Sumant Sridharan

Proud to support Esusu as it enters its next phase of growth with a new $50M Series C fundraise! Wemimo Abbey, Samir Goel and team continue to lead the industry in credit building and economic mobility for millions of renters nationwide. Esusu (Founder Institute San Francisco portfolio company) is setting a new standard for combining economic and societal impact. By helping renters get credit (literally) for paying their rent on time, they are increasing financial access and empowering more people to become homeowners - in fact, they have already empowered over $30BN in new mortgages from renters across their system. I'm especially excited about how they plan to leverage their massive dataset to create even more impact. By making rental payment data a more prominent feature in mortgage underwriting, Esusu will be able to increase the number of people that can buy homes and build generational wealth. This is a truly inspiring company 🙌 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/guUKsGtY

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🏢➡🏘 Why Tech Can Make or Break Office-to-Residential Conversions Office-to-resi conversions are everywhere right now—and for good reason. With commercial vacancy still high and housing demand rising, it feels like a win-win. But there’s a catch. Too many teams treat these conversions as purely architectural or financial challenges. They overlook the silent deal-breaker: technology infrastructure. Here’s where we see projects get into trouble: 🚫 Outdated Backbone Office buildings often come with aging, fragmented cabling and legacy systems that can’t support modern residential expectations—like fast, reliable internet in every unit, integrated access control, or smart climate control. 🧱 Inflexible Floor Plates Large, deep office floor plates create hard-to-serve zones for HVAC, Wi-Fi, and daylighting. Without tech-forward thinking, you end up with costly retrofits or compromised tenant experiences. 😬 Poor User Experience Today’s residents expect hospitality-grade digital experiences: mobile entry, digital concierge, fast streaming, personalized control over their environment. If those aren’t planned for upstream, they become expensive (and often patchy) bolt-ons. The fix? Bring tech strategy to the table early. Too often, tech is scoped late—after layout, MEP, and GC conversations have locked in decisions that limit your options. The cost of retrofitting is always higher than getting it right from the start. At Layer 10, we lead with a simple principle: Design-first. Human-centric. Product-agnostic. We don’t sell gear. We shape experiences. If you’re planning or considering a conversion, ask yourself: 👉 Have we planned for the experience the end user actually expects? 👉 Will our infrastructure support the future—not just the final inspection? Because in conversions, technology isn’t a line item. It’s the foundation of livability. — Want to explore what it means to get this right before you break ground? 🔗 Let’s talk: https://lnkd.in/gFWEjHTB #CRE #AdaptiveReuse #OfficeToResidential #SmartBuildings #TechnologyStrategy #Layer10 #BuildSmarter #PropTech #MultifamilyTech #FutureOfLiving #AEC

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Our multifamily partners want good and accurate data to make daily decisions that have real impact on their business. Excited about the next step in our collaboration with Moody's Corporation, expanding on the partnership we launched last year to bring their property and market analytics directly into Zillow’s tools. It’s a great opportunity to give Zillow Rentals partners even deeper visibility into rent trends, vacancy rates, portfolio performance, Zillow Research data and much more, all in one place, easy to access, and easy to use. It’s another step toward empowering our partners with faster, easier access to the insights that matter most. Excited to see what our team and Moody’s build together as we get ready to roll this out early next year! Read more in the announcement linked below. https://lnkd.in/gPuq2EKE 

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As we navigate the complexities of the current housing crisis, Zillow’s CEO Jeremy Wacksman shares valuable insights on how the company is adapting and evolving. From its origins as a simple app providing real estate listings to a comprehensive platform for buying, selling, and renting, Zillow is committed to enhancing transparency and accessibility in real estate transactions. The integration of AI and a focus on improving user experience are central to this mission. The future of real estate is not just about listings; it's about creating a seamless journey for buyers and sellers. By leveraging technology, Zillow aims to empower agents and consumers alike, ensuring that everyone involved in the real estate process feels informed and in control. As Wacksman emphasizes, it’s a fascinating time to witness how innovation can reshape an industry traditionally marked by complexity and local nuances. Key Insight: Zillow is transitioning from a listing service to an integrated platform that prioritizes transparency, efficiency, and user experience in real estate transactions. #RealEstate #Innovation #Zillow #HousingCrisis #AI #RealEstate #Innovation #Zillow #HousingCrisis #AI https://lnkd.in/epcWBCg8

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Milestone Partnership: Castle Lanterra Leads the Way in Leasing Innovation I'm very excited 😅 to announce a major step forward in our mission to modernize leasing: **Castle Lanterra**, one of the most innovation-driven names in the multifamily industry, is now partnering with us to deploy our lead pre-screening scoring technology. A special thanks to Elie Rieder, CEO of Castle Lanterra, whose time and attention in evaluating our solution was truly an honor, and to Ryan Matthew Russo, Director of Marketing, for championing this collaboration. Our technology is designed to help leasing teams: * Prioritize qualified leads faster * Improve response times * Boost conversion rates — without extra effort * Reduce fraud risk — better-scored leads are less likely to be fraudulent In an industry where application fraud continues to grow, partnering with such a visionary real estate team is more than a vote of confidence — it’s a shared commitment to building a smarter, safer, and more efficient leasing process. We’re especially proud to note that **Castle Lanterra is the first to adopt** this solution — a strategic move that positions them at the forefront of data-driven leasing. This is a big moment for us… and it’s only the beginning. If you're in multifamily leasing and looking to reduce friction — and risk — in your leasing funnel, let's talk. #PropTech #Multifamily #LeadScoring #CastleLanterra #RealEstateTech #FraudPrevention

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We are excited to announce our investment in Mave, led by founder & CEO Raz Zohar. Mave leverages AI to enable residential real estate agents to profitably scale their businesses. The company is starting with the marketing vertical and will later expand to other areas of real estate administration. The company’s AI agent enables real estate agents to automate tailored marketing, create custom content, and have timely, proprietary market data at their fingertips. We are thrilled to be working with the entire Mave team including Raz, Jessica Lawton-Bonello, Yarin Sekler, CPA, and Maksym M., and to be joining other investors including Alex Norman, Alex Baker, Yishay Waxman, and Stephanie Wood. https://lnkd.in/gwrKHiGj

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Excellent reporting from Allison Pohle of the The Wall Street Journal this week on Airbnb's launch of services https://lnkd.in/dJ33Dbpw. By waiting a couple of months after the launch, she was able to pick up some of the nuance and host feedback around the release, like how allowing smaller operators to offer services to guests has a clear upside, which could ultimately drive more bookings to short-term rentals over time. "Charging extra at vacation rentals for perks like bike rentals or fridge-stocking isn’t new. But the option hasn’t been as available to smaller operators who rely on platforms like Airbnb to drive bookings, says Jamie Lane, chief economist of market-research firm AirDNA." But is it worth the added risk and liability without compensating the host for allowing these services to be hosted in their listings? "Some hosts, Lane says, worry about the added liability that comes from a third-party provider entering the space. Airbnb says it vets service providers for quality and reputation as well as requiring them to submit licenses and credentials before letting them on the platform. "

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The 2026 occupancy outlook is looking... better! Last week, we released the quarterly Campspot Data Dig (link in comments), packed with national and regional booking data from over 3k campgrounds-- making it likely the most comprehensive data set in outdoor travel. Our belief is that by sharing it broadly, we can help our entire industry thrive. Many thanks to my colleagues Jonathan and Michelle and others for helping this vision come to fruition! In this quarter's Data Dig, I was struck by a few trends in particular: 1. 2025 is shaping up to be another down occupancy year... but declines are much less steep than in 2024, and importantly, we're finally seeing signs of occupancy growth on the horizon 2. When we look at transient (short-term bookings) in particular, booking window continues to compress. Camping is increasingly becoming a spur-of-the-moment activity, with nearly 1 in 5 bookings happening within 2 days of arrival 3. Some regional differences: Pacific Northwest maintained flat occupancy in Q3 with some ADR growth, while the Frontier Region (CO, MT, UT, etc.) saw steep declines 4. Average daily rate, as usual, has inverse correlation with occupancy-- it's up this year, but pacing down during peak season of 2026 To my industry partners-- how does this line up with what you're seeing? Are you feeling optimistic about 2026?

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The early bird gets the data VRNation ! Jamie Lane shared news about supply growth in vacation rental markets at 1.9%, which is the slowest it’s been in years. Hotels are crushing STRs right now in Urban markets but overall the market is outperforming hotels. Summer is up a percent for destination markets. Cities are another story. Lead times are down across the board. People were booking 75 days in advance for coastal markets and are now back to Covid timing - about 2 to 4 weeks out. People are booking larger homes as a way to save money. There is a 50/50 chance of going into a recession based on the most recent macroeconomic data. We are almost at the level of uncertainty that we were during Covid. “I truly believe we can get through this.” - Jamie, who has been tracking travel data for 15 years. Occupancy is slightly positive. Healthy Revpar growth is also expected. This presentation is available upon request. 🙌

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San Francisco's office market might be down... but it's definitely not out. Between the return-to-office push and the surge of AI startups, demand for space is starting to heat up again. At some locations, AI companies already make up over half the tenants. We're also seeing more movement across the Bay, with flexible workspaces reporting real upticks in bookings. Vacancy rates are still high, but the energy feels different—like the city is figuring out what the next version of "work" looks like. Is this the start of SF's next chapter? #SanFrancisco #OfficeSpace #AI #ReturnToOffice

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🏙️San Francisco Tech Tenants Are Thinking Ahead Proud to contribute to The Real Deal’s recent piece on how well-capitalized tech and AI firms are leveraging today’s tenant-favorable market in San Francisco. We’re seeing forward-thinking companies — especially those with strong balance sheets or fresh funding — securing more space than they need today, locking in long-term value with flexible terms, turnkey buildouts, and extended concessions. These are strategic bets on future growth — and smart hedges against future rent hikes and tightening supply. 📍 A great example: Databricks’ 150,000 SF lease at One Sansome — a bold move that highlights this trend. The bottom line? While the broader market is still adjusting, this kind of activity reflects a quiet confidence in San Francisco’s role in the next wave of tech innovation — especially in AI. If you’re navigating space decisions in this market, happy to share insights from the front lines. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gUsVJf-P #CommercialRealEstate #SanFrancisco #TechLeasing #AI #OfficeMarket #CRE #Proptech #TenantRepresentation #FutureOfWork #Colliers

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The latest research from Avail, by Realtor.com shows 17% of all independent landlords entered the market just last year. If you’re one of them, here is the "Founder’s Perspective" on moving from homeowner to CEO of your own rental: - Mindset Shift: Your "home" is now a "unit." Standardize maintenance and detach emotionally. - Screening is Priority #1: You aren't looking for a "nice person"; you’re looking for a qualified tenant who protects your equity. - Price for Velocity: In high-supply markets, a $50 rent cut is cheaper than a 30-day vacancy. Check out the data behind the trend: https://lnkd.in/gz_-URWp

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