sound strategic decisions that helps you drive things forward – Kirby   The chef scientist of NASA said to us that he’d never expected to get to this level of granularity in his lifetime – John     Key Takeaways   How Flagstar and CoreLogic are working together to help address the issue of climate change and housing affordability  John explains the ‘average annual loss’ which CoreLogic provides that is a ratio of a building’s risk in terms of reconstruction costs, allowing companies to understand their financial risk  Kirby explains how important the use of data is in making strategic decisions around climate and sustainability  The opportunity in cities that have a high climate risk to use CoreLogic’s analytics platform  The guests discuss the importance of educating people on the long term impact of climate change  John discusses how the needs of CoreLogic’s customers change and how they accommodate for this    About our guests  John Rogers   John Rogers holds the role of Chief Innovation Officer for CoreLogic and is responsible for the R&D. From driving new solutions that understand the impacts to the real estate economy due to climate change, to ground-breaking models that identify suitable land for affordable housing development, the R&D group tackles major housing issues and works with many clients across the housing industry to drive growth and mitigate risk on their book of business.     Prior to joining CoreLogic, John was a Partner with IBM Global Business Services where he focused on the delivery of large multi-million transformational programs for the financial sector both in the United Kingdom and Australia. Prior to this, John worked as a consultant for Itim Consulting, a boutique management firm based in London. John’s primary role was as a program manager on a number of assignments delivering global solutions within retail, pharmaceuticals, logistics and information services industries.   John earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Glasgow, United Kingdom in Aerospace Engineering.      Company Summary: CoreLogic   CoreLogic is a leading provider of property insights and innovative solutions, working to transform the property industry by putting people first. Using its network, scale, connectivity and technology, CoreLogic delivers faster, smarter, more human-centered experiences, that build

    34 min
  3. Renovation to Regulation: Charting a Course for Sustainable Innovation

    11/14/2023

    Renovation to Regulation: Charting a Course for Sustainable Innovation

    In this week’s episode of the Propcast, Louisa is joined by Emanuel Heisenberg, CEO and Founder of EcoWorks, and Mauricio Weiss, GP and Founding Partner of Zacua Ventures where they discuss all things renovation, regulation and innovation.   With 40% of emissions being used on buildings and 20% on materials, the guests delve into the short- and long-term costs of going carbon neutral and whether it is a realistic goal with today’s current economic climate. The guests discuss how an increase in sustainability pressure, paired with geopolitical instability and labour scarcity are a handful of the challenges that accompany reaching net zero targets.   Emanuel shares how the EcoWork’s product can help tackle key issues around scarcity of labour and materials from factories, whilst Mauricio discusses the trends he has seen with his portfolio companies in terms of increasing their sales.    Companies mentioned  MIPIM  JLL Spark    Shoutouts  Vivin Hegde  Arnaud Bouzinac  Robert Habeck  Josh Levy, Document Crunch    Previous episodes mentioned  The evolution of global construction technologies     Episode Highlights  Regulation is actually pushing for a lot of technology adoption in terms of higher requirements, and these requirements just make the processes much more complex, right? - Mauricio   So they really tackle the 80 percent renewable energy goal for 2030 and they really decarbonize the heating system with good and aggressive regulations. - Emanuel  The construction sector invests 1 percent in R&D and the housing sector 0.1%. So, they will not bring any transformation towards affordability and decarbonization. - Emanuel  You do need regulators – to start pointing the marketing to the right direction, but you also want to keep competitiveness and ensure a free environment and a secure environment to make investments and to see the return of these investments. - Mauricio  Investors and a lot of stakeholders are questioning whether this is the right moment to be investing in technologies or an economic turn that will potentially slow down the piece of adoption for technology - Mauricio    Previous episodes mentioned   The Evolution Of Global Construction Technologies    Key Takeaways   The use of circular building materials in helping companies reach net zero targets  The need for common standards across Europe, as well as the challenges that this would bring due to difference in buildings and needs for each country  The need for regulators to be very close to investors in sharing short term and long-term goals of decarbonisation and technology adoption   How to position certain aspects of ESG to pitch to create sustainable competitive advantage for that company without changing the core of your business  Emmanuel shares some advice about the German market for founders looking to expand   The lack of construction companies in Germany     About our guests  Emanuel Heisenberg  Emanuel Heisenberg studied history and economics in Munich and Cambridge. He has over 15 years of experience in setting up and developing companies for renewable energies and ESCO and has contributed to more than 50 energy projects. His international network includes numerous funds, utility companies, IPPs, entrepreneurs, and research institutions. After founding a contracting and geothermal energy company, he established ecoworks in 2019, introducing the concept of serial renovation to Germany. An initial pilot project in Hameln proved challenging but was also a significant success. The renovated buildings there have demonstrably achieved NetZero levels. In addition to his role as CEO and founder, he is also active as a speaker and expert in energy and climate policy, advising the German federal government, companies, and private equity funds

    37 min
  4. Navigating the PropTech Landscape: Successes, Challenges, and Global Trends

    11/07/2023

    Navigating the PropTech Landscape: Successes, Challenges, and Global Trends

    In this episode of the Propcast, Louisa is joined by Arie Barendrecht, Founder & CEO at WiredScore, Bayron Lopez Pineda, Director of Operational Technology at Kilroy Realty Corporation and Richard Paine, Head of Development in Singapore at Lendlease.   The guests help unravel the macro and micro trends, as well as the challenges that the industry is seeing in selecting and implementing technology. This episode provides a global view of PropTech from various perspectives, providing valuable insight into the opportunities as well as challenges that the industry currently faces.   Arie discusses some of the successes as well as mistakes he made whilst expanding across 30 countries, Bayron explores the impact the pandemic had on the use of technology within buildings, and Richard dives into his role at Lendlease and what he has seen on the development side of the industry.       Episode Highlights  The importance of getting employees back to the office and how this can be done effectively  The differences in markets based on geography   The reasons why Europe is ahead of other regions in its adoption of technology    The challenges in innovation and adoption of technology in the US versus the Asia-Pacific region  Cybersecurity and the financial implications of data breaches    Key Takeaways   Our purpose is to be able to lease space out and do that effectively by providing our tenantes the best quality of technology we have available, but also the best experience - Bayron  We’re looking to the future to make sure that we’re relevant, not just today, but 10 years from now. And that’s in our DNA – Arie   The pandemic put us in a space where a lot of people went back and looked at the technology to try and figure out what is really needed – Bayron  You have to think a lot in the future, and you have to predict where you think the future is going with technology - Richard    About our guests  Arie Barendrecht    Arie is the founder and CEO of WiredScore, the pioneer behind the international WiredScore certification system that evaluates and distinguishes best-in-class Internet connectivity in commercial buildings. Prior to founding WiredScore, Arie worked as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in New York City where he focused on the technology and media industries. Arie holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA and BS in Business and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.   WiredScore  At WiredScore, our mission is to make the world's buildings smarter and better connected. We believe everyone should be empowered by technology, wherever they are.   At WiredScore, our mission is to make the world's buildings smarter and better connected. A champion of cutting-edge technology in real estate, WiredScore defines and certifies digital connectivity and smart technology in homes and offices on a global scale, ensuring that buildings provide the best-in-class infrastructure that businesses and individuals require to thrive.     Bayron Pineda   Bayron Lopez Pineda is the  Director of Operational Technology at Kilroy Realty responsible for managing and innovating smart buildings systems. He helps determine policies and processes from security, maintenance, and growth to increase building efficiency and tenant experience. He has over a decade in the Commercial Real Estate sector and is a Founding Fellow of the Control Systems Cyber Security Association International. He is also a Graduate Student at Georgetown University, School of Continuing Studies pursuing a Masters in Technology Management.   Kilroy Realty Corporation   With over 14 million square feet in our portfolio spanning five distinct regions, we have built deep experience within vibrant commercial real estate markets.   We put our experience to service a

    35 min
  5. Special Edition: Blueprint 2023 - Building a Digital Future in Construction

    10/24/2023

    Special Edition: Blueprint 2023 - Building a Digital Future in Construction

    In this bonus episode of the Propcast, Tabitha is at Blueprint in Las Vegas, where she is joined by Julieta Moradei, Managing Partner and Founder at Overlay Capital, where they explore why the construction space has been slow to adopt technology, the startups that are leading the way in digitalisation, and Julieta dives into the Women in Construction Tech community.   Women in Construction Tech is dedicated to empowering female founders, investors, and adopters to help create opportunities, and develop relationships for women driving innovation in the construction industry. Julieta explains some of the DEI trends she predicts to take full flow in the next 18 months and how she hopes to see more and more women coming into the construction space.    Companies mentioned  Y Combinator  McKinsey   Autodesk BuiltWorlds Blueprint     Shoutouts  Antonia Soler     Episode Highlights  Julieta talks us through her journey into the construction space  They discuss why the construction industry is so under-digitalised compared to that of other sectors.  The lack of adoption of technology past Series B  Julieta’s experience in the VC space  The ‘missing middle’ that is the biggest barrier to technology adoption in construction  The Women in ConTech platform and their mission     Key Takeaways   That's when I realized that in order for you to actually be able to adopt technology in the space, you need to have a catalytic pilot project – Julieta   It's one of the largest markets in the world in terms of its value, yet least digitized. – Julieta   But I think what's going to be even more interesting is solutions that are integrating together and bringing a lot of these point solutions together – Julieta     About our guest  Julieta Moradei  Julieta is the Managing Partner of the recently launched Overlay Capital Build. Overlay Build is part of the asset manager, Overlay Capital. Overlay Build is a consultancy working to accelerate adoption of critical digital transformation technologies in the built environment by connecting innovative technologies with adopters. We specialize in advising technology adopters with significant real estate holdings like multinational corporates, contractors and real estate developers in need of innovative digital technology solutions. We can help you identify solutions that can address their project needs, develop adoption and implementation strategies at an organizational and project level, and track financial and impact ROI of technologies. Julieta is a structural engineer and architect, turned social entrepreneur, and venture capitalist investing in early-stage startups mitigating the biggest barriers in the built environment. Her unique path from technical design to VC, has led her to hyperfocus on innovation in the construction industry, and empowering entrepreneurs through catalytic partnerships for the past decade. Her career path ranges from technical engineering to venture capital: from structural engineering at Disney and Arup, to creating an R&D team to mitigate the biggest barriers in the housing crisis, to then launching and managing a venture capital firm investing in construction technology. As a founding member and former Partner of Hometeam Ventures, Julieta launched, fundraised, and managed operations of the venture fund investing in early-stage start-ups bringing breakthrough technology to the world's largest - but least innovative - industries: construction and housing. This was a spin-off from New Story Homes (YCombinator) where she kickstarted and led as Head of R&D. New Story Homes built over 3,000 homes across Latin America, and in 2018, invested in ICON and built the world's first 3D printed housing technology; in 2022, ICON raised its Series B with a $2B valuation and has partnerships with NASA, HUD, etc

    27 min
  6. How Contech & PropTech is revolutionising MENA real estate and allowing economic diversification

    10/17/2023

    How Contech & PropTech is revolutionising MENA real estate and allowing economic diversification

    A recent Deloitte report cited the Middle East real estate market is projected to expand by up to 111% in the next five years.   In this episode of the Propcast, Louisa was joined by Anas Bataw and Prakash Senghani, Co-Founder and CEO at Navatech Group. They discuss the vast opportunities for innovation and growth through technology in the Middle East, the geographical advantage that has put the MENA region at the forefront of smart technology adoption and urban development, and the huge appetite for digitalisation that the guests have seen in the last few years.   Tune in to hear about examples of some of the technologies being used in the Middle East that are leading the way in revolutionising MENA real estate, as well as some of the challenges that come alongside this diversification. If you are interested in learning more about how construction technology and PropTech is revolutionising MENA real estate, this episode is not one to miss!    Companies Mentioned  Deloitte  Watheeq PropTech Venture  Fifth Wall   NEOM  Red Sea Project  Mace  Amar  MIRA  ROSHN  PwC  Balfour Beatty  WSP  AECOM   JLL  Technology Innovation Institute (TII)  WakeCap  WorkPanda   Procurified  Modular  Aldar      Episode Highlights  The huge appetite for digitalisation in the middle east   Prakash’s journey from the corporate world into building his own start-up    Anas’ experience in the COP28 committee and the push to sustainability and reducing carbon emissions   The growth areas that Prakash has seen within construction over the past five years and what we should be watching out for in the future    Prakash talks us through some of the stand-out technologies being used in the Middle East   The Middle East’s geographical advantage and its wide talent pool  Anas explains how having a clear strategy is so important     Key Takeaways  The pros are that you’re involved in large projects and that there’s a push towards technologies and innovations, and people really want to challenge the current status of what we have – Anas  I wanted to use artificial intelligence and particularly chatbots to help do things in construction, and one of those things was safety – Prakash     The complexion of the people working in the construction industry is going to change massively – Anas  Changing something is always more difficult than planning for the way that you want it in the first place - Prakash       About Our Host   Louisa Dickins   Louisa is the Co-Founder of LMRE, which has rapidly become the market-leading global built environment recruitment platform and search consultancy, specializing in finding the best strategic talent for the most innovative organisations in PropTech, ConTech, Smart Buildings, ESG, Sustainability and Strategic Consulting with operations across North America, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia-Pacific and MENA.   To promote the industry she is so passionate about, Louisa set up the Global podcast ‘The Propcast’ where she hosts and invites guests from the built environment space to join her in conversation about innovation.

    52 min
  7. Exploring the Value of Drones: Eyes in the Sky

    10/03/2023

    Exploring the Value of Drones: Eyes in the Sky

    In this episode of the Propcast, host Louisa Dickins explores the value of drones with Mike Winn, CEO and co-founder of DroneDeploy, and David Thirlwell, Director of Operational Excellence at Stiles Construction. They explore how drones have become widely accessible in recent years, providing a bird's eye view of job sites and delivering structured, detailed data to enhance safety and efficiency.   Mike shares how DroneDeploy has gained over 5,000 customers worldwide, revolutionising the way businesses operate in sectors like oil, gas, and construction. David emphasizes the importance of finding the right technology solution to maximize efficiency and productivity. Despite market challenges and budget cuts, this episode highlights how businesses who are embracing forward-thinking technology will thrive in the future.   Tune in to hear how drones are shaping the digital future of smart buildings and beyond.    Companies mentionned  NASA  Autodesk  NEOM  Google    Episode Highlights  The benefits of using drones for aerial data capture  The use of drones in various industries, including construction, oil, gas and solar energy  The growth and success of DroneDeploy, with over 5,000 customers worldwide  David’s experience using DroneDeploy's technology to improve construction processes and identify potential issues early on  The importance of finding the right technology solutions and being open-minded to adopting new technologies in the construction industry  The future of automation in the drone industry, and the future of DroneDeploy    Key Takeaways  While technology investments may seem expensive at first, the value lies in the ability to catch and resolve problems early, saving time and money in the long run. - David  Already we have a vision that every job site should be digitized. And if we can do that, we will enable all the workers to really understand what's going on and help them do their job more safely and more effectively. - Mike   The use of technology, such as drones and 3D scanners, allows for accurate verification of construction elements like sleeves in concrete, reducing the risk of costly mistakes and schedule delays. - David  The adoption of technology in the construction industry is receptive, with companies like Stiles Construction being open to exploring new tools and solutions to improve efficiency and mitigate risks. - Mike  Stiles Construction values trust and reliability in technology providers, and they have found DroneDeploy to be a great partner in bringing new tools and solutions to the table. - David  The future of drones in the construction industry is promising, with the expectation that every major job site will have a drone in the next five years. - Mike    About Our Host  Louisa Dickins  Louisa is the Co-Founder of LMRE, which has rapidly become the market-leading global built environment recruitment platform and search consultancy, specializing in finding the best strategic talent for the most innovative organisations in PropTech, ConTech, Smart Buildings, ESG, Sustainability and Strategic Consulting with operations across North America, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia-Pacific and MENA.  To promote the industry she is so passionate about, Louisa set up the Global podcast ‘The Propcast’ where she hosts and invites guests from the built environment space to join her in conversation about innovation.

    32 min
  8. How to future proof your portfolio & your culture

    09/26/2023

    How to future proof your portfolio & your culture

    In this episode of the Propcast, host Louisa Dickins discusses how to future proof your portfolio and nurture a robust company culture with Edi Demaj, co-founder of KODE Labs, and Ilene Goldfine, SVP and Chief Digital Strategy Officer of Hines. They explore how a change in people and culture can help address the pace of innovation and, ultimately, impact profitability, efficiency and sustainability.  Edi shares how a small building operating system can transform the way real estate is managed and experienced. Ilene dives deep into how two very different types of businesses can facilitate a healthy, inclusive, and innovative culture, as well as a strong partnership. The episode highlights the importance of collaboration, agility, and diversity in driving change and successfully navigating the evolving landscape of the real estate industry.  Tune in to hear innovative strategies for future-proofing real estate portfolios and cultivating a dynamic company culture.    Shout outs  Naqash Tahir, Executive Director - Global CIO Office at PGIM Real Estate  Imran Nasir, Head of Client Delivery for Europe, Asia Pacific & Latin America at PGIM Real Estate    Episode Highlights  Edi and Ilene’s common mission of driving change and innovation in the real estate industry  How KODE Labs and Hines have created a successful partnership  A cloud-based smart building operating system, and the significance of data in driving efficiency and innovation  How flexible and diverse cultures foster innovation and collaboration  The importance of a listen-first mentality, cultural contribution and diversity of thought  What the future holds for KODE Labs, Hines and the wider real estate industry    Key Takeaways  The real estate space functions completely differently from anything else around us. Our view is that it needed to get on par with everybody else with all the other industries. - Edi  One of the reasons that did away with the word ‘innovation’ is because the mindset of Hines is that we're constantly innovating. - Ilene  We're big believers that if automotive companies can make autonomous moving vehicles, then standing buildings can be autonomous as well. - Edi  We have an aging industry of people at buildings that are going to retire. You have to meet the people where they're at. You need to think to yourself, what am I doing differently in the real estate industry to attract some of these people? - Ilene  What we've done over the last six years is that we're now in thousands of buildings, and what we'll do over the next six years, is that we’ll be hopefully in hundreds of thousands of buildings. – Edi   About Our Host - Louisa Dickins  Louisa is the Co-Founder of LMRE, which has rapidly become the market-leading global built environment recruitment platform and search consultancy, specializing in finding the best strategic talent for the most innovative organisations in PropTech, ConTech, Smart Buildings, ESG, Sustainability and Strategic Consulting with operations across North America, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia-Pacific and MENA.  To promote the industry she is so passionate about, Louisa set up the Global podcast ‘The Propcast’ where she hosts and invites guests from the built environment space to join her in conversation about innovation.

    36 min

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The Propcast, by Louisa Dickins, Co-founder of LMRE the leading Global Built Environment Recruitment Consultancy. The aim of the show is to introduce you to a PropTech innovator and discuss how their work has created a shift in focus when it comes to digitising the built environment. If you are interested in finding out more about PropTech, or applying for a job in this space or keen to know who the big players are that are moving and shaking the RE industry? We have you covered and will be bringing you an episode each week to connect you to the VCs, PropTech start-ups and real estate professionals from around the globe.

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