13 Things We Learned at Tech Demo Day

Since I consider Jon Schultz the King of All Things Tech, it’s only fitting that my turn as a guest blogger on his site be devoted to some great tech tools.

Last week, CBRE’s New Jersey office hosted its first Tech Demo Day in the East Brunswick office. Spearheaded by its Innovation Group, of which I am a member, the goal was to ensure that the entire branch is aware of the tools available in the rapidly changing market.

During the course of the day, thirteen companies were each provided with 30-minutes to present their products. They ranged from small to large, start-up to mature, and all were well received. A brief review of each is below:

CoStar: Easily the largest company to present, they focused on tools within their site that go beyond property search including comps, lease analysis, and property analytics. Did you know they offer dedicated training?

Xceligent: Their presentation focused on their new product, Property Tour Pro (www.PropertyTourPro.com) which is a web-based tool that allows users to create online tour books and share them in a virtual setting with clients. Tour books can be viewed on smartphones and tablets, rather than carrying around books and wasting paper.

PivotDesk: Based in Boulder, CO, this company allows their clients to post excess space and manages the process of not only finding a tenant/guest, but also managing the payments. Specializing in 4 – 30 people, they try to help companies make sure the culture is a good fit, not only the money.

Rifiniti: Did you realize that you could use software analytics to improve workplace efficiency? That’s exactly what Rifiniti does using multiple data sources to solve for “workplace intelligence”.

Ten-X: Backed by Google Capital, this platform is formerly known as Auction.com. Last year, Ten-X completed over 200 commercial deals per month totaling over $3.5 billion in aggregate value. What you may not know is that they engage a broker on EVERY sale, their transactions have a 90-day process, and they have a 97% success rate once a buyer is chosen. In my opinion, they are just getting started.

Floored: They presented two products, one more impressive than the other. Their Luma product is for large projects, either new development or redevelopment and it provides an online interactive walkthrough of the not-yet-built or to-be-renovated building. Their Protofit tool is also web based and provides the ability to update test fit plans in real time.

Gensler: Our friends from the world’s leading design firm, who also happened to design our new space, shared their g10program with us, which includes a design for 10,000 sf in 10 days for $10,000. They also shared their insights on Shifting Culture vs. Workplace Trends. Informative, as always!

Fast Office: This subscription based service provides an on-demand architect which produces 3-D plans. They also provide back-end support for scheduling meetings and calls with the architect.

Vidyo: Will video conferencing be the death of the conference call as we know it? Vidyo certainly hopes so. Their service allows people to connect using any type of device, as well as the ability to share content while on the call.

PeopleLinx: Ever wonder why you are contacted by certain people through social media? PeopleLinx provides coaching for forward thinking professionals who are looking to network through social media. They call is social selling and seem to be onto something.

SkyRise: This app connects the tenants in a building or office park to each other, to property management, and to ownership, driving engagement. Through the app, ownership can spread information, gather data, announce events and promote amenities. They also negotiate special deals with local amenities and provide a message board function for tenants.

WiredScore: To date, WiredScore has certified 650 buildings throughout the United States totaling approximately 250 million square feet and they are just getting started. They analyze, score, and provide recommendations for buildings regarding connectivity which is becoming more and more important to tenants as web traffic increases.

VTS: Anyone who has read my blog in the past knows that I am a big fan of VTS. They continue to roll out new features including their tenant rep and retail platforms, as well as improvements to their agency platform. They are up to 2 billion square feet, and counting, on the landlord side and just getting started regarding tenant rep.

If you’d like more information on any of the above, feel free to reach out to them directly and make sure you tell them Jeremy Neuer and Jon Schultz sent you!