Nidus Lab, a new form of real estate planning powered by AI, stood out as the jury’s favorite in the latest edition of the Esade Alumni Real Estate Challenge by Clikalia. The five finalist projects presented solutions to significant challenges facing the real estate sector (new materials, lifestyle, sustainability, digitalization, etc.) to the experts, investors, and executives of companies associated with the real estate sector who had gathered at the luncheon organized by the Esade Alumni Real Estate Club and Esade Alumni Entrepreneurship, with the sponsorship of Clikalia. Those five projects had, in turn, had been chosen from the almost 40 received, which offered even more innovation, variety, and high growth potential
In the opinion of Carmina Ganyet (VV 03), president of the Esade Alumni Real Estate Club, after five successful editions, it is an honor to continue this project, which offers disruptive visions and models that strengthen the real estate sector. In fact, as she stressed at the opening of the event, “this sector needs new talents to remain a leader in the future.”
The event also featured a presentation by Xandra López, Head of Catalonia at Clikalia, who presented the Platform Space, which uses technology to create a totally digital experience, offering value propositions to more customers. Its hyperrealistic representations enable users to interact with spaces and elements, living the experience as if they were inside it. All of this is framed within the goal of Clickalia, “whose mission is its regenerative role,” said López. In fact, the comprehensive real estate renovations that the company undertakes enables it to return the properties to the market more efficient and sustainable.
-Starke Energy offers a solution for local smart energy systems thanks to its Urban Power Bank©, which uses artificial intelligence to manage batteries and ensure that they last as long as possible. Starke Energy’s goal is to balance the energy systems of buildings around the world, and to do so, it offers an energy storage and management service.
-Nomade Nation mission is to offer high-quality, designer camper vans that enable users to enjoy the experience of travelling freely without sacrificing the comforts of living in a real home. Nomade Nation’s premise is to be totally digital. The brand’s idea is to improve the costs and processes of serially manufacturing Nordic-style campers with a strong technological component.
-Nidus Lab is an artificial intelligence tool based on swarm algorithms that enable users to design with real-time displays, maximizing the available buildable area without sacrificing surprising, high-quality architecture. To do so, Nidus Lab combines advanced algorithms with parametric generative design to get optimized results that can be exported to CAD 2D and 3D.
-Future Chromes has developed and patented different technologies related to photochromatic nanomaterials (i.e., materials that change colors) with the goal of integrating them into commercial goods like windows and glass and offering a response to the challenges of sustainability, the environment, and health. Its smart materials allow the amount of sunlight entering a building to be self-regulated, thus lowering energy consumption associated with ventilation and heating and cooling systems and ultimately reducing CO2.
-Cubro is a company that is passionate about good design and functionality and is committed to changing the way furniture is designed using IKEA structures. Each integrated furniture product is custom-designed and handcrafted in its workshops to meet users’ needs responsibly and in a personalized fashion, and its sales process is totally digital.
As she concluded, the Esade Alumni director, Patricia Valentí (MBA 02/ Promociona 17), reminded the audience that these events contribute to fostering networking, sharing knowledge, and spreading projects of interest virally to the community, while she also thanked the jury in charge of analyzing the projects for their efforts. This year, the jury was made up of Carmina Ganyet (VV 03), president of the Esade Alumni Real Estate Club; Patricia Valentí (MBA 02/Promociona 19), director of Esade Alumni; Fernando Zallo (Lic&MBA 83), director of Esade BAN; Enrique Martínez Laguna (MBA 93), vice president of the Esade Alumni Real Estate Club; Eduard Mendiluce (MBA 97), vice president of the Esade Alumni Real Estate Club; Acisclo Pérez (Lic&MBA 08), member of the Board of the Esade Alumni Real Estate Club; Alicia Vicente (CMBA 18), member of the Board of the Esade Alumni Real Estate Club and Ignacio Raventós (BBA 12), member of the Board of the Esade Alumni Real Estate Club.
- What is Nidus Lab’s unique value? How did the idea come about?
Nidus Lab stands out for its ability to combine generative AI with in-depth knowledge of the real estate sector, transforming the design and feasibility processes into an efficient, profitable, and personalized experience. This innovation stems from my career in the sector, where I noticed a significant gap in the efficiency of initial project design and planning.
So, Nidus Lab emerged in response to that need to accelerate and optimize the design and feasibility processes in the real estate sector. Our differentiation lies in the use of generative AI to create architectural design and feasibility analysis solutions which are at once quick, efficient, and highly personalized. This approach enables key stakeholders in the sector – from investors and developers to architects and industrial companies – to explore a broader range of design options in less time, lowering costs and improving the profitability of the projects without sacrificing creativity or the unique value contributed by an architectural project.
- What does your disruptive proposal contribute to the real estate sector?
Our technology offers a radical transformation in how real estate projects are conceptualised and assessed from the earliest stages. We allow our users not only to anticipate the design and construction challenges but also to ensure that each project meets the highest sustainability and spatial efficiency standards.
With Nidus, the sector can embrace architectural innovation without sacrificing architectural quality by focusing on profitability and setting a new standard in the creation of inhabitable spaces that meet current market demands.
- How is using AI advantageous to you?
AI enables us to navigate through a sea of variables that affect the development of a project with unprecedented precision and speed, from urban planning regulations to specific design preferences and market trends.
This means that we can offer solutions that maximise the potential of any real estate development process, while also guaranteeing that the projects are feasible and sustainable. AI not only speeds up the design process but also ensures that the decisions made in the initial phases are informed and precise, thus minimising risks and uncertainties.
- What stage is your company in and what are its next steps?
Nidus Lab is currently in an exciting phase of growth and expansion. After validating our solution in the Spanish market and earning recognition in innovation competences, like the Esade Alumni Real Estate Challenge by Clikalia, our next step is internationalisation and the development of new functionalities. This includes expanding our suite of products to encompass broader needs in the sector and international markets, as well as fine-tuning our AI technology to offer even more personalization and precision in our services.
- Why did you decide to participate in the Real Estate Challenge? How would you rate this initiative to drive entrepreneurship in the sector?
It is an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate Nidus Lab’s potential to an expert and highly relevant audience. These platforms are essential in the entrepreneurial ecosystem because not only do they offer visibility but they also provide a space of exchange and learning among innovators who are seeking to address the challenges of the sector in new and creative ways. We rate this initiative extremely highly because of its role in highlighting and supporting disruptive solutions that have the potential to reshape the future of the real estate sector. We are profoundly grateful for the support of Clikalia; is it a benchmark not only for its disruptive model in the real estate market but also for its active commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship.
