Construction Maison

The last time I saw my drone, it had disappeared out of sight over my house. Towards the North Sea. The whirr of its rotor blades drowned out by squawking birds. It was out of my control, ignoring my commands — not to mention quite a few F-bombs. I retreated indoors clutching the (now useless) remote control. How do you explain to the other half (or the other third, as I’m told to say) that you have just lost the birthday present they bought you for £600? Awkward. How I loved that drone! Desire for a totally unnecessary gizmo is usually inspired by something unconnected. Until recently, I was on the UK board of a European real estate advisory company . We were huddled around a conference phone that makes everyone sound as if they’re in the bog, in a meeting room that can at best be described as drab. White melamine table , slightly uncomfortable stacking chairs that were fashionable in the ’90s and glass partitions inscribed with the word “inspirational” (only a property advisory ...

1. If you can make it here… New York has long been the ultimate testing ground for businesses. But the city’s population density also makes it an important laboratory for startups, especially in today’s on-demand economy. Food- delivery pioneer Seamless survived the dot-com crash, paving the way for the arrival of meal-kit services such as Blue Apron and Plated a decade later. Related View this story in its original print layout Density has also been instrumental to the growth of ride-hailing and car-sharing companies. Most of them, including Uber and Lyft first gained their footing in smaller cities, then made New York their biggest market. Via, the on-demand ride-pooling service, launched here in 2013, is the exception: Its founders chose New York, figuring riders packed together on subways and buses wouldn’t need much persuading to share a car with strangers, especially when it cost just $5. article continues below advertisement App- based transportation startups have flocked t...