HqO Raises $60M in Series C Funding to Power the Tenant Experience for Modern Office Environments

PUBLICATION: GLOBE NEWSWIRE 

New funding from the world’s top commercial real estate investors follows record-breaking growth and demand

BOSTON, April 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HqO, the only tenant experience operating system for commercial office buildings, today announced it raised $60M in Series C funding from leading venture capital and commercial real estate firms. Previous investors AccompliceInsight PartnersJLL SparkNavitas CapitalDivcoWestAllegion Ventures, and The Pagliuca Family Office participated in the round, joining new investors PruVen CapitalCushman & Wakefield, and Suffolk Capital. The company has raised $106.9M to date, and will use the funds to support its rapid growth. As HqO continues to scale, it will expand its existing footprints in Boston, New York City, London, and Paris, as well as open new offices in Toronto and the Midwest and West Coast regions of the United States.

HqO is the undisputed leader in tenant experience technology with more than 150M square feet under management. The company tripled its revenue in the past 12 months and doubled its headcount. The new financing will further accelerate HqO’s growth initiatives and continue the company’s commitment to its world-class product through research and development, as well as support future mergers and acquisitions… READ MORE

Big landlords invest $60M in “tenant experience” startup HqO

PUBLICATION: THE REAL DEAL

Cushman & Wakefield, JLL among investors

Commercial real estate firms Cushman & Wakefield, JLL and DivcoWest are betting on a “tenant experience” startup to help get workers back to their offices.

Boston-based HqO said Wednesday that it closed a $60 million Series C. Cushman was a new investor in the company, along with Suffolk Capital and PruVen Capital. Prior backers JLL, DivcoWest, Accomplice, Insight Partners, Navitas Capital, Allegion Ventures and the Pagliuca family office also participated. The round brings HqO’s total funding to $106.9 million.

HqO was founded in 2018 by Kevin McCarthy, Chase Garbarino and Greg Gomer, who previously started AmericanInno, a digital events business acquired by Advance Publications in 2015.

HqO’s software platform gives landlords the ability to manage tenant-facing tech and amenities in one place. It also has a tenant app, analytics tool and marketplace.

In a statement, Garbarino, HqO’s CEO, said the round comes with strategic partnerships with commercial real estate players. That network will set up HqO “for unprecedented growth as the world returns to offices,” he added. READ MORE

Kettner & Ash: A Monolithic Digital Art Installation Wins Muse Design Award

Kettner & Ash

StandardVision was engaged by clients Cushman & Wakefield and DivcoWest to create a monolithic digital art installation for the newly-renovated Kettner & Ash office development in the heart of San Diego’s historic Little Italy district. Along with a design-build solution of the 5 story high LED video wall, StandardVision produced custom artwork that captures the spirit of the development while paying homage to its iconic location. With the goal of integrating the installation to the building’s uniquely vertical atrium wall, StandardVision’s design & engineering team collaborated with architect….READ MORE & SEE VISUALS

Johnson & Johnson-owned medical robotics company has signed a lease for 76,000 square feet in San Jose

170 Baytech San Jose

Publication: Silicon Valley Business Journal

One of the Bay Area’s largest robotics companies is setting up shop in San Jose, its first outpost in the South Bay.

Johnson & Johnson-owned Auris Health Inc. has leased an entire office and research-and-development building in North San Jose, according to three real estate industry sources who said they were not allowed to talk about it publicly. The building, located at 170 Baytech Drive, totals 76,000 square feet and offers built-out office and lab space as well as “shell” space, which can be customized to suit a tenant’s specific needs,… READ MORE

The Biggest Funds Raised In 2020 Have $24B To Spend On Post-Pandemic Real Estate

Publication: Bisnow
By: Mike Phillips

 

Real estate sages like Blackstone’s Ken Caplan called it early in the downturn: Opportunities to pick up real estate bargains brought about by COVID-19 wouldn’t start to emerge until 2021. So 2020 was a good time to raise capital and get ready to invest.

Here are the seven biggest funds raised in 2020 looking to invest in North America, … read more

Fenwick Represents Metropolis in $41 Million Series A Financing

PUBLICATION: FENWICK

Fenwick represented Metropolis, an AI and computer vision startup built to modernize parking and empower the future of mobility, in its $41 million Series A financing. The round was led by 3L Capital with participation from 01 Advisors, Dragoneer Investment Group and Slow Ventures, as well as investments from real estate managers Starwood, RXR Realty and DivcoWest, and individual investor Dan Doctoroff.

This round brings Metropolis’ total investments to more than $60 million. More information can be obtained from the company’s announcementREAD MORE

DivcoWest Celebrates Topping Off the Future Home of Bristol Myers Squibb at Cambridge Crossing

Somerville, MA, (February 3, 2020) – DivcoWest, joined by construction manager John Moriarty and Associates, recently celebrated the topping off of 250 Water Street in Cambridge Crossing (CX), the new 43-acre neighborhood under construction at the intersection of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston. The brand new 480,000 square-foot state-of-the-art science and technology building will be home to global biopharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY).

250 Water Street is a 480,000 square-foot, nine-story life science building with ground floor retail and adjacency to ample green space. The building is a beacon upon entrance to CX via North First Street with its nine-story corner. For flexibility of tenancy, the life science focused building is designed with minimal interior columns to provide efficiently planned space for a variety of tenant sizes. Its 15-foot floor-to-floor height and average floor plate of 56,000 square-feet offer a spacious setting well-suited to a wide array of research-focused areas. DivcoWest anticipates the building’s delivery to occur in the first quarter of 2022.

Designed by Jacobs Consultants, 250 Water Street demonstrates DivcoWest’s commitment to sustainability and employs several state-of-the-art green features including LEED Silver, WiredScore Platinum, and WELL Platinum certifications. Complimenting the building’s superior access and proximity to two MBTA subway stops (Lechmere on the Green Line and Community College on the Orange Line), will be a large bike storage facility with lockers and showers, and three below-grade parking levels equipped with EV charging stations.

“250 Water St. will introduce another world-class research facility to Cambridge Crossing and we are thrilled that this key milestone brings us one step closer to welcoming global leader Bristol Myers Squibb,” said Mark Roopenian, Managing Director at DivcoWest. “We are grateful to the dedicated women and men working everyday onsite to bring CX’s innovation hub to life, and we look forward to serving as a home where critical breakthroughs happen in years to come.”

Announced in August 2020 and the largest lease completed in the Greater Boston area during 2020, Bristol Myers Squibb’s 360,000 square-foot lease at 250 Water Street elevates CX and Somerville as a life science destination and adds to the growing list of forward-thinking leaders who will call this new neighborhood home. At CX, Sanofi will soon occupy both 350 and 450 Water Street, while Philips North America and neuroscience-focused life science company Cerevel Therapeutics both currently reside at 222 Jacobs Street. Remaining science and technology space at CX includes 110,000 square-feet at 250 Water Street and 600,000 square-feet in two future buildings, one of which, 441 Morgan Avenue, a 375,000 square-foot science building, is scheduled to break ground this spring. The amount of commercial space leased and preleased at CX is approximately 1.7 million square-feet.

With close proximity to Kendall Square, MIT and Harvard, CX is a thoughtfully-designed, vibrant neighborhood and will be a dynamic life-science hub that inspires collaboration, innovation and connection. Once complete, the community will provide a one-of-a-kind place for employees, residents and neighbors connected to two MBTA stations and surrounded by 11 acres of open space, an eclectic food scene, neighborhood retail, and more than 2,400 residences in addition to the already 2,500 residences in close proximity.

For more information and updates on CX, visit www.cambridgecrossing.com, or follow @CXCambridge on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

 

About Cambridge Crossing

Cambridge Crossing (CX) is a 43-acre, 4.5 million-square-foot transit-oriented neighborhood located at the intersection of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston. Once complete, CX will offer 2.1 million-square-feet of state-of-the-art science and technology space, 2.4 million-square-feet of residential space that includes approximately 2,400 new units, and 100,000 square-feet of local and authentic retail for the community to enjoy. Eleven acres of activated open public and green space, including a central common, will benefit the thousands of incoming employees, residents, and neighbors adding to the vibrant and innovative East Cambridge and Kendall Square communities. The multiple modes of transportation including two MBTA lines will provide ease of access. Developed by DivcoWest and designed by a renowned team of local architects, CX buildings are/ will be LEED, WELL and Wired certified, while the neighborhood as a whole is pursuing Envision, SITES, WELL Community and Wired Neighborhood certification (CX will be the second Wired Certified Neighborhood in the country, providing seamless connectivity).

INOVA announces winners and exhibit in community artists’ campaign

Publication: This Is Reno
By: Abbi Agency

NOVA Luxury Apartments at the Summit, the new apartment homes in South Reno geared toward creativity and a spirit of collaboration, has named winners of The Art of Innovation, and will initially display the works at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport starting January 25th. INOVA was proud to introduce … read more

 

DivcoWest Tops Off Sanofi’s U.S. Research Headquarters at Cambridge Crossing

 

Cambridge, MA, (December 29, 2020) – DivcoWest, joined by construction partners John Moriarty and Associates and Consigli Construction, recently celebrated the topping off of two major parcels, 350 Water Street and 450 Water Street, in Cambridge Crossing (CX), the new 45-acre neighborhood under construction at the intersection of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston. The brand-new state-of-the-art buildings will be home to global biopharmaceutical leader Sanofi and will be the company’s U.S. research headquarters with a consolidated workforce of nearly 3,000 employees.

“The topping off milestones of these two buildings are a huge achievement at Cambridge Crossing and are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team. These milestones signify tremendous progress at the site during what has been an unprecedented year,” said Mark Roopenian, Managing Director at DivcoWest. “Now more than ever, we are committed to our goal of creating an interconnected ecosystem at CX in which innovative leaders in science and technology, like Sanofi, can create cutting-edge solutions to major healthcare issues impacting the world. This is a tremendous way to cap off 2020 and we are grateful to all the men and women on the site who’ve helped get us here.”

Designed by Perkins & Will, 350 Water Street will be a 501,000 SF state-of-the-art lab building  and 450 Water Street will be a 405,000 SF contemporary office building, designed by NBBJ. The buildings are designed with a focus on sustainability and will incorporate architectural elements and infrastructure that minimizes their impact on the environment such as solar shading fins to reduce heat gain and energy usage and a highly efficient chilled beam system. LEED Gold certifications are being sought at both buildings as well as Wired Score and WELL certifications.

Currently, there are as many as 350 workers every day across Sanofi’s two sites, using over 13,000 tons of structural steel combined. In September 2019, CX made history with its concrete pour at 350 Water Street – it was the largest continuous pour ever completed in the greater Boston region and included more than 800 truck loads of concrete.

Approximately 1.7 million square-feet of commercial space is leased and preleased at CX. In addition to Sanofi, Bristol Myers Squibb has signed a lease for 360,000 SF at 250 Water Street joining Philips North America and Cerevel Therapeutics, which currently occupy 435,000 SF at 222 Jacobs Street.  Remaining science and technology space at CX includes 110,000 SF at 250 Water Street and 600,000 SF in two future buildings. CX’s first residential building broke ground in early 2020 and its first retail building, The Shed, recently opened with Chef Will Gilson’s restaurants The Lexington and Café Beatrice.

With close proximity to Kendall Square, MIT and Harvard, the life science community at CX is a thoughtfully designed, vibrant neighborhood that inspires collaboration, innovation and connection. Once complete, the community will provide a one-of-a-kind place for employees, residents and neighbors connected to two MBTA stations and surrounded by 11 acres of open space, an eclectic food scene, neighborhood retail, and more than 2,400 residences in addition to the already 2500 residences in close proximity.

For more information and updates on CX, visit www.cambridgecrossing.com, or follow along on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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About Cambridge Crossing
Cambridge Crossing (CX) is a 43-acre, 4.5 million-square-foot transit-oriented neighborhood located at the intersection of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston. Once complete, CX will offer 2.1 million-square-feet of state-of-the-art science and technology space, 2.4 million-square-feet of residential space that includes approximately 2,400 new units, and 100,000 square-feet of local and authentic retail for the community to enjoy. Eleven acres of activated open public and green space, including a central common, will benefit the thousands of incoming employees, residents, and neighbors adding to the vibrant and innovative East Cambridge and Kendall Square communities. The multiple modes of transportation including two MBTA lines will provide ease of access. Developed by DivcoWest and designed by a renowned team of local architects, CX buildings and the neighborhood as a whole will be LEED and WELL certified.  CX will be the second Wired Score Certified Neighborhood development in the country, providing seamless connectivity. For more information and updates, please visit www.cambridgecrossing.com, and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.