On May 10, ULI San Francisco’s Young Leaders Group (YLG) sponsored a program highlighting emerging companies that are transforming the ways people live in and gain access to housing. Leaders from five innovative Bay Area companies, all under the age of 35, each introduced their companies and then sat together on a panel moderated by Lauren Krause, Co-Chair of the YLG Steering Committee and Senior Development Manager at Grosvenor Americas.

Zac Shore, Director of Development at Panoramic Interests, began by describing his company’s modular approach to multifamily development, which he said reduces construction costs by 40 percent and construction time by 50%. Panoramic controls costs by standardizing the size and design of its modules and by manufacturing them in China. Zac highlighted Panoramic’s MicroPAD, a 160-square foot (8’ X 20’) modular unit designed to house the homeless. The units are designed so that 17,000 could come over on one freight boat shipment.

Nikki Lowy, Director of Partnerships at Landed, highlighted the challenges faced by teachers struggling to afford housing near the communities where they teach. Landed provides teachers with downpayment assistance using funds raised within their communities, often from high net worth families interested in retaining good teachers at local schools. When a teacher sells their home, the investor shares in 25% of the investment gain or loss with Landed.

The panel also featured leaders from two co-living companies. Ben Provan is the Co-Founder of OpenDoor and Sterling Jawitz is the Head of Real Estate Strategic Partnerships at Common. Their companies create group residences where the residents live with roommates in efficiently designed multi-bedroom apartments and congregate in curated shared spaces designed to facilitate meaningful social interaction. Both companies are now focusing on developing purpose-built co-living buildings, while both started out using existing buildings and buildings owned by others. Both Ben and Sterling focused on how they are working to create a community that works for adults (rather than a dorm like vibe) where residents feel a deeper connection to their “roommates” and are not just watching Netflix in their rooms.

Rounding out the panel was Jon Kobs, CEO of ApartmentList, a platform that surveys renters’ preferences to connect them with available apartments that best meet their needs. A key aspect behind ApartmentsList, is the initial survey that one takes when entering the site. It asks a list a preference from neighborhoods and views to desired commute times and kitchen requirements and then asks the survey taker to rank which of these is most important to them. By allowing building owners to list their vacant apartments for free and charging only when a unit is leased, ApartmentList seeks to represent enough buildings within each of its markets to become a one-stop shop for apartment hunters.

The YLG would like to thank Interface for hosting the event at its San Francisco carpet showroom.

Event Recap by Emily Lesk, Project Manager at the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.