In our latest investor feature, JLL Spark Partner Laurent Grill shares how his experience as an entrepreneur directly influences his approach to evaluating and supporting startups. What does he look for in a company? What differentiates one startup from the next?
Corporate real estate management is undergoing a major shift. The pressure to manage real estate portfolios and workplaces in a more agile and cost-effective manner, without sacrificing user experience, is driving this change. Arnaud Bouzinac, JLL Spark Growth Principal based in EMEA, explains how technology plays a critical role in enabling this new paradigm.
For decades, data centers quietly powered the digital world behind the scenes. That era is over. As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms industries and infrastructure, these once-hidden facilities are becoming central to the conversation. In 2025, the focus is no longer on simply expanding data centers but on reimagining them from the ground up.
Continuing our JLL Spark investor series, we are pleased to deliver insights on CRE-focused venture capital from Investment Principal Ajey Kaushal, who brings a wealth of knowledge and humor to his deals. What are the key metrics he uses when evaluating startups? How does the JLL Spark business model enable growth for our portfolio companies?
JLL Spark’s investment in qbiq was a statement that the future of real estate decision-making belongs to those who can bring clarity, speed, and scalability to commercial real estate. qbiq Co-founder and CEO Leeor Solnik shares his company’s journey from ideation to industry disruptor. With its partnership with JLL Spark, qbiq is fast becoming an industry standard for real estate deals.
Property management, the oversight and administration of real estate assets, is undergoing a profound transformation driven by technological advancements. This shift is not only improving operational efficiency but also enhancing the experience for all stakeholders involved in the real estate ecosystem.
We are pleased to introduce our newest team member Erlinda Arriola! She joined JLL Spark in December 2024 with an extensive and diverse background in VC investing. Erlinda’s experience lends to a unique perspective and a seasoned approach to sealing a deal for the JLL Spark fund.
Our philosophy at JLL Spark remains steadfast as we enter 2025: to deliver cutting-edge, tech-enabled innovation to the CRE industry. As macro trends dominating the real estate industry all point to the absolute necessity of technology deployment, JLL Spark intends to expand our investments in these areas, including tech to compensate for the lack of skilled personnel, solutions to navigate headwinds from return to work strategies, and how to handle the growing concentration of asset ownership.
In the spirit of forecasting (or manifesting) what the new year will bring, the JLL Spark team compiled their predictions on CRE themes for the year ahead. The top trends identified were sustainability, data center growth, a rebound in the CRE landscape, and – last, but not least – AI.
