1. London's ecosystem
The capital is home to the main client base for proptech – the real estate community. Major landlords and investors are based in the city, many with European head offices, such as CBRE, JLL, Colliers International and Cushman & Wakefield, as well as international headquarters, such as Landsec, Segro, Intu Properties and Hammerson.
London’s proptech ecosystem showcases specialist incubators and accelerators such as Geovation and RELab, and leading industry associations including the UK PropTech Association, New London Architecture (NLA), the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) and the British Property Federation.
2. A hotbed of talent
From architecture and blockchain to construction and data science, the capital has one of the world’s most diverse talent pools for proptech. Two of the world’s top 50 universities for engineering and technology are in London – Imperial College London and University College London, as well as The Bartlett Institute (part of UCL) which is dedicated to the built environment.[1]
London’s universities offer eight master’s degree courses focusing on real estate and 31 teaching urban planning, sustainability and design.[2]
There are also some fantastic initiatives to support professionals in the proptech industry: UKGBC’s Future Leaders programme and NLA’s NextGen initiative focus on the development of business leaders in the built environment.
3. Access to capital
More than £450m of venture capital was invested into London's proptech sector in 2020, with the UK capital receiving 43% of all European proptech investment.[3] Europe’s largest proptech VC, A/O Proptech, and specialist VC funds including Pi Labs, Fifth Wall, Concrete Ventures and Round Hill Ventures, all have offices in the city.
London is where it’s at. The real estate companies are here. The tech companies are here. The VC investment is here. The real estate investment is here. The energy is here. The skills are here. The opportunity is here.Alex Edds
Director of Innovation, JLL UK
4. Sustainability
London is increasingly leading the way with various initiatives focused on sustainability in the industry. London Councils coordinates cross-borough projects on retrofit and low carbon development. These programmes address major sources of current and future carbon emissions and support important co-benefits around inequality, health and green economic development.
NLA's Net Zero programme brings together built environment professionals and decision makers to share best practices and accelerate the adoption of climate solutions to help create a greener, zero-carbon London.
The drive towards sustainability is also fuelled by major private sector developers and consultancies who have made net zero commitments. UK-based British Land, Landsec, Grosvenor Group and The Crown Estate are all committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2030.
5. Data and innovation
The adoption of proptech innovation is accelerating and is supported by initiatives in the public sector, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London Authority (GLA).
NLA’s Urban Innovation programme connects tech experts and built environment professionals in London to collaborate on innovative ideas that will help transform the city and solve key urban issues.
London is a city of collaboration. The Planning DataHub is a collaborative project between all of the planning authorities in London to build a single open data set of development proposals in the planning process.
One of the top 20 universities in the world.
The only university in the UK to focus exclusively on science, medicine, engineering and business.
The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Europe's largest proptech VC firm.
An early-stage proptech investment firm.
The first and largest venture capital firm advising corporates on and investing in built world technology.
A non-bank mortgage lender in the UK.
A venture capital fund investing in early stage, high-growth UK companies.
Europe's first and most active proptech VC.
An investment platform for real estate and insurance investors.
Building and scaling innovative solutions to shape the future smart built environment.
Investor in property technology innovation.
A European seed-stage venture capital fund.
A venture capital firm that specialises in investing in property entrepreneurs and high growth real estate ventures.
Professionally managed lettings.
Retail space rental agency.
An AI driven property management platform.
Using AI to track all construction activities on-site.
Aiming to make it cheaper, faster and easier to rent a home.
Helping to make more inclusive planning decisions.
Transforming performance and productivity in the construction industry.
AI-powered construction analytics platform.
Commercial real estate software.
The property registry and platform for location-based AR.
Fast, easy access to high quality data for all registered commercial properties in England and Wales.
Attracting and retaining tenants, adding asset value and engaging your community.
Enabling property and facility managers to increase efficiency and reduce risk.
Technology to accelerate the development of smart, sustainable and people-focused places.
Streamlining professional quality photography and high accuracy floor plan creation.
Lettings software and services that improve the renting process.
Channelling capital towards an inclusive net-zero carbon economy.
Software for real estate professionals looking to digitise operations, improve client experience and maximise efficiency.
Search, view and book shared offices, coworking spaces and serviced office space.
Providing a platform that enables users to analyse global industry sectors.
Specialist buy-to-let mortgage lender.
A platform to find and assess off-market opportunities.
The fastest-growing proptech company in the UK.
Omnichannel rental exposure for residential real estate.
The estate agent that also negotiates your purchase.
Helping real estate lawyers provide useful advice in property transactions.
Bringing transparency to real estate management and investment decisions through efficient use of data.
Integrated lettings platform that reduces admin, maximises revenue and provides transparency.
An urban design and public realm practice.
Powering decision making at UK property's most successful organisations.
The UK's largest online real estate portal and property website.
The first and only business process automation engine built using AI.
Using the latest aerial mapping technology to survey your infrastructure site.
Retail space rental agency.
Uniting the UK building industry using sustainability as a catalyst.
Improving the image of the PRS and enhancing relationships between agents and customers.
A platform for commercial real estate professionals.
Integrating data to demonstrate the real life impact of buildings on their surrounding environments.
A peer-to-peer lending company which has a banking licence.
The smart property management platform powering landlords and property pros all around the world.
A revenue growth platform for residential investors and institutions.
A proptech company which has codified the rules of residential planning and generates 3D models of all possible extensions available to your home.
AI-driven concirge chatbot enabling employee wellbeing by finding a rental home in 10 hours.
Innovative technology company bringing SaaS platform for digital program management, construction workflow automation and AI driven project delivery.
Helping property investors to secure more deals faster.
A platform allowing landlords and renters to conclude the entire rental journey via an application, with near to no human interaction.
A SaaS plantech business that uses data and analytics to drive efficiency, simplicity and collaboration in the entire planning application process, for the private and public sectors.
The world's premier infrastructure firm.
A global design, engineering and management consulting company.
An independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, architects, consultants and technical specialists.
One of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies.
A leading global supplier of technology and services, including energy and building technology.
Creating outstanding places for people to work, live and visit.
Commercial real estate services and investment firm.
An independent commercial business.
A global commercial real estate services firm.
A property investment and development business.
Architecture firm reimagining the future of cities.
A FTSE 250 property investment and development company.
One of the world's largest privately-owned international property businesses.
Creating real economic, social and environmental value as a global real estate advisor.
An international workspace provider creating remarkable experiences through real estate solutions.
A property estate in Marylebone, London, owned by the Howard de Walden family.
A world leader in real estate services.
Providing personalised, clear and considered advice on all areas of property.
Creating and delivering innovative and sustainable real estate and investment solutions.
A global real estate services provider.
An estate covering large parts of Soho with tenants including hotels, independent retailers, residential flats and offices.
A commercial real estate company that provides flexible shared workspaces for startups.
A property discovery website and app.
An industry-first global programme in real estate.
Focusing on growing businesses with innovations in mobility services and the built environment.
Accelerating location and property innovation.
Redefining the world of coworking space.
The second-largest professional services network in the world.
A not-for-profit membership organisation representing companies involved in property ownership and investment.
The devolved regional governance body of London.
Registering the ownership of land and property in England and Wales.
Working to find and drive the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy.
The planning authority for the area around and including Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The UK Government department for housing, communities and local government in England.
A forum for city architecture.
The national mapping agency for Great Britain.
Enforcing global standards through qualified professionals across the built and natural environment.
Running the day-to-day operation of the capital's public transport network and managing London's main roads.
A not-for-profit membership organisation driving the digital transformation agenda within the property industry.
Use the filters in the map to discover the city's ecosystem.
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