Undivided VC & Investing in the Built Environment & Sustainability with Alexander Bent

Nov 15, 2023

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We've got a 330 trillion dollar industry here, which arguably a lot of it, we talk about stranded assets, CRREM pathways to stranded assets, et cetera. I talked to a lot of funds. I've talked to a lot of developers. They're getting very worried about this. And it's not just about their existing portfolios. It's about how they are going to exit portfolios. Because many buyers now actually build in the cost of retrofitting a building to bring it up to sustainability when they're looking at acquiring an asset. So, that might bring the price down. So, for us, we look at everything you've just mentioned. We look at materials. We look at hardware. We look at software and anything that gets us to some of these impact targets we want to achieve in the built environment and also is something which is commercially viable and fixes some particular pain point within this ecosystem. - Alexander Bent"

Fresh out of the studio, Alexander Bent, founder & managing partner from Undivided Ventures, joined us in a conversation on why this is the time to invest in sustainability within the built environment. Alexander started with his background as a real estate developer and the inspiration behind starting his venture capital firm. He dived deep into his investment thesis and shared his perspectives on how transforming technologies from AI to materials engineering will transform the real estate industry. Last but not least, Alex shares what great would look like for Undivided Ventures.

Episode Highlights: [0:50] Quote of the Day #QOTD by Alexander Bent. [1:40] Welcome Message from the host. [2:20] Introduction to Alexander Bent and his career journey. [6:40] Perspectives on investing in climate adaptation rather than mitigation. [7:30] Lessons from Alexander's career journey. [9:40] The Vision and Mission of Undivided Ventures and why focus on built environment. [11:50] The total market opportunity behind the real estate industry. [13:20] The investment mandate for Undivided Ventures. [14:20] Undivided VC is based in Hong Kong but invests globally. [15:20] Typical day of a venture capitalist for Alexander. [17:20] What are the traits of founders & startup teams that Alex index for? [19:10] Business Models for Startups focusing on sustainability and built environment. [21:20] What are the red flags in founders that you would watch out for? [23:20] How Undivided VC helps their portfolio companies. [25:30] Interesting companies under Undivided VC. [28:10] The one thing that Alexander knows about investing in sustainability & built environment that very few do. [28:35] Advice to startups focusing on positive impact in sustainability & built environment. [31:50] #AI in sustainability & built environment. [34:40] #internetofthings #iot in sustainability & built environment. [36:20] #blockchain in sustainability & built environment. [40:20] #materialscience & #materialsengineering in sustainability & built environment. [42:50] Putting AI into materials science [43:50] What does great look like for Undivided VC? [48:00] Closing

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong (@bernardleong, Linkedin) hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G.Thomas Craig (@gthomascraig, LinkedIn).