Foreign Investors Make S.F. Tech Connection
CORFAC International companies from London, S.F., and Silicon Valley brushed shoulders with TRI Commercial last week to scope out potential biz with Bay Area tech companies. Above, Barry Bram (left) of TRI Commercial’s S.F. office chats with Rob Rooney of Farebrother/CORFAC International in London (we wonder if they're deciding which city's got worse fog). Rob and colleague Jack Knivett spent the past few months researching how Bay Area VC dollars and tech companies are driving the real estate biz.
TRI prez Tom Martindale (foreground) says though outward signs remain bullish for the tech sector, it's becoming increasingly clear that some people are beginning to question how much longer this cycle could possibly continue. In S.F., it seems we've blown through the previous rental rate ceiling of the dot-com days with respect to “creative space” and are now in uncharted waters, he says. The approach now is to wring as much deal volume as possible from the current wave, he adds.
Above, Jack, Tom and Rob at a City Club lunch with Tom Byrne, prez and COO of LoopNet at the time of its acquisition by CoStar. Tom Byrne chatted about potential tech tenant opportunities from the VC perspective and how to incorporate emerging technologies to differentiate independent CRE firms from the major international platforms. London's eastern area of the city, dubbed “Silicon Roundabout,” is filled with locally grown digital, tech, and media companies, and just welcomed Google’s Campus initiative and Cisco’s new innovation center.
