Strange Bedfellows: CBRE's Tighe, C&W's Falus Co-Invest in 3-D Technology.

NEW YORK CITY-In terms of technology investments, it’s a far cry from the flood of dollars that rushed into the tech sector from real estate a few years ago. Nevertheless, Tom Falus, Cushman & Wakefield’s president of strategic ventures, has cobbled together an 11-person investment group from seven different disciplines to fuel San Francisco-based Screampoint LLC–to the tune of $1 million. Interestingly, that group includes the leader of local rival CB Richard Ellis–Mary Ann Tighe. The other disciplines represented by the investors include venture capital and real estate development.

“Our mission is to improve the performance of our company for our clients,” Falus explains. “We look for innovation and new ways to do old things.” In terms of a competitor having an equal shot at those innovations, Falus says that, while there are other real estate disciplines represented in the investment group, Tighe is the only other involved in services. This limitation, he adds, was done by agreement with Screampoint president and co-founder Hsiao-Lai, who also insisted that all the investors be individuals rather than corporations.

Essentially, the company in which the pair has invested transforms project information into reusable 3-D digital assets. According to Falus, the technology allows 3-D visualizations of virtually any management project, including initial construction or redevelopment, maintenance and building management.

“What attracted me was the ability to render for potential tenants space that doesn’t yet exist in a way that even the most visibly challenged user can understand,” says Tighe, who is president and CEO of CBRE’s New York tri-state region. She adds that she is not concerned about sharing any competitive advantage. “In time, it will become a common tool for sophisticated developers. Any knowledgeable real estate service firm will be offering this.