Yao Morin (left) and Raj Singh.
Yao Morin and Raj Singh
Chief technology officer at JLL; managing partner at JLL Spark
As JLL’s technology head, Yao Morin charts the brokerage’s course in giving real estate professionals access to the most up-to-date market mechanics so they can service their clients.
Morin is in charge of programs such as JLL’s buyer list, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to rank which investors are likely to buy individual properties in specific markets; DealX, a platform that consolidates the marketing and analytics data behind property sales; and the brokerage’s investor center, a global network aiming to streamline real estate acquisitions for international buyers and investors.
“I make critical decisions regarding our architecture and tech stack to ensure we maintain scalability and efficiency,” said Morin.
Under Morin’s direction, JLL has differentiated itself by acquiring smaller proptech firms and by investing in promising startups through a JLL venture capital fund. She noted that “this multifaceted approach” has helped differentiate the firm’s technology apparatus from other CRE brokerages.
To this end, JLL Spark Global Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of JLL that makes these investments possible. Led by Raj Singh, who joined the firm in 2021, JLL Spark deploys capital into a portfolio of 55 smaller companies, giving them the chance to grow globally and generate revenue at scale.
“Most proptech venture capitalists do not have access to the data and expertise of a Fortune 200 firm that combines an investor team driving our portfolio companies from idea to exit,” said Singh. “Venture capital skill set plus real estate expertise plus revenue distribution channels makes us unique in the proptech space.”
Singh noted that the entire startup industry within proptech stands to benefit from a partner with the size and global reach of a JLL.
“Startups are evolving from point features to more broad solution plays, which will enhance their attractiveness as vendors to the industry,” he said. “That evolution has taken longer than expected, but the green shoots we see now will likely turn into the major success stories we are all looking for.”
