Il “MIPIM PropTech Europe” appena svoltosi a Parigi : la Property Technology accelera, sostiene l’ organizzatore Reed MIDEM

Global leaders in real estate, technology and venture capital affirmed the importance of the human experience at the second ever MIPIM PropTech Europe, where user expectations were the focus of taking proptech to the next level. 

In a climate of global competitiveness and late cycle headwinds, technological innovation was shown to be vital for making European cities more liveable, as well as promoting economic success, in a broader approach to the future of the built environment.

The two-day event, held in Paris, hosted some 2,000 attendees representing 41 countries, among them innovators from more than 120 tech firms, with over 100 speakers taking the stage. Two closed-door summits engaged corporate end-users, investors and venture capital firms in deeper debate.

“Today, some of the most effective and far-reaching solutions for the real estate industry are emerging from start-up culture, driving massive investor interest in the sector. While proptech research and development was once the focus of niche venture capital, today every real estate company realises that they need to be in on the act. MIPIM PropTech Europe is now hosting that dialogue,” commented Nicolas Kozubek, Director MIPIM PropTech.

The human factor

Held for the first time in the creative Parisian hub of Le Centquatre, delegates at MIPIM PropTech Europe heard how the real estate industry is today leveraging technology to anticipate and meet the needs of urban dwellers.

City planners and developers, asset managers, leasing agents and architects discussed how quality of life is impacted by a more sustainable environment and more inclusive society, and addressed improvements in areas such as healthcare, accessibility, affordability and work-life balance.

Innovation race 

At a packed keynote, Roelof Opperman of venture capital firm Fifth Wall said that proptech was building the future of real estate. “Go out there, find the best partners, and do business with them,” he urged, citing the start-up movement as a “catalytic moment” for the industry. 

Microsoft keynote Xavier Perrin confirmed that a tech race was inevitable. “There will be 1 million new devices coming online every hour by 2020,” he said, warning that data security would be a significant challenge.

“Business philosopher” Anders Indset interrupted the event with his “unexpected keynote”, addressing environmental issues and challenging the industry to partake in a “conscious revolution”. “The biggest threat to humanity and our climate is that we believe that someone else is going to come along and fix it,” he said, adding: “Leaders need vulnerability. There’s nothing soft about soft skills. They are the hard skills.”

Keynote speaker Kai-Uwe Bergmann of Denmark’s BIG reminded delegates that proptech isn’t just for new builds. “There’s nothing more sustainable than maintaining the heritage around us, and finding ways to integrate technology within those buildings,” he said. 

Investment in proptech

Over 200 international investment professionals attended the event, including representatives from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Allianz Real Estate, Bouwinvest, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance, PKA, Temasek, Aberdeen Standard, AXA IM, Barings, Jamestown, JP Morgan, Nuveen and Union Investment. 

Venture capital firms included Anaxago, Concrete VC, Fifth Wall, JLL Spark, MetaPropNYC, New Alpha, Real Estech and Sway VC.

The amount of venture capital targeting the sector is accelerating. In less than 5 years, investments in proptech startups have soared from €400 million to €20 billion.

Vinci Immobilier announced the creation of Vinci Immobilier Corporate Venture, dedicated to financing start-ups with holdings of up to €1 million, in a sign of the property industry’s deepening engagement with technology.

“It’s difficult to predict which technology will prevail in 30 years,” said Charles Boudet, CEO JLL France. “Increasing amounts of data are going to be available to more people more easily and more quickly. It’s important that we embrace these fundamentals so we make this digital world a benefit to us, and not a threat.”

Driving the future

Thinking beyond individual buildings emerged as a key theme, with Cees van der Spek of Edge Technologies sharing how his firm solved a mobility issue at Unilever’s New York HQ by providing boats and bikes to reach the office. 

“I believe buildings will become more human in the future, by becoming more connected. Not just in a digital sense – they have to be more sustainable, part of a community,” said Csongor Csukas of BNP Paribas Real Estate. 

Sophie Rosso of French developer Quartus agreed. “There is no such thing as an ideal neighbourhood. We are rolling out digital surveys to understand what citizens need, so we can build better districts.”

MIPIM Startup Competition 

The two European finalists of the MIPIM Startup Competition 2020, organised in partnership with Metaprop NYC, were selected during the event from a shortlist of six strong candidates. AskPorter (UK), an AI-driven property management platform, and Mayordomo Smart Point (Spain) which coordinates smart locations for purchases and package collection, impressed an illustrious judging panel. The 2020 edition will now move to New York and Hong Kong during the MIPIM events held in these countries. The MIPIM Startup Competition grand finale will take place at MIPIM 2020 in Cannes. 

PropTech StartUp Europe Awards

The European Commission’s first ever PropTech StartUp Europe Awards brought down the curtain on MIPIM PropTech Europe’s second day. Ten companies from seven countries competed in the finals, with the judges awarding first prize to Slovakia’s Sensoneo. 

Source  :  Company