Who to reach out to as a property startup – Proptech VCs
As a property startup based in the Asia-Pacific, you may be looking for like-minded investors to help you grow. Unfortunately, most Venture Capital (VC) firms may not understand your business model, especially when it comes to the more niche areas of commercial real estate.
Thus, I’ve created a list of PropTech VCs. They have the industry knowledge and connections to help you grow and be successful.
I’m sure there are many other VC firms that I’ve missed, but hopefully its enough to get you started:
List of Proptech VCs (Asia-Pacific)
| VC Name | Main Location | Details/Status |
|---|---|---|
| Taronga Group | Sydney, Australia | Recently invested in Inspace XR and created the Realtech X Program (see below) |
| Fifth Wall Ventures | Los Angeles, USA | $1 billion capital under management across three funds |
| JLL Spark Global | Hong Kong | Announced a $100m fund |
| PieLab | Brisbane, Australia | $20m fund |
| Cento Ventures | Singapore | Update: no news since their 2019 announcement |
| C31 Ventures (Corporate VC) | Singapore | Supported by CapitaLand (Update: appears to have been closed) |
| 31 Ventures (Corporate VC) | Tokyo, Japan | Supported by Mitsui Fudosan |
Note the above list of VC firms may not invest unless you are established, or at the very least, progressed beyond an MVP. Ideally, you would have traction proven by revenue or customer growth.
If you are still tinkering around the MVP (minimum viable product) stage, here is a list of accelerator programs that you should consider applying to. If accepted, you will receive deep industry guidance and perhaps some seed money:
List of PropTech Accelerators
| Accelerators | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Impact Accelerator | Sydney, Australia | Supported by Mirvac & INCO. Sustainability focus |
| RealTechX Growth Program | Sydney, Australia | Supported by Taronga Group, Australian Unity, Dexus, Lend Lease, ISPT and PGIM |
| REACH proptech Accelerator (Australia) | Melbourne, Australia | Lead by Shelli Trung (angel investor) and Second Century Ventures |
| Propell Asia | Singapore | Supported by JLL and Lend Lease |
| Proptech Accelerator powered by Techstars | Toronto, Canada | Supported by Colliers |
Again, by no means is this an extensive list. Note that some of these programs may not run all year round so check the application dates on their websites.
If all else fails, reach out to real estate developers, agencies (like Colliers, CBRE and JLL) and REITs who may assist you with the problem you’re trying to solve.
Additionally, consider reaching out to general VCs if your business is is not too niche. You might also want to throw in some industry buzzwords like IoT, blockchain, AI, machine learning and smart cities to ensure your potential investors understand that you’re making the world a better place.
For further information, do check out Unissu’s website, a PropTech resources hub. They are also partnering with Stone & Chalk (an Aussie innovation hub / coworking space) to create the TED Talk of real estate.
Some Proptech podcast interviews I’ve conducted in the past:
