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Genesis
District Technologies is the brainchild
of Vanessa Butz and Patrick Morselli.
There is impressive pedigree here.
Among other ventures, Vanessa
launched Factory in Berlin and founded
Interchange in Camden. Meanwhile
Patrick was Head of Global Expansion
at WeWork, and previously Uber.
‘We founded District as a solution
to the increasing threat that landlords
face of becoming low margin profit
providers to the WeWork’s of the
world. In addition we see increasing
demands from both small companies
and large occupiers around building
services and office experiences’, says
Butz who was recently nominated for
the EG Rising Stars Award 2017.
This allows
landlords to
increase their
customers’
awareness
of the value
that they are
providing
which in turn
can lead to
the creation
of brand
loyalty and
ultimately,
stickier
income
Rent to Relationships
The aim of the business is to help
landlords to move from ‘rent
to relationship’. The vehicle for
achieving this is a mobile app that
‘connects users in the building with
the things they love’, centered on
the users working experience, the
platform is multi-faceted. At its heart
is the creation of a digitally linked
community, providing opportunities
for networking, events and education.
It also serves as a medium to buy
services, food and drinks, manage
the allocation and booking of space,
control ambient conditions, and
provide powerful data on building
utilisation. The platform is not
just technology, but also human.
District initially provides deployment
managers in the set up phase to
support landlords and tenants with
onboarding the app and help them to
connect with each other.
How does it help?
‘Occupiers are no longer satisfied
with forcing their visitors to queue at
reception and then have their name
written down on a piece of paper
just to enter the building. That’s five
minutes of every meeting that you
never get back – imagine the months
of your life wasted!’
‘It is the amenities as much as
the location of building which drive
talent retention. We like to say that
District creates ‘vertical footfall’
by connecting retail tenants to the
office occupiers upstairs through
the platform allowing users to order
lunch, laundry or a yoga class and pay
for it with the click of a button, even
if the building is lacking amenities.
Do you really need to invest in a large
gym in your building if there is one
just around the corner?’
‘Last but not least, the amount
of tenants in large buildings or
campuses who do not know their
neighbour companies is staggering.
One of our partners recently
told me that they were clients of
another company for over a year
before they realised they were in
the same building! Why should
only small companies benefit from
information exchange, synergies and
business opportunities in co-working
spaces? We believe that connecting
communities (no matter how different
they are) will be a commercial
imperative for landlords looking
forwards’.
Client proposition
In a nutshell, District ‘upgrades real
estate assets into supercharged
connected communities’ allowing
people to work more efficiently and
more effectively.
Fundamentally, the District name
stays in the background, allowing
landlords to create a bespoke brand
for their buildings. This allows
landlords to increase their customers’
awareness of the value that they are
providing which in turn can lead to
the creation of brand loyalty and
ultimately, stickier income. And it
seems to be working. ‘In a short time,
we have built up a strong client base
of progressive landlords who see the
value in what we’re proposing such as
Enjoy-Work here at the 9,000 person
Chiswick Park. The next year is going
to be exciting!’
Final Thought
The absolute focus on the end user
– from providing an outstanding
experience to lease flexibility –
perhaps represents the greatest
legacy of co-working on the
commercial market and it is forcing
all property owners to raise their
game and create points of difference.
Having seen first-hand how
consistently engaged London’s
property owners have been to
the District proposition I am more
convinced than ever at the scale of
the potential for growth in this space.
If the technology and content is on
point then the users will adopt it and
become engaged with their building,
their neighbours and perhaps even
their landlord! At a time of such
change and intense competition, the
opportunity to get closer to your rent-
paying customers can surely only be
a good thing for property owners.
Follow District Technologies: @get_district
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