Bridge Investment Group has launched a new strategy, Bridge Ventures, to expand into the PropTech market.
The company hired Jeremy Ford as chief investment officer of Bridge Ventures.
Bridge Ventures will focus on both early- and later-stage PropTech companies and expects to pursue investments in industry-leading PropTech funds.
”While the real estate industry has increased its adoption of technology solutions in the post-Pandemic era, U.S. investment and innovation in the sector still lags that of other industries (e.g., financial services, health care, and education) as a percent of its share of U.S. GDP. The growth of eCommerce, remote workplaces, ESG adoption, and the digitalization of real estate all contribute to this increased adoption as the PropTech market evolves,” said the company in a press release.
“We are extremely well-positioned to leverage our platform and extensive industry relationships to access and invest in PropTech companies and utilize their solutions,” explained Jeremy Ford, Chief Investment Officer of Bridge Ventures. “We see tremendous opportunities to deploy and scale new technologies through direct utilization in the Bridge portfolio, which we anticipate will serve as a catalyst for market adoption and value creation.”
Jeremy Ford joins Bridge Investment Group from REEF Technology, where he was Head of Property Strategy. Prior to REEF Technology, he held roles at BLG Capital Limited and The Carlyle Group. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, a Master of Business Administration from the Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and was a Fulbright Scholar in Spain.
“We are excited to have Jeremy Ford join Bridge as Chief Investment Officer of Bridge Ventures,” said Robert Morse, Executive Chairman of Bridge. “His 17-year tenure in the real estate industry brings valuable experience and leadership to the Bridge Ventures team as the company expands into the PropTech world.”
