A Los Angeles office broker with deep ties to top tech companies has opened a local office for HelloOffice, a real estate brokerage startup that has raised $6.5 million in venture capital funding.
Owen Fileti, the former senior executive director at L.A. Realty, joins as managing director of the San Francisco-based brokerage’s L.A. office.
Fileti, who spent 11 years at L.A. Realty following a five-year stint with Colliers International, has developed a reputation as a go-to broker for tech companies, having found space in Los Angeles for Facebook, Square, Lyft and Reddit.
In an interview with The Real Deal on Thursday, Fileti said he was impressed with HelloOffice’s own technology platform, which the company claims greatly simplifies the office space search process.
FIleti is among four new hires for HelloOffice in Los Angeles. The brokerage also scooped up Petra Durnin, a former research director for the Pacific Southwest region at CBRE; Mac Burridge, another office broker from L.A. Realty; and Savills broker Lexi Aiassa.
HelloOffice’s $6.5 million funding round, announced on Thursday, was led by venture capital funds Initialized Capital, with a field that included Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Boston-based Founder Collective, Berkeley, Calif.-based The House Fund, and San Francisco funds Peak State Ventures, SV Angel, Liquid 2 Ventures and SaaStr.
Some of HelloOffice’s clients in the San Francisco Bay area include tech companies such as Brex, Y Combinator, Afterpay, Scoop and Life360.
HelloOffice, led by former Cushman & Wakefield broker Justin Bedecarre, plans to take advantage of the expanding office market in L.A., which has been fueled by the rise of tech and media firms. The city has become one of the country’s largest hubs for technology and entertainment companies, as well as startups looking for modern space.
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