TELL US ABOUT YOUR RELA – TIONSHIP WITH INNOVATION . WHAT ENTICED YOU INTO THE TECHNOLOGY SPACE ?
I have always been passionate about technology and that is where I have built my career as an entrepreneur , product executive and angel investor . My roles in the tech industry prior to the launch of JLL Spark include vice president and general manager at Groupon . Previously I was the co-founder of Mob . ly ( subsequently acquired by Groupon ), and I also have Silicon Valley experience including early investment start-ups such as Uber .
Proptech was the obvious next step for me . Just as technology is transforming many traditional industries across the business world , such as transportation , the time is right to make change happen for real estate .
Having the opportunity to work with the most driven and ambitious entrepreneurs in the proptech space , whilst growing their companies and developing their ideas , is enhancing the real estate sector all the time . It is this tech innovation which is effectively giving us a glimpse into the future of real estate , which helps us to tailor our offering at JLL – and help develop the market – all for the benefit of the end user .
WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO INNOVATION ? ARE THERE ANY DO ’ S OR DON ’ TS IN YOUR OPINION ?
I think innovation is all about the potential that technology has to transform the world as we know it . When looking at a truly transformative product or idea , there are three key characteristics you ’ ll find : the magic to thrill the user / consumer and an entire industry , quantifiable value , and scalability of the business model , technology platform and its deployment .
Mihir Shah , Co-CEO , JLL Spark
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