Co-founder & CEO. Erik is truly passionate about reshaping the way we build and live, connecting the dots between sustainability, technology, and community-building. His mission is to accelerate the transition to resilient, regenerative, and equitable communities that transform the way we think about urban living. Erik brings over 30 years of property management and 20 years of technology development, business development, marketing, strategic consulting, and founded several startups.  

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Co-founder & COO. Ritchie holds a B.Architecture from Carnegie Mellon and an MS in Architecture & Urban Design from Columbia University. Currently an MBA candidate at Johns Hopkins, he was made to create beautiful, walkable, green urban neighborhoods. Previously a mobility planner at Lyft in NYC, Ritchie was a key member for the expansion of their bike-share programs. His real estate development work is focused on enhancing urban living with sustainability & resilience. Additionally, he is the owner of an e-commerce company that saw 7-figure revenues within two years.

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Head of Real Estate Acquisitions & Development. Kyle brings over 15 years of experience in real estate investment and development, specializing in multifamily and mixed-use projects. He has led high-level initiatives across Southern California, Silicon Valley, and the Pacific Northwest, demonstrating expertise in project management, entitlement approvals, and strategic operations consultancy. At Killian Pacific and The Core Companies, Kyle served as a Project Executive, managing projects totaling 1,400 residential units and $650 million in capital. His responsibilities included leading deal acquisitions, securing entitlements, and overseeing the execution of institutional-level development projects. He played a pivotal role in coordinating multidisciplinary teams to ensure project success from inception through completion. Prior to that, Kyle spent five years at Irvine Company, where he managed the development of Santa Clara Square—an 80-acre master-planned community in Silicon Valley. This landmark project comprises 1,840 residential units, 175,000 square feet of Class-A retail space, and 1.7 million square feet of Class-A office space. His leadership was instrumental in navigating complex urban planning and mapping challenges, viability analysis, and budget management. Kyle holds an MBA with a concentration in finance from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, a Master of Architecture from the same institution, and a Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University. His comprehensive skill set includes pro forma financial modeling, capital raising, land development, and construction defect management, making him a valuable asset in the real estate industry.

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Chief Revenue Officer. Marc Strauch brings over 30 years of experience in driving revenue growth, capital formation, and business innovation across global markets. His career includes senior roles at Microsoft, where he co-founded the Business Value team and transformed enterprise sales by focusing on business-driven technology solutions, generating billions in additional revenue. Marc’s thought leadership shaped market strategies for top companies, including Cisco, Disney, Intel, and Credit Suisse. An expert in scaling ventures, Marc has co-founded and guided multiple startups to successful exits, with achievements spanning renewable energy, urban planning, and climate-tech solutions. His work has integrated business architecture, capital strategies, and systems analysis to align profitability with environmental impact, earning him a reputation as a strategic problem solver and trusted partner to forward-thinking CEOs and founders. Marc has also advised venture funds, corporate boards, and smart city initiatives, leading projects that enhance operational efficiencies, reduce costs, and accelerate growth in sectors such as climate-tech, proptech, and regenerative urbanism. His collaborative leadership style fosters innovation and strategic execution across teams and industries. At Now City Inc., Marc applies his expertise to build scalable revenue models and strategic partnerships that support the company’s mission to create regenerative, resilient, and equitable communities. He holds advanced degrees in environmental science, business strategy, and urban planning.

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Sustainable Development. Justin is results-driven real estate development leader with over 5 years of development experience, specializing in strategic project management, complex site diligence, and risk assessment. He has a proven track record in navigating entitlement processes, land use permitting, and overcoming development obstacles for large-scale projects. He is adept at balancing analytical thinking with big-picture strategy, managing diverse stakeholders, and driving efficient processes in fast-paced, cross-functional environments. As Director at SteelWave Justin spearheads the Sustainability & Impact Team, leveraging data analytics and stakeholder relationships to track, analyze, and reduce the carbon footprint of a ~$12B commercial real estate portfolio. He also runs site acquisition, land use permitting, site development, and entitlements for large-scale life science, R&D, industrial and mixed-use projects across the Bay Area. Justin has managed site selection and development of over 225+ acres and 2M+ SF of mixed-use space. He has an M.S. in Sustainable Urban Development from the University of Oxford, complemented by a B.S. in Business Administration from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where he was recognized as an All-American and National Champion student-athlete. Known as ‘A Champion for Others,’ he is passionate about creating impactful, sustainable built environments and driving innovation in real estate development.​

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Head of Sustainability. Adil has 20 years of sustainability and corporate development experience, including strategic team leadership, business development, and global program management. he has a proven track record of creating and growing projects with public & private multicultural partners in the US, Sweden, Denmark, China, India, and Bangladesh. He oversaw $30M investment budget delivery and led a team of 15 to reduce carbon emissions for JLL’s largest commercial real estate client in 2023. He started-up ISC’s satellite office in Bangladesh and the EHS+ Center, and took both to scale by commercializing B2B solutions to over 29 multinational corporations sourcing from Asia to create management systems for safety and decarbonization of their value chains. For a $14M/year project, he co-managed energy and vehicle miles reduction programs at Parsons for a multinational company by using circularity to redirect millions of tons of waste away from landfills every year. In Texas, he advocated for and developed equitable building and electrification policies thru private sector engagement to reduce GHG emissions by 3MMTCO2e and a 105MW renewable energy procurement strategy with CPS Energy as a partner. He leveraged $4.6MM climate mitigation funds and in-kind resources to establish a Center that trained over 5,000 managers and workers to make factories cleaner and safer in Bangladesh.​

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Urban Planning & Design. With a focus on the public realm, Neal’s work transforms urban environments into socially and culturally diverse, walkable and economically vital communities. Driven by an insatiable curiosity and a commitment to challenging conventional wisdom, he has led multidisciplinary teams in the creation of visionary, yet implementable Master plans, and objective design standards and form-based codes for the redevelopment and revitalization of declining urban centers, brownfields, and vast areas of aging inner suburbs. As originator in 2005, and director of the west coast office of Torti Gallas, Neal leads the the firm’s urban and architectural design efforts in the western U.S. as well as Australia, including urban and neighborhood design projects, as well as the entitlement efforts associated with block and conceptual building design.

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Global Technology & Corporate Governance. Juliette-Marie Somerset is a transformational leadership executive and tech startup advisor dedicated to accelerating social impact with philanthropy, innovation, insight and compassion. She is a highly experienced and Ivy League educated consultant operating at a senior level with global game-changing tech founders, innovative startups, and angel investors. Juliette-Marie excels in strategic growth partnerships, leadership development, mentoring tech entrepreneurs, building and creating disruptive solutions. She has a wide knowledge of and professional experience in successful fundraising campaigns and social impact investing.

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Green Economy. Professor Alan Arthur Tratner is an inventor, entrepreneur, and global leader in green innovation. As International Director of Green2Gold, Alan has mentored thousands of sustainable technology companies and inventors. His distinguished career includes serving as President of the Inventors Workshop International and the Entrepreneur’s Workshop, Director of California’s Small Business Entrepreneurship Center, and as a consultant with SCORE (US SBA). He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Inc., and Entrepreneur and has appeared on Oprah, CNN, Good Morning America, and CNBC. Alan holds 13 inventions and patents and has earned the nickname “Minister of Ideas” for his work fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. A former Professor of Environment and Energy, he participated in the First United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and played a key role in establishing Earth Day. He founded the Environmental Education Group Foundation with support from Nobel Laureate Dennis Gabor. Alan has led global environmental initiatives, including conducting nationwide “Solutions for Survival” seminars and heading a U.S. alternative energy delegation to the former Soviet Union. His publishing credits include Energies Journal, Geothermal Energy Magazine, and INVENT! magazine. He also directed the Green Business Conference at ECO EXPO and founded the Eco Inventors and Entrepreneurs Workshops. In 2012, Alan was inducted into the International Green Industries Hall of Fame and honored with a Lifetime Achievement award.

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Partnerships. Jerry is experienced in serving driven founders and CEOs as an innovation partner and problem solver. He strives to create an environment for learning and collaboration where leaders and their teams can make informed and strategic decisions to propel their ventures and organizations forward with insight and intention. Industries served include Software-AI/ML, Space Tech, Climate/Green Tech, Health & Wellness, and Real Estate. Jerry brings over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, attorney and advisor to Now City, specifically focused on helping the venture raise private capital.

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Civil Engineering. Sherwood Design Engineers is a site civil engineering practice committed to the optimal integration of ecology, infrastructure, and design. Our headquarter is in San Francisco with Offices and Studios located in San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Petaluma, and Santa Cruz.

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Architecture & Planning. SERA is a firm of dynamic thinkers, collaborators and creators who want to shape the world through smart planning and enduring design. Our mission is sustainable placemaking. As an integrated team of architects, interior designers and urban designers and planners, we work holistically to create places that enrich lives and inspire positive change.

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MEP Engineering Design. PAE provides mechanical and electrical engineering design, technology system design, energy modeling and analysis, and more. At our core, we value our people, our planet, and regenerative engineering. From achieving JUST and B-Corp certifications, annually recommitting to our respect for each other, inspiring young engineers and giving back to the community, everything we do is in service of our values and mission.

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