Introduction: A Sale That Sent a Signal
In May 2025, something extraordinary happened that should make every commercial real estate (CRE) owner stop and think.
Biotech company 23andMe, long known for its direct-to-consumer DNA tests, was acquired by pharmaceutical giant Regeneron for $256 million. But this wasn’t a traditional M&A deal. This wasn’t about labs, IP, or brand equity.
It was a data acquisition.
Despite declining stock performance and operational struggles, 23andMe had one thing that made them highly valuable: structured, privacy-consented data from over 14 million users. According to Gulp Data, this dataset was worth an estimated $289 million.
In the end, the market validated it. Regeneron paid nearly that amount—not for the company’s operations, but for its dataset.
If you’re in commercial real estate, that should raise a critical question:
What is your building’s data worth—and are you even measuring it?
The Untapped Opportunity in CRE
Most commercial real estate portfolios already generate massive volumes of data every day:
- Occupancy trends
- HVAC and energy usage
- Access control logs
- IoT device signals
- Leasing patterns and tenant behaviors
But here’s the problem: that data is often unstructured, siloed, inaccessible, or owned by third-party vendors. And when data isn’t organized and governed, it can’t be monetized—let alone factored into asset valuation.
Compare that to the 23andMe model: structured, privacy-protected, indexed, and ready to be transferred.
That’s what OpticWise is working to bring to CRE.
Why the CRE Industry Has Overlooked Data Value
There are three core reasons the CRE sector has ignored the strategic value of data:
- It’s invisible. Unlike HVAC units or elevators, data doesn’t sit in the mechanical room. You don’t see it. You can’t touch it.
- It’s fragmented. Most CRE tech stacks are a mess of siloed vendor tools, meaning the data gets trapped in disconnected systems.
- It’s not traditionally valued. Brokers, underwriters, and appraisers rarely factor structured data into cap rates or exit multiples.
But the tide is turning. As AI enters the CRE landscape, the value of clean, historical, and actionable datasets is growing fast. The 23andMe acquisition is a flashing red signal: data has enduring value, even when everything else is shaky.
From Expense to Asset: The Infrastructure Mindset Shift
Most owners still view digital infrastructure as a cost center.
But what if it’s the opposite?
What if your fiber backbone, WiFi systems, IoT architecture, and digital access controls are the foundation of a data-generating asset that accrues value over time?
The OpticWise BoT® (Build of Things®) approach is built on that premise:
Build digital infrastructure that captures, secures, and structures your building-generated data.
That’s what makes data monetization possible. That’s what turns raw operations into future enterprise value.
And that’s what lets you say with confidence:
"This building has a digital twin. This building has structured data. This building is future-ready."
What CRE Owners Can Learn from 23andMe
1. Structured Data Has Market Value
23andMe’s dataset wasn’t just a collection of spreadsheets. It was structured, compliant, and governed. That’s what made it sellable.
2. Data Retains Value Even in Distress
Even as 23andMe struggled operationally, their data remained valuable. In CRE, that means your asset can lose NOI, but if the data is clean and structured, it could still enhance the value of a portfolio sale, recapitalization, or REIT exit.
3. Buyers Want Intelligence, Not Just Brick & Mortar
In the future, investors and buyers won’t just ask for T12 financials or square footage. They’ll ask: How complete is your building data? What’s the quality of your digital infrastructure?
4. Privacy and Governance Are Non-Negotiable
Regeneron only bought 23andMe’s data because it came with robust privacy protections and a governance framework. CRE must follow suit.
How OpticWise Helps You Capture This Value
Through our Peak Property Performance Audit, we assess:
- The structure, flow, and accessibility of your building data
- Your network infrastructure and control posture
- Your Digital Asset Readiness Score™: a proprietary metric we developed to measure your ability to turn data into value
Then we help you implement a step-by-step roadmap to:
- Reclaim data from third parties
- Enable automation, analytics, and AI
Future-proof the asset for valuation events and smart capital
A Simple Thought Experiment
If your building sold tomorrow, would your data be included in the deal?
If you don’t own your network, if your vendor controls your access, or if you can’t export tenant behavior logs—the answer is likely no.
That’s value left on the table.
With OpticWise, your data becomes part of the asset’s enterprise value—not just a byproduct.
Conclusion: Real Estate Is Becoming a Data Business
The 23andMe sale is the kind of moment we’ll look back on as a tipping point. Not just for biotech or AI—but for how all industries think about the value of data.
In CRE, it’s no longer enough to have great locations, solid tenants, or long leases. The future belongs to buildings that are intelligent, structured, and data-rich.
The next time you review a building pro forma, ask yourself:
Where is the data value line item?
And if it’s missing, let’s fix that.
Your building is talking. Are you listening?
[ Learn more at opticwise.com ]