Investing in Tech

I’m the Director of Investments at JLL Spark, the strategic venture fund for JLL, a global commercial real estate services firm. Prior to this, I worked in operations for an early stage startup. My current role allows me to be at the tip of the spear at disrupting an under-digitized industry via technology and so it was too good of an offer to pass up.

Cate Agnew is a valuation and financial services professional with wide experience on a national and international basis. She currently heads the valuation group of Natixis CIB. Cate has deep experience as a hands-on professional who has conducted significant advisory and transactional assignments on behalf of clients, with demonstrated significant expertise and track record; her background includes financial reporting; valuation; analysis of investment options; in-depth understanding of national and local real estate trends; highest and best use analysis; and application of real estate lending and investment strategies.

Elsa Ben Shimon represents institutional investors in joint ventures, acquisitions and dispositions, and financings of large-scale commercial real estate projects, including office buildings, shopping centers, industrial complexes, condominium properties and multifamily residential projects throughout the United States. She also has experience representing U.S. clients in cross- border real estate transactions particularly in Europe and Asia, acting as lead counsel on the corporate real estate aspect of the transaction and providing oversight on the acquisition and financing of the assets.Elsa counsels a wide variety of client types on their real estate investments, including pension funds, private real estate funds, and public and private REITs, as well as their investment advisors. She has also counseled clients with distressed real estate. Elsa has also developed a deep experience helping Israeli investors expand their holdings in U.S. real estate on the debt and equity side. Major Israeli institutions regularly call on her for assistance in investing in U.S. real estate assets. Beyond traditional legal counsel, Elsa regularly provides clients with introductions to potential deal and business partners. An Israeli national, Elsa has many ties in the Israeli business community and is uniquely positioned to assist leading U.S. institutions and real estate companies in navigating the Israeli capital markets.