Michael Rudin

In a slow year for the tech industry, many proptech investors are retreating from investing in new companies. Such is the case for Rudin Ventures, the investment vehicle of family-run Rudin Management that funds technology firms servicing real estate. 

However, Michael Rudin, who runs the outfit with his cousin Grant Johnson and Rudin Management Chief Investment Officer Neil Gupta, said he has been focused on putting more money into firms where Rudin Ventures already has a stake. Recently, the company has been focused on business intelligence and real estate data firms, including VTS and Yardi, along with smaller, more up-and-coming players. 

Rudin has also been reinvesting in Prescriptive Data — which monitors energy usage, and which Rudin developed in-house, producing the AI-powered building operating system Nantum OS — and smart radiator cover manufacturer Kelvin (formerly Radiator Labs). 

On the building management side, Rudin has also been focused on finding a relatively seamless smartphone app that building tenants can use to enter its office buildings. 

“Earlier this year we did complete a rollout of a technology called Swift Connect, which allows for digital access control using smartphones,” Michael Rudin said. “We’re running a process right now about broader tenant experience platforms and apps to see what makes sense for our portfolio. I was a proponent of solving access control first before other stuff. I think they’re tied at the hip.”

In its residential buildings, Rudin employs some of the platforms it’s invested in, particularly for monitoring energy usage. It employs Runwise, a building sensor software that allows landlords to remotely control and monitor heating, as well as Logical Buildings, which uses sensors to help owners reduce their energy usage.