James Dearsley
Non-executive chairman and co-founder at Unissu
As proptech companies proliferate across the globe, Unissu wants to help.
Unissu is a platform that specializes in servicing property owners in the proptech sphere — everything from tracking building occupancy to analyzing air quality to sourcing sustainable development resources. James Dearsley had hoped to make it a one-stop shop for the commercial real estate industry when he started the company with Eddie Homes in 2019, and they appear to have succeeded.
“It was very clear that the property industry still hadn’t caught up [at the time],” Dearsley said. “It still wasn’t really clear that it was going to take on its own digital transformation journey. When I set up Unissu, it was very much about providing a scalable solution that would enable the property industry to go through its own journey rather than necessarily having to use a consultancy base.”
The pandemic threw that mission for a loop. Unissu quickly found its footing in digital events, though, Dearsley said. Unissu, then still in its growth stage, shifted into the events space after COVID-19 shuttered buildings, which Dearsley said helped generate some cash for the company and kept the real estate conference scene alive.
Dearsley, himself a well-known face around the proptech conference scene, plans to focus on conferences more now that he’s transitioned from his role as co-founder to a non-executive chairman post at the company.
“My only interest before and now is to help the industry go through a digital transformation journey,” Dearsley said. “Fortunately that supports what Unissu is doing as well.”
Dearsley says was excited to jump into his new role and is excited for the proptech industry at large, which he hoped would grow stronger in a market where funders are more scrutinous.
“I think it’s been a very free and easy capital market for many, many years,” Dearsley said. “This is a significant reset for entrepreneurs. If you’ve got a proven business model with proven revenues, you are not going to have problems. If you’ve got a speculative business, which is a little bit more hypothetical and theoretical, I think there’s going to be challenges.” —C.Y.
