Welcome to a New Year in the Built Environment. While it has only been a few weeks, January has been a busy and exciting time for Borealis Ventures and we are happy to be able to share some of the developments in the portfolio and beyond. In this edition, Jesse sat down with BUILTR to share some thoughts on why now is such an urgent time for a Better Built Environment. In addition, we have interesting news from our portfolio companies, along with some insights into a few of the up and coming teams we are helping to mentor through DesignX and UrbanX. We are really excited about the prospects for this year and look forward to sharing more with you all as it unfolds. As always, if you come across a remarkable company or individuals in our domain, please let us know.
The Built Environment Innovation Team
Jesse Devitte | Travis Connors | Matt Rightmire | Allen Preger | Chris Randles | Tom Wyman
Feature Highlights:
An interview with Borealis Ventures’ Jesse Devitte on the Digital Transformation underway in the Built Environment Read the article on BUILTR
Borealis was recognized as one of the top funds in the Built World space. Read the article
Portfolio News:
Dandelion:
Village of Rhinebeck OKs geothermal energy plan [Daily Freeman News]
Measurabl:
Meet Matt Ellis of Measurabl [SDVoyager]
SmartVid:
Image Recognition Software Aids ENR Photo Contest Judges Again [ENR]
Teams We Are Mentoring:
Nesterly:
Getting a Roommate in your Golden Years [New York Times]
Versatile Natures:
The Startups That Connect the Bulldozers to the Cloud [HAARETZ]
Books We Are Reading
Overview:
How can cities promote economic mobility, advance equity, and drive growth? Through an analysis of best practices, proven policies, and case study examples, you will get practical insights into how your community can expand opportunity for more citizens and boost economic expansion. The book provides real world examples of both place-based and people-based strategies that are being used successfully to provide more equitable outcomes.
Overview:
Here, Jeremy Rifkin explores how Internet technology and renewable energy are merging to create a powerful “Third Industrial Revolution.” He asks us to imagine hundreds of millions of people producing their own green energy in their homes, offices, and factories, and sharing it with each other in an “energy internet,” just like we now create and share information online.
Events we are attending
- DesignX 2018 Mentor Night | Cambridge, MA | January 29
- Construction CPM Conference | New Orleans, LA | January 30 – February 2
- ULI Shark Tank | Boston, MA | January 31
- Builtworld Projects Conference | New York, NY | February 22
- AIA Large Firm Round Table | Dallas, TX | March 15 & 16
Noteworthy News:
- Oracle to buy construction collaboration software maker Aconex for $1.2B in cash [Techcrunch]
- Construction startup Katerra gets $865M in Softbank’s latest mega-round[Techcrunch]
- Build it, hack it, share it: Lessons from MIT’s Civic Data Design Lab director Sarah Williams [Storybench]
- How tech tackled the construction industry’s inefficiency in 2017 [Venture Beat]
- We Need to Expand Access to $256 Trillion in Real-World Assets [Futurism]
- Thornton Tomasetti President Asks, “Innovation: Theatre or Action?” [BuiltTech]
- The Changing Alignment of the Construction and Real Estate Industries [Builtworlds]
