First investment in Avant-Garde 3D AR/VR Firm Foyr.com
Mumbai, October 24 2016: India’s largest and leading international property consultancy JLL India today announced the launch of its new independent Real Estate Technology Investment vertical to invest in start-up or growth-stage companies developing innovative and disruptive technology solutions specific to the real estate sector.
Anuj Puri, Chairman & Country Head, JLL India says, “The purpose of this vertical is to invest into early-stage companies – or start-ups – which can potentially disrupt the real estate business with brand-new thinking, backed by sound, workable technology. With this investment vertical, JLL has its eyes trained on Geographic Information Systems, Visualisation and Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, sustainable energy, water efficiency, smart commercial buildings, Smart City tech applications, property Management technologies, data analytics, home automation and – on a broader level – the Internet of things.”
This initiative is spearheaded by Anuj Nangpal, a real estate industry veteran and a specialist in M&A, private equity, corporate advisory and investment banking. As Head – JLL India Real Estate Technology Ventures, he will have strategic oversight of the newly-launched investment vertical and will work closely with JLL’s various business lines and financial partners to deploy seed capital into the identified firms.
“Given its global network and deeply-entrenched business reach in the real estate sector, JLL is uniquely positioned to provide technology start-ups with a platform to make a significant difference to the real estate industry and deliver corresponding value to its financial partners. A strategic partnership with JLL will allow these companies an opportunity to scale up as well as explore the application of the technologies in global markets. The Firm is investing into the future of Indian real estate”, says Anuj Nangpal.
This will be an independent investment entity which will focus on enhancing the value of its equity holdings in the target firms. JLL will also explore the potential of working with private equity funds and financial institutions to make even larger investments, if needed.
“Typically, an early-stage company needs anything between $100,000 to $2 million to go from proof-of-concept to growth in a period of around 12-18 months,” says Anuj Nangpal. “JLL’s proprietary capital, along with its strategic partners, will finance this cycle. In the first 12-18 months, we plan to invest in approximately 10-15 such early- stage companies. Given the Firm’s very strong balance sheet, there is limitless scope for such investments.”
The investment entity has announced its maiden investment into Foyr.com, a cutting-edge technology platform for visualizing real estate spaces. Foyr’s patent pending technology offers developers the ability to market their developments and allows customization of interiors on the fly.
“Foyr’s unique technology has global appeal, and the advancements they have made in AR/VR are globally competitive and scalable,” said Anuj Puri. The investment vertical expects to announce three further investments before the end of 2016.
About JLL India
JLL is India’s premier and largest professional services firm specializing in real estate. With an extensive geographic footprint across 11 cities (Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi, Chandigarh and Coimbatore) and a staff strength of over 8500, the firm provides investors,
developers, local corporates and multinational companies with a comprehensive range of services including research, analytics, consultancy, transactions, project and development services, integrated facility management, property and asset management, sustainability, industrial, capital markets, residential, hotels, health care, senior living, education and retail advisory. The firm was awarded the Property Consultant of the Decade at the 10th CNBC-Awaaz Real Estate Awards 2015 and the Best Property Consultancy in India at the International Property Awards Asia Pacific 2016-17.
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