Podcast
My first thought was doom and gloom: Marcus Moufarrige Founder and CEO of ility
Marcus joined Steve on the latest episode of Give It A Nudge to talk about his rollercoaster startup journey.
About the guest
Marcus Moufarrige
Founder and CEO at ility
Marcus Moufarrige is the founder and CEO of ility, a digital platform that enables commercial property owners to increase revenues by creating better workplaces. He launched ility in New York and steered the company through the brutal impact of COVID-19 on the commercial property market, navigating what he describes as the most challenging period of his entrepreneurial life with the company still standing.
Episode overview
Marcus Moufarrige sits down with Steve Grace for a candid conversation about launching a PropTech company in New York, building a platform for commercial property owners, and what happened when COVID-19 hit a business that was entirely dependent on people returning to physical workplaces. Marcus traces his entrepreneurial path from early ambitions in property through to the founding of ility, the pivot required to survive the pandemic, and what the company looks like on the other side of it.
Launching in New York
Marcus chose New York as the launchpad for ility deliberately. The commercial property market there is one of the densest and most competitive in the world, which meant both a large addressable market and a high bar for the product to clear. He explains how ility works: the platform gives property owners tools to manage amenities, services, and tenant experiences at scale, turning a building from a passive asset into an active workplace environment that retains and attracts tenants.
“The commercial property market had been crying out for a digital layer. Landlords were sitting on enormous assets but had almost no data on how their buildings were actually being used.”
Marcus Moufarrige 8:00
When COVID hit
The title of the episode comes from Marcus’s immediate reaction when COVID-19 forced the closure of offices globally. ility’s entire value proposition was tied to people being in buildings. His first thought was doom and gloom. What follows in the conversation is a story of adaptation: Marcus explains how the team used the period to rebuild parts of the product, deepen their relationships with property partners, and position the company for the return-to-office wave that eventually came.
“My first thought was doom and gloom. Our whole business was built around people being in offices. But we used the time to get better, not to wait it out.”
Marcus Moufarrige 20:00
The future of commercial property
Marcus’s view on the future of commercial real estate is nuanced. He’s not in the camp that believes offices are finished. Instead, he sees the pandemic as an accelerant for what was already happening: the pressure on landlords to compete for tenants by offering more than just four walls and a floor. ility sits at the centre of that shift, giving property owners a platform to differentiate and giving tenants a reason to choose a building over working from home.
“The landlords who survive the next decade are going to be the ones who understand that they’re in the service business now, not just the real estate business.”
Marcus Moufarrige 35:00
Key takeaways
Chapters
0:00Introduction and Marcus’s entrepreneurial background 6:00Getting into the property industry 10:00What ility does and how the platform works 15:00Launching in New York 20:00COVID hits and the first reaction 25:00Rebuilding and adapting through the pandemic 30:00The return-to-office wave and what it means for ility 35:00Landlords in the service business 40:00Lessons from building through a crisis and what’s next
Mentioned in this episode
Frequently asked questions
What does ility do?
ility is a digital platform for commercial property owners that enables them to increase revenues by creating better workplaces. The platform manages tenant services, amenities, and experiences at scale, turning a building from a passive real estate asset into an active, data-driven environment that competes for tenants on the quality of the workplace experience.
How did ility survive COVID-19?
When offices closed globally, ility used the period to rebuild parts of its product, deepen partner relationships, and prepare for the eventual return to office. Rather than treating the pandemic as a pause, the team treated it as a forced opportunity to improve the platform for when buildings reopened.
Why did Marcus Moufarrige launch ility in New York?
Marcus chose New York as ility’s launch market because of its density and competitiveness. Winning in one of the world’s most demanding commercial property markets would validate the product for global expansion. A difficult launch market also forces product quality at an earlier stage.
What is PropTech?
PropTech, or property technology, refers to the application of technology to the real estate industry. It encompasses platforms for property management, tenant experience, smart buildings, real estate transactions, and data analytics. ility sits in the commercial workplace and tenant experience segment of the PropTech market.
What is the future of commercial real estate after COVID?
Marcus’s view is that commercial real estate will bifurcate: buildings that invest in workplace experience, technology, and services will attract and retain tenants, while those that compete purely on location and price will lose ground. The landlords who survive will be those who understand they are now in the service business as much as the real estate business.
Topics discussed
Full transcript
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Show full transcript (47 minutes, 5 sections)
0:00 Introduction and background
Marcus Moufarrige joins Steve Grace on Give It A Nudge to talk about his entrepreneurial journey, his desire to get into the property industry, and how he came to found ility. Marcus traces the path from his early career through to the decision to build a PropTech platform and take it to New York, one of the most competitive commercial real estate markets in the world.
10:00 What ility does
ility is the digital platform that enables commercial property owners to increase revenues by creating awesome workplaces. Landlords have historically had no data on how their buildings are actually being used. ility gives property owners the tools to manage amenities, services, and tenant experiences at scale, turning a passive asset into an active, measurable environment. The platform sits between the building owner and the tenant, creating a layer of services and data that helps both sides.
20:00 COVID hits
My first thought was doom and gloom. Our whole business was built around people being in buildings, and COVID shut offices globally. But we used the time to get better, not to wait it out. The team rebuilt parts of the product, deepened relationships with property partners, and prepared for the return-to-office period. Looking back, the companies that used the COVID period to build came out stronger than those who paused.
30:00 Return to office and the future of commercial property
The question isn’t whether people will return to offices. Some will and some won’t. The question is which buildings they choose when they do come in. The buildings that invest in workplace experience, curated amenities, and technology will win. The landlords who survive the next decade are those who understand they are in the service business now, not just the real estate business. ility sits at the centre of that shift.
40:00 Lessons and what’s next
The biggest lesson from building through the pandemic is that crisis periods are for building, not waiting. The teams that used the time to improve their product and strengthen their partnerships emerged with a real advantage. For ility, the pipeline on the other side of COVID has been strong. The macro shift toward experience-driven commercial real estate was already happening, COVID just compressed the timeline. The next chapter for ility is scaling the platform globally.
About the host
Steve Grace is the founder and CEO of The Nudge Group, a technology-focused recruitment and advisory business. He has built and scaled companies across Australia and the US, and hosts Give It A Nudge to spotlight founders and operators building something meaningful.
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