Tag: Plattform

City Pop: New app for microliving

City Pop combines the need for microliving apartments with social living. This is how City Pop differs significantly from other microliving providers. «Our app should meet the needs of our guests and meet the requirements for sustainable living. All services relevant to everyday life can be accessed centrally in one place and are easy to use. We also want to provide tenants with an uncomplicated platform on which they can network and exchange ideas. The aim is to create a real community that helps new tenants to integrate into the respective city, ”explains Manuel Sassella, CEO of City Pop.
Innovation and flexibility
The app is the heart of City Pop and the key to the City Pop apartments and the associated services. For example, the apartment can be viewed autonomously before booking. A time slot can be reserved via the app during which individual access to the apartment is possible. Booking and management of the rental agreement for the apartment, ancillary rooms and services are also carried out directly via the app. City Pop confirms the conclusion of the contract in just under 30 minutes and unlocks the virtual house key. «Last year we focused on creating a new and leaner user interface – using solid, secure and scalable technologies. A brand new, engaging and interactive experience that adapts to the needs of our guests, not the other way around. The focus is on innovation and maximum flexibility, ”says Alex Sassella, City Pop's Chief Technology Officer and responsible for the development of the app. The experiences and needs of the guests are continuously integrated into the further development of the entire City Pop concept via the app's feedback functions and thus also flow into the future design of the houses and apartments.
Community idea in the foreground
In addition to the additional services such as laundry and cleaning service, delivery service or car and bike sharing, the app also offers "house chat" – the opportunity to easily get in touch with neighbors, to meet up and exchange ideas. The “Around you” column shows what offers and activities are available in the area. City Pop's social living concept includes not only virtual, but also physical spaces that are intended to promote exchange, such as common rooms for events and coworking spaces.
City Pop is expanding nationally and internationally
City Pop is the first provider in Switzerland to have developed a holistic microliving concept in which living space, innovative technology and social community ideas go hand in hand. The implementation takes place at national and international level. In Switzerland, the Swiss company offers apartments in Zurich and Lugano. The occupancy rate in the apartments is over 98% on average. Further projects in Lausanne, Zurich, Geneva and Basel are under construction and will be ready for occupancy over the next two years. In addition, City Pop took over around 1,300 apartments in Switzerland and Europe last year, which are currently being converted in accordance with the City Pop concept. Including cities like Milan, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Dublin, Berlin, Frankfurt and Prague. City Pop aims to operate 15,000 apartments in 57 major European cities by 2025.
Further information on City Pop's innovative living concept is available at: www.citypop.com
Download the app from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store

June 2021
Federal government plans platform for major foreign projects

The federal government wants to help Swiss companies to get better contracts in connection with infrastructure projects. To this end, at the end of 2019 it decided to set up a coordination office at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs ( SECO ).
According to a statement , the Federal Council is now making a total of 7.8 million francs available for the years 2022 to 2024. The aim is to strengthen and expand the networking of actors such as the official foreign trade promoter Switzerland Global Enterprise , export risk insurance SERV and other federal agencies and interested business associations.
The federal government is also planning a digital platform that will bring together the supply and demand for infrastructure projects abroad. SERV should also target general contractors and project sponsors who might be interested in Swiss suppliers.
The federal government also assumes that the expansion of the infrastructure will increase the demand for innovative solutions for sustainable development. Therefore, employees of the external network are to receive more advanced training in the area of cleantech.

April 2021
Homes are still in demand

The home market continues to grow even during the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In the four most liquid market regions in Switzerland, prices rose by an average of 3.7 percent in 2020 to an average of 1.3 million francs, explains homegate.ch in a statement on the current Home Market Price Analysis. It is created annually by the digital real estate marketplace from TX Group in cooperation with the Swiss Real Estate Institute of the Zurich School of Economics ( HWZ ).

The study analyzes the development of purchase prices and transactions for single-family houses and condominiums in the regions of Zurich, northwestern Switzerland, Bern and Lake Geneva. The prices for single-family homes rose in all four market regions last year, the press release explains. The most significant price increase was observed in the Lake Geneva region, at 4.1 percent. The lowest price increases of 1.6 percent were in the Zurich region. The number of transactions in the single-family home market increased by 3.1 percent year-on-year.

For condominiums, the analysts identified price increases of between 3 and 4 percent in three of the four regions examined. In the Lake Geneva region, on the other hand, prices fell by 2 percent year-on-year. On average, the prices for condominiums rose by 0.5 percent to 850,000 francs in the year under review. The number of transactions in the condominium market increased by 2 percent in 2020.

In times of crisis, the flight into real assets is nothing new, Peter Ilg is quoted in the communication. The “ongoing boom” during the pandemic-induced recession is “astonishing” for him, says the head of the Swiss Real Estate Institute. As a background to the current developments, Ilg cites, on the one hand, the likely long-term low interest rates. On the other hand, "living in the times of Corona has become more important".

February 2021
Zühlke supports Adtrac with targeted outdoor advertising

Zühlke supports the Zurich start-up Adtrac . The aim of the cooperation is the development of a platform for the targeted control, changing content and tracking of digital outdoor advertising until it is ready for the market. According to a press release, the innovation service provider from Schlieren has been at Adtrac's side right from the start with advice and support for further development. This should make the platform ready for the market in a few months.

According to the media release, the idea of Adtrac is to transfer the advantages of the digital world into the classic principle of outdoor advertising. The sensors of the advertising displays should be used to play the most relevant content for the target group in front of the displays. This means that the offer on the advertising space can be adapted precisely for these viewers and their interests based on data about the respective target group. And the customer can follow the progress of his campaign online. According to Adtrac, the web-based campaign tool is used for this. Advertisers can use it to plan their campaigns themselves at any time, follow them live, optimize them and create evaluations.

"Thanks to Zühlke's expertise and the flexible and agile cooperation, we are now there with a market-ready and convincing product," Benjamin Wey, CEO of Adtrac, is quoted as saying. Adtrac was created as a joint venture between Advertima , Fortimo and SPAR , all based in St.Gallen.

After the initial launch on the market, the platform is to be continuously developed and supplemented with new functions.

February 2021
VolkerWessels invests in Parquery

Parquery has completed a successful financing round, according to a message on LinkedIn. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH ) was able to win the Dutch construction and plant engineering company VolkerWessels as an investor.

Parquery has developed software that analyzes images from street cameras in real time. This enables drivers to find out, for example, whether there are free parking spaces in their vicinity. The platform can also be used, for example, to analyze the flow of traffic in cities. Overall, it helps build smart cities.

With the fresh money, Parquery wants to strengthen its platform on the one hand in the area of intelligent parking. On the other hand, it is to be further developed for new solutions in the field of intelligent cities.

Parquery has also been working with Hyrde , a subsidiary of VolkerWessels, for a number of years. Hyrde uses the Parquery solution, for example, for security applications at airports and for intelligent mobility projects in cities.

February 2021
MoneyPark opens its real estate platform

MoneyPark's real estate platform is "consistently built on big data technology", explains the Zurich-based fintech company in a press release . According to her, MoneyPark has now activated theplatform for the general public. Originally what their use was reserved for MoneyPark customers.

Potential buyers or sellers as well as owners of a property can access detailed information about the desired property via the platform, is explained further in the communication. Buyers and sellers also have the opportunity to seek advice from MoneyPark's mortgage and real estate specialists. "The new platform is not only a milestone in MoneyPark's still young company history, but above all a huge gain in transparency for every property seeker, owner and seller", Stefan Heitmann, founder and CEO of MoneyPark, is quoted in the press release.

With its real estate platform, MoneyPark wants to bring "more movement into the Swiss real estate market, which has been static for decades and has not been very innovative," according to the announcement. The company started in 2012 with the aim of facilitating access to the real estate market. “With our new platform offering, we can reach out to our customers much sooner and much longer and help them to fulfill their dream of owning a home,” says Heitmann.

January 2021
UBS real estate platform integrates FinanceScout24

The key4 open real estate platform is intended to provide customers with all the services they need to purchase and manage their own home, explains UBS in a press release . Key4 offers, among other things, a management of the mortgages, where you can choose from the offers of different lenders for each tranche. This is "unique in Switzerland", writes UBS.

The big bank wants to expand its platform through strategic partnerships. The digital one-stop shop for finance and insurance topics , FinanceScout24, was the first financing broker to be won, UBS informs in the press release. "The partnership with FinanceScout24 is the next logical step in expanding our ecosystem and part of our long-term strategy to become the market leader in the platform business", Martha Böckenfeld, Head of Digital Platforms & Marketplaces, is quoted there.

In return, FinanceScout24 customers can use the full range of key4 products. "Through the cooperation with key4, we are expanding our portfolio with a strong partner and are now offering our users an even larger range of suitable financing solutions for their personal dream home", Jan Hinrichs, Managing Director of FinanceScout24, is quoted in the press release. The company is part of Scout24 Schweiz AG . Ringier AG and Mobiliar each hold half of the network of online marketplaces.

December 2020
Algorithm provides information on building applications

In Switzerland, the publication of planning applications is mandatory. According to smartconext , around 50,000 building applications are published every year. Many construction companies do their own research in order to win new customers. Due to the many different sources, the expenditure of time and money is disproportionately large.

The Zug-based start-up makes building applications easily accessible to small construction companies with its platform that was launched in June. With technologies such as Robotic Process Automation, existing information on building applications can be automatically recorded from all possible sources. Thanks to the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the data is processed.

Smartconext is now expanding its platform with a new interface solution. According to a media release , this enables a cross-platform exchange of information. For example, a heat pump manufacturer who is interested in new builds and conversions is only shown building applications that are suitable for him. What is unique is that all information is available in real time.

"Our mission is to drive the digitization of the construction industry forward," says Dominik Mahn, CEO and founder of smartconext. “We develop solutions that simplify processes, save costs and increase success,” he adds. According to Mahn, the company passes the resulting cost advantage on to customers.

October 2020
Houzy gewinnt die Baloise als Investorin

Die Baloise investiert laut einer Medienmitteilung in das Zürcher Proptech-Start-up Houzy. Damit will der Basler Versicherer sein Portfolio an innovativen Technologien rund um das Wohnen erweitern.

Houzy betreibt eine digitale Plattform, die Daten intelligent verknüpft und daraus Empfehlungen für Wohneigentümer ableitet. Sie kann beispielsweise errechnen, wann die Heizung saniert und wie viel Geld dafür auf die Seite gelegt werden soll. Sie kann Eigentümer aber auch mit passenden Partnern für den Unterhalt oder andere Aufgaben verknüpfen. Dabei zahlen die Anbieter eine Fixgebühr pro Jahr, um auf der Plattform gezeigt zu werden. Für die Nutzer ist die Plattform kostenlos.

Mit der Investition von Baloise schliesst Houzy eigenen Angaben zufolge seine Serie-A-Finanzierungsrunde ab. Im Rahmen der Runde habe das Start-up „mehrere Millionen“ Franken für das weitere Wachstum in der Schweiz gesammelt. Neben der Baloise konnte sich Houzy im Sommer auch eine Investition von der Zürcher Grossbank UBS sichern. Die Aktienmehrheit halten nach wie vor die Gründer.

„Wir haben gezielt Partner gesucht, die nicht nur in Houzy investieren, sondern als strategische Partner zu uns passen. Mit der Baloise und ihrem Home-Ökosystem werden zahlreiche Synergien entstehen, die unsere Entwicklung schneller vorantreiben, worauf wir uns alle sehr freuen“, sagt Stefan Schärer, CEO von Houzy.

October 2020
Houzy expands into western Switzerland

The Zurich-based start-up company Houzy operates a platform that intelligently links data and uses it to derive recommendations for homeowners. For example, it can be calculated there when the heating is to be renovated and how much money should be put aside for it. A property valuation is also part of the Houzy offer.

In the first two years since it was founded, the company focused primarily on product development, Houzy said in a press release. The company has already successfully established itself in German-speaking Switzerland and has increased the number of its users to more than 18,000. In addition, UBS only joined Houzy in July. The Zurich big bank operates its own digital real estate platform with key4 , on which mortgages for real estate buyers are brokered.

The next step for Houzy was the expansion into French-speaking Switzerland, the message continues. To this end, the company is now making all the services and functions of the platform available in French. The integration of Italian-speaking Switzerland is planned for the first quarter of next year.

September 2020
MoneyPark launches real estate platform

"We founded MoneyPark in 2012 with the aim of making the mortgage market more accessible and transparent for everyone," said Stefan Heitmann, CEO and founder of MoneyPark , in a message from the fintech company based in Pfäffikon SZ. MoneyPark now wants to bring this transparency to the real estate market as well. A mixture of technology and personal advice is intended to simplify the purchase and sale of real estate.

To this end, MoneyPark has developed a new platform on which buyers and sellers can be brought together. MoneyPark explains that the platform compares customers' search criteria with information on properties available on the market. Owners of a home can also track the value development of their own property. The platform, which is currently only available to MoneyPark customers, is to be opened up to other interested parties in the future.

The new digital offer is supplemented by personal advice from real estate experts from MoneyPark. "The combination of data technology and independent mortgage and real estate experts who support our customers every step of the way is unique on the Swiss market," says Heitmann. "The data accessible on the platform create a transparent customer experience with an unprecedented density of information and help make buying and selling decisions easier and easier to implement."

September 2020
Tenant platform shows data on electricity consumption

The Basel company Allthings offers a digital platform for tenants, via which they can communicate with property management and roommates, for example. Allthings is now teaming up with the Bern-based company Blockstrom , according to a press release . A solution from Blockstrom for measuring energy consumption in real time will be integrated into the Allthings platform. This means that tenants can also use the platform to track their electricity consumption.

"The interface between the two systems enables an overview of the consumption data in real time," explains David Gundlach, Product Manager at Allthings. “The cooperation with Blockstrom not only creates added value for the tenants, but also allows us to make a contribution to the very relevant topic of sustainability,” he adds.

The joint solution of the two companies is initially being tested as part of a pilot project on the Schöngrün residential area in the canton of Solothurn. There, AXA has converted a former penal institution into a housing estate. The new building with 160 apartments places a high value on sustainability. District heating from the waste incineration plant is used for heating. A solar system on the roof also provides 200,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The apartments and shops on the site are supplied with solar power as part of an association for self-consumption (ZEV).

August 2020