Webinar

 

I was delighted to take part in Property Button‘s  first webinar last week ‘How to stay cool during student season’ where we discussed the current student rental market in Ireland and challenges faced by letting agents during the busy student season (375,000 students and only 33,000 student rooms).  Also, I tried out their innovative propdocs offering  (not an ad!) and was impressed by  how comprehensive it is.  If you are in the business of renting or managing property (not just student lettings) you might find some useful tips and insights here: https://propertybutton.io/webinar-prepare-for-student-season/

Blockchain

 

Urban Intelligence co-founder Ronan Boyle wrote an interesting piece on blockchain and its potential to transforming planning (UK perspective):  https://www.theplanner.co.uk/features/block-capital-how-blockchain-could-change-planning

I have discussed the potential of blockchain to revolutionise conveyancing in Ireland and despite the PRA preparing for this over the past decade (albeit unwittingly), practitioners are still massively resistant.  I would to hear from start-ups in this space…

By the way, I came across this simply useful – or usefully simple – explainer article on blockchain that might help:  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/blockchain-explanation-your-mum-could-understand-jamie-skella

Data sharing

In his column for the Sunday Times this week,  Lorcan Sirr has hit on a point that the #proptech community in Ireland and the UK have been making for a few years now, that it, the housing powers that be need to sit up and pay attention to new players in the industry and use the information that they gather to make intelligent and relevant data-driven decisions on the future delivery of homes, work and community spaces.  Start-ups (or up-starts) and true disruptors are revolutionising how we live, eat, travel , holiday, communicate and even find romance.  Irrespective of the industries they are disrupting, they all have one huge aspect in common, that is, the collection or acquisition of rich, actionable, and often real-time data.  On a micro level, BIM does this within the pre-construction and construction phases.  On a macro-level, Google and Facebook have the actual data to improve housing and commercial property policy-making  far beyond any State capacity.  It is for the State to tap into these existing resources.  This is something that the community behind www.Prop-Tech.ie are passionate about exploring so please do contribute any ideas or feedback that you might have.

Lack of globally scalable start-ups in Ireland?

There was an, arguably, harsh article in The Sunday Business Post last weekend quoting Trustev founder Pat Phelan on why his €25m Irish start-up fund is being wound down. Any perspective on this?