AI Companies Fueling San Francisco Comeback

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 4, 2025--

The ownership group of Millennium Play, LLC and 612 Howard Street, a six-story, commercial office building in San Francisco, is pleased to announce it has leased an entire floor to a financial services AI company. The deal was managed by top commercial real estate firm Newmark of San Francisco.

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Will Lawrence, Co-Founder and CEO of Greenlite AI said, “We needed office space that could handle our growth trajectory, and 612 Howard delivers exactly that. The building itself has a modern industrial yet clean aesthetic that aligns perfectly with our company culture -- sophisticated, collaborative, and accessible. The location puts us right in the heart of downtown, which is where the action is. San Francisco’s comeback is real, and we're seeing it firsthand: this area is central and lively,” he added.

The building at 612 Howard was constructed in 1907 and has individual floor plates of approximately 10,000 sq feet each with their original massive redwood beams and all-hardwood floors. The fully renovated building is located between Second Street and New Montgomery, is only 2 blocks from Moscone Center, and offers easy access to Bart, Muni, CalTrain, and Highways 101 and 280. Space is available on flexible multi-year terms.

Greenlite AI, which recently closed a $15 million Series A led by venture firm Greylock, is hiring aggressively in every department to support a waitlist of customers looking to automate and improve their financial compliance workflows. Lawrence added, “As an AI company building cutting-edge services for our customers, Greenlite wanted to be in an area that's attracting other forward-thinking companies. We love being steps away from Downtown First Thursdays on 2nd and Howard. The monthly event gathers a mix of local businesses, food, and community and is perfect for team building.”

About Greenlite AI

Greenlite AI is the leading agentic AI platform for financial services. Regulated banks and fintechs — including those overseen by the OCC, FDIC, and SEC — trust Greenlite AI to automate mission-critical work like KYC, AML, and sanctions compliance. Greenlite AI’s agents are defined by their adherence to federal banking guidelines, ensuring compliance with stringent model validation and AI governance standards. Founded in 2023 by Will Lawrence and Alex Jin, Greenlite AI is headquartered in San Francisco and built by a team with deep expertise in compliance, AI, and financial infrastructure. Learn more at greenlite.ai.

About Newmark

Newmark Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NMRK), together with its subsidiaries (“Newmark”), is a world leader in commercial real estate, seamlessly powering every phase of the property life cycle. Newmark’s comprehensive suite of services and products is uniquely tailored to each client from owners to occupiers, investors to founders, and startups to blue-chip companies. Combining the platform’s global reach with market intelligence in both established and emerging property markets, Newmark provides superior service to clients across the industry spectrum. Visit www.nmrk.com or follow@newmark.

Will Lawrence, CEO and Greenlite AI's employees

Will Lawrence, Co-Founder and CEO, Greenlite AI

612 Howard Street is conveniently located between Second and New Montgomery Streets in the SOMA district of San Francisco.

DODOMA, Tanzania (AP) — Tanzania’s president has, for the first time since the disputed October election, commented on a six-day internet shutdown as the country went through its worst postelection violence.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday expressed “sympathy” to diplomats and foreign nationals living in the country, saying the government would strive to ensure there is never a repeat of the same.

Hassan won the October election with more than 97% of the vote after candidates from the two main opposition parties were barred from running and the country’s main opposition leader remained in prison facing treason charges.

Violence broke out on election day and went on for days as the internet was shut down amid a heavy police crackdown that left hundreds of people dead, according to rights groups.

Hassan blamed the violence on foreigners and pardoned hundreds of young people who had been arrested, saying they were acting under peer pressure.

Speaking to ambassadors, high commissioners and representatives of international organizations on Thursday in the capital, Dodoma, she sought to reassure envoys of their safety, saying the government would remain vigilant to prevent a repeat of the disruption.

“To our partners in the diplomatic community and foreigners residing here in Tanzania, I express my sincere sympathy for the uncertainty, service restrictions and internet shutdowns you experienced,” she said.

Hassan defended her administration, saying the measures were taken to preserve constitutional order and protect citizens.

“I assure you that we will remain vigilant to ensure your safety and prevent any recurrence of such experiences,” the president told diplomats on Thursday.

Tanzania has, since the October elections, established a commission of inquiry to look into the violence that left hundreds dead and property worth millions of shillings destroyed in a country that has enjoyed relative calm for decades.

Foreign observers said the election failed to meet democratic standards because key opposition figures were barred.

FILE - Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan delivers remarks during a campaign rally ahead of the general elections in Iringa, Tanzania, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo, File)