JLL has plunged into the tech market bylaunching $100 million global venture fund JLLSpark. In the last nine months, the fund has invested in11 start-up concepts, including Honest Buildings, Jones, Humble andLively. At the CRETech Los Angeles conference this week,Andrea Jang, head of growth in the Americas at JLLSpark, spoke about JLL's commitment to CRE tech investment to fuelthe growth of technology in this industry and how start-ups shouldpartner with a strategic VC. “We are bridging real estate and techcompanies to help industries grow,” she said at the conference.

Jang highlighted four specific characteristics that techstart-ups should look for in a strategic venture fund that is agood fit for the business. The fund should “be hyper focused ongrowth, understand the business's core clients and how thoseclients operate, understand the product, and be able to take aproduct and disperse it through a client's organization.” Shereally emphasized that strategic venture capital funds should be atrue partner with a start-up and position the start-up forexpansion.