Real estate growth news: Raise Commercial Real Estate (Raise) announces today the opening of its New York office led by industry veteran Jamie Katcher, along with partners Douglas Regal and Sebastian Infante, and team members Emilie Goldman and Henry Korzec. Additionally, the company announces two strategic hires to lead engineering and marketing – Paul Thormahlen, VP of Engineering, and Megan LeMense, Senior Director of Marketing. The new office location and these additions further deepen the tech-powered brokerage firm’s position as an innovator within the industry, solidifying its commitment to providing next-level workplaces for clients.
“This is a monumental day for us at Raise,” noted Justin Bedecarre, Co-Founder and CEO, Raise. “We have been assembling some of the brightest minds and innovators in real estate to serve the world’s leading technology companies. Raise New York formalizes our commitment to connecting both coasts and providing a full service, white glove offering to our clients. Jamie and team have been trailblazers in establishing New York as one of the most important markets for high growth startups, as well as brokering some of the biggest, most complex technology office leases in the city’s history.”
Opening its Raise New York office in Midtown South, Katcher, Regal, Infante and team will bring deep connections in both the technology and media industries throughout the Tri-State region and beyond. Raise will be recruiting a robust team of top tier talent in the market to entrust them with proprietary technology to deliver a superior experience for their clients. Bringing over 20 years of experience, Katcher is one of the leading real estate advisors for high-growth startups and creative firms and has represented some of the most established technology companies around the world. Given the high-growth nature of their business, the team cultivates long-term relationships with their clients, taking pride in the evolution of these companies over time. In total, Katcher, Regal, and Infante have closed over 5 million square feet representing technology companies from seed stage to IPO. Prior to joining Raise, Katcher co-founded a global tech practice group at Cushman & Wakefield, co-leading the New York division along with Regal and Infante.
“Having known Justin for over a decade, we are impressed by the way Raise is breaking the mold and innovating within the commercial real estate space,” stated Jamie Katcher, Head of Raise New York. “We are ecstatic to be the founding team of Raise New York and look forward to not only growing our team and continuing to serve our clients – but to building the company together. Raise’s technology offering is completely unique in this industry; we are in a position to empower our clients to make smarter real estate decisions and navigate the future of work in a more impactful way. In addition, the caliber and quality of people we now get to call colleagues at Raise is truly humbling and inspiring.”
“Raise has emerged from the pandemic stronger than ever. The world has evolved and will never go back to the way it was – but the need for human connection continues to be important,” noted Sri Chandrasekar, Partner at Point72 Ventures, a Raise Board Member and Investor. “We believe Raise is assembling impressive talent across engineering and marketing, and we look forward to seeing what the brokerage team accomplishes in New York.”
To continue to support growth in new markets and the technology platform, Raise is expanding their team across engineering and marketing. Thormahlen, based in Raise’s San Francisco Headquarters, plans to double the engineering team over the next 12 months to scale products that supercharge the brokerage and workplace team and further provide a better experience for their clients. With a background in building startups, Thormahlen was previously Director of Engineering for Zillow’s mobile platform, growing revenue from $2B to $5B in his tenure.
LeMense, who most recently led the U.S. and Canada territory and broker marketing team at WeWork, is based in Nashville, Tennessee. She will be responsible for driving key market expansion efforts, leading go-to-market strategies for the company as well as building and growing the marketing team globally. As evidenced by the country-wide growth, Raise seeks to create a collaborative culture and leverages its own technology platform to enhance and lead team collaboration.
“I was compelled to join the dynamic team at Raise due to the unmatched opportunity to shape the future of office space,” remarked Thormahlen. “We plan to build a world-class engineering team to support the business, and I am excited to get back to the office – in person – to get to work.”
“I believe we are just scratching the surface of how the industry implements technology, and I look forward to showcasing the tools we can offer our clients,” stated LeMense. “Raise’s strong dedication to company culture, technology, and global brand expansion is matched only by its commitment to excellent client service. This sets us apart in the industry, and I am thrilled to join the Raise team to support future growth.”
“In hiring Paul and Megan we are continuing our trajectory of smart, strategic growth across the U.S.,” remarked Bedecarre. “We are building a world-class team, investing in leaders who bring a unique background and depth of experience that not only adds immense value to clients, but also enhances our internal culture which we are just as passionate about. We are not the commercial real estate firm of the past. We are working hard to bring in diverse talent that will lead the future of work not just for our clients, but for ourselves.”
Since 2020, the firm has more than doubled the team throughout Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Denver and now New York. Integrating Brokerage, Workplace, Project Management, and Market Analytics, Raise leads companies to find and occupy better workplaces. By empowering their experts with innovative technology, Raise enhances speed, transparency, and collaboration for their clients at every stage of the real estate lifecycle. Raise has high growth targets for 2022 as it expands across the country, serving clients from publicly traded companies like Palantir and Twitch to high growth startups like Notion and Envoy.
“We are building something extraordinary at Raise,” said Bedecarre. “And we’re just getting started.”
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