Builders VC is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing where technology meets new business models to modernize antiquated industries including healthcare, agriculture, industrials and real-estate.

Builders VC

Bienville is an investment advisory and asset management business managing capital on behalf of family offices and top performing institutional investors. We invest across public and private markets, crypto and venture capital, and through our partnership with Fractal we launch around 25 SaaS companies per year.

Bienville Capital

PE Firm (Cogito Capital) and early-stage VC Firm (Cogito Ventures) focused on enabling digital transformation within mature industries such as Real Estate, Retail and Telecommunications through AI and IoT technology.

Cogito Capital

J20 Ventures is an early stage fund investing in consumer brands that cater to the evolving needs and desires of millennials and Gen-Z across e-commerce, edtech, fintech, healthcare, and beyond, while also supporting the B2B infrastructure behind these brands. J20 looks to partner with mission-driven founders intent on leaving a positive mark on the world while building scalable businesses that can transform the economy and the lives of their users. Current investments include: Burrow, Career Karma, Gainful, Co-Edition, Snowe, 99 Minutos.

J20 Ventures

Plug and Play is a seed and early-stage investor focused on great teams leading emerging growth companies.  Plug and Play runs 12 industry-specific accelerator programs twice a year, that acts as a platform for major corporations and high quality startups to connect and collaborate.  Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Plug and Play participates in Seed, Angel and Series A funding where they often co-invest with their strategic partners. Through years of experience and as part of their network, Plug and Play has put together a world-class network of serial entrepreneurs, strategic investors, and industry leaders who actively assist the firm with its successful and growing investment portfolio.  SEED ROUND. Plug and Play participates in seed round investing through a program called Startup Camp. Startup Camp is a 10-week program based in Silicon Valley for top-notch entrepreneurs to work intensively on building out their business model. Select startups will refine their business models and prototypes with help from a combination of structured workshops, speaker series and mentorship sessions, as well as active coaching from their investment team. At the culmination of Startup Camp, founders will have crystalized their business plans and pitched their company to the venture capital community at EXPO Demo Day.''  ANGEL ROUND Plug and Play makes angel round investments throughout the year, sourced from their monthly Plug and Play Angels (PAPA) sessions. They are partnered with local angel investors in Silicon Valley who participate in PAPA to find the most promising startups and best new technologies.  SERIES A. Series A typical Series A round is in the range of $2 million to $10 million, and is intended to provide operating capital for the company for six months to two years. This round capitalizes the company as it develops its products, performs initial marketing and branding, acquires talent, and conducts other early-stage business operations. It is in this stage that Plug and Play will co-invest with over 180 venture capital partners.  Plug and Play has helped grow market leaders such as PayPal, Danger, Google, DropBox, LendingClub, Zoosk, SoundHound, CreditSesame, Skytree, and has over 400 more early-stage startups in its portfolio.

Plug and Play

LeFrak is a preeminent, family-owned property company committed to community development and long-term ownership. Its investments are geographically diverse and span many business sectors. It has significant investments in securities, private businesses, and energy.

LeFrak

Red House is an independent advisory firm that provides strategy, finance, and capital raising support to small and medium-sized businesses. The company's focus is on serving clients in the food and beverage and hospitality industries, with food service, e-commerce, and wholesale operations.

Red House

Founded in 2016, Fifth Wall, a Certified B Corporation, is the largest venture capital firm focused on technology for the global real estate industry. With approximately $3.0 billion in commitments and capital under management, Fifth Wall connects many of the world's largest owners and operators of real estate with the entrepreneurs who are redefining the future of the Built World. Fifth Wall is backed by a global mix of more than 90 strategic limited partners (LPs) from more than 15 countries, including BNP Paribas Real Estate, British Land, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, Host Hotels & Resorts, Kimco Realty Corporation, Lennar, Lowe's Home Improvement, Marriott International, MetLife Investment Management, Related Companies, Starwood Capital, Toll Brothers, and others. Fifth Wall believes this consortium represents one of the largest groups of potential partners in the global Built World ecosystem, which can result in transformational investments and collaborations with promising portfolio companies. For more information about Fifth Wall, its LPs, and portfolio, visit www.fifthwall.com.

Fifth Wall

VERO Leasing

VERO eliminates application fraud and automates the screening and leasing of residential applicants. It offers an innovative management platform that provides a clear picture of applicants. The platform enables lead to lease in less than one day, providing unprecedented efficiency to renters, owners, and operators. VERO's patent-pending technology verifies critical applicant metrics, resulting in a quick leasing decision. VERO's modern leasing infrastructure assists customers in tracking and closing more deals, resulting in more income with less headache. The company was founded in 2018 and is based in New York, New York.

VERO operates a leasing management platform that simplifies and streamline the leasing process for property managers and renters, particularly within the multifamily housing segment. The platform enables property managers to automate workflows, starting from the initial tenant screening to signing leases and retaining tenants. The platform also allows property managers to use machine learning tools to generate real-time insights on current and prospective renters. From the renters’ point of view, the platform permits individuals to submit lease applications, track application progress, and sign leases. The company claims that its platform enables users to apply and sign a lease agreement within 17 minutes, compared to the industry average of seven days. As of June 2021, property management firms served by the company included LeFrak, Stonehenge, Alfred, and First Service Residential.

Property owners and real estate companies are able to handle larger portfolios while offering faster and cheaper services.

Residential PropTech

VERO

VERO operates a leasing management platform that simplifies and streamline the leasing process for property managers and renters, particularly within the multifamily housing segment. The platform enables property managers to automate workflows, starting from the initial tenant screening to signing leases and retaining tenants. The platform also allows property managers to use machine learning tools to generate real-time insights on current and prospective renters. From the renters’ point of view, the platform permits individuals to submit lease applications, track application progress, and sign leases. The company claims that its platform enables users to apply and sign a lease agreement within 17 minutes, compared to the industry average of seven days. As of June 2021, property management firms served by the company included LeFrak, Stonehenge, Alfred, and First Service Residential.Key customers and partnershipIn September 2023, VERO <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21657">partnered with RealPage </a>, a rental property management platform, to integrate its platform with RealPage and other leading property management platforms to streamline leasing processes, eliminate manual tasks, prevent bad debt, and enhance transparency in order to grow its platform’s reach.

Houzz is a platform connecting homeowners with vendors such as home improvement professionals, interior designers, and others. The platform gives opportunities to home improvement professionals to showcase their work and provide contact information so they can be reached by homeowners in need of such services. Over time, the company has also established an e-commerce marketplace for selling goods, such as furniture and others.&nbsp;In July 2024, the company upgraded its Houzz Pro 3D Floor Plan Tool to include multi-floor capabilities, allowing professionals to design and visualize multi-story buildings within the platform. This enhancement, part of the Houzz Pro suite, aimed to improve collaboration and communication between professionals and clients by offering a more comprehensive view of entire homes or multi-level commercial spaces. It also introduced AutoMate, a set of AI-powered tools integrated into Houzz Pro, designed to enhance efficiency for building, remodeling, and design professionals. Utilizing Houzz Vision AI technologies and GenAI models, AutoMate aimed to streamline workflows and improve productivity within the home improvement industry. Pricing details for this new feature were not disclosed.The company’s core business is to offer subscription plans to contractors and designers so they can list their services. The company offers its subscription in three different tiers: Starter, Essential, and Pro, priced at USD 85, USD 129, and USD 199 per month, respectively, excluding its Advertising package which costs USD 499 per month.Houzz was impacted negatively by the Covid-19 pandemic and had to lay off 155 employees (10% of the total) in April 2020. However, that was not the first layoff as it also let go of around 180 employees in January 2019 when the company stated that it was preparing for its IPO. The IPO is expected to be finalized in early 2022.In December 2021, Houzz acquired an Australian-based SaaS platform providing home construction planning and professional estimation tools through ConX. ConX’s tools were to be built into the end-to-end Houzz Pro offering to serve construction contractors better through the Houzz platform. It, therefore, allowed users of the Houzz platform to streamline the estimation process and efficiently manage workflow when undertaking home improvement projects.&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsThe company had over 65 million monthly as of August 2022.In July 2024, the company partnered with GreenSky, a financial technology company, to provide home improvement financing options. The partnership integrated GreenSky's home improvement loans into Houzz Pro's business and marketing management software. This collaboration aimed to empower builders and remodelers by providing them access to financing options, potentially helping them close more business deals.

Houzz

<div>
 
 DocuSign offers eSignature tools to facilitate the management of electronic agreements. These tools enable users to upload and send documents that require signatures, with other features such as checking the status, sending reminders, and storing documents online. The company offers its services to many sectors, including real estate, healthcare and insurance.&nbsp;
 
 
 For the real estate sector, DocuSign automates many transaction processes by providing electronic signing of documents, online notarizations, and a&nbsp; collaboration workspace for the relevant parties (buyers, sellers, agents, etc.). DocuSign claims it helps the property sector reduce paper costs and speeds up the process, while reporting that around 82% of documents sent through its platform get signed within a day.&nbsp;
 
 
 DocuSign has a specific plan for real estate purposes. The plan comes in three different tiers: Real Estate Starter, Real Estate, and Realtors, priced at USD 15, USD 45, and USD 35 per month, respectively.
 
 
 In May 2024, DocuSign 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/29171">
 announced its agreement to acquire
 </a>
 Lexion, a contract management platform, for USD 165 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments. Through this acquisition, DocuSign planned to leverage Lexion&rsquo;s AI-based contract management technology and expertise to strengthen its position in the Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM) space and enhance DocuSign&rsquo;s IAM platform capabilities.
 
 
 DocuSign went public in 2018 and was valued at around USD 4.4 billion at the time of its listing.
 
 
 For FY2024, DocuSign reported total revenue of USD 2.8 billion (up 10% YoY), compared to a total revenue of USD 2.5 billion recorded for FY2023. The company reported a non-GAAP net income of USD 622.9 million for FY2023, compared to a non-GAAP net income of USD 418.9 million recorded a year ago.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 As of January 2024, the company had over 1 billion worldwide users since 2003 and over 1.5 million paying customers.
 
</div>

DocuSign

HomeLight initially started as an agent matching platform for home buyers and sellers, but has expanded its product portfolio to provide title and escrow, home estimation, home loans, and other services.For the agent matching service, buyers and sellers answer online questionnaires to determine their specific needs. The platform then uses an algorithm to crunch historical transaction data to find the most suitable agents in its database, which included over 30,000 agents as of July 2024. The platform typically lists up to three agents for buyers/sellers to select from and offers a consultation service to refine the selection further and ensure clients get the most suitable agents.HomeLight also provides a trade-in service, where it will guarantee to pay a certain price for the client’s current home. This way, clients do not need to worry about home sale contingency (a new home transaction is contingent on the sale of an existing home) when they want to purchase a new home. In addition, clients will get additional cash (less any selling-related costs and trade-in fees) if HomeLight can sell their old homes in the market for more than the guaranteed prices (i.e., clients can get the full market value).The platform is available for free to buyers and sellers, but the agent matching service charges a standard referral fee of 25% to the gross commission of agents when they get selected. The platform stated that its recommendations are transparent and based solely on the agents’ performance metrics. In August 2020, HomeLight acquired a transaction management tool, Disclosures.io, that enables real estate professionals to manage transactions as well as market and sell homes in one place. In June 2022, HomeLight acquired Accept, a property financing platform, for an undisclosed amount. Through the acquisition, HomeLight leveraged Accept’s tech-based mortgage solution to offer clients a contingency-free transaction and provide homebuyers with pre-qualified mortgages to facilitate cash offers.The company expected its revenue to exceed USD 300 million in 2021, triple that of 2020. HomeLight’s Cash Offer, the service that allows homebuyers to make upfront cash offers through its certified agents, grew by 500% YoY in transaction volume and achieved USD 3 billion in combined referred transaction value with Accept.Inc in Q1 2022.Key customers and partnershipsAs of September 2021, the company had served over one million customers.

HomeLight

<div>
 
 Porch operates a home services platform. In the business-to-consumer (B2C) segment, Porch provides an online marketplace that connects homeowners with home improvement professionals (e.g. appliance repair, electricians, plumbers, etc.). The company states that it works with two out of every three homebuyers in the US every month. The company also offers home moving and handyman services, as well as home and auto insurance. It&nbsp;
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25523">
 launched RynohVerifi
 </a>
 , a fraud warning tool aimed to offer fraud protection for title and escrow companies in January 2024.
 
 
 In the business-to-business (B2B) segment, the company provides home inspection software and home moving software for home service companies. Porch has formed partnerships with many leading companies across a number of verticals, including real estate companies, home inspection companies, retail companies, home warranty companies, and others.
 
 
 Although the company&rsquo;s core focus has been home improvement and repair services, Porch has also made notable acquisitions to branch out into new segments. In January 2021, the company acquired Homeowners of America (home insurance provider) for USD 100 million, V12 Data (omnichannel marketing data solution provider) for USD 22 million, and Palm-Tech (home-inspection software company) and iRoofing (roofing app for contractors) for undisclosed amounts.
 
 
 In July 2020, Porch announced a merger with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), PropTech Acquisition Corporation, through which the company would go public. The merger was finalized in December 2020, and the company began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker &lsquo;PRCH&rsquo;, raising a total of more than USD 322 million at a valuation of over USD 1 billion.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 For FY2023, Porch reported 56% YoY growth in total revenue to USD 430.3 million, compared to USD 275.9 million recorded in FY2022. Adjusted EBITDA loss for FY2023 amounted to USD 44.5 million (translating to an adjusted EBITDA margin of -10%), compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of USD 49.6 million recorded a year ago (translating to an adjusted EBITDA margin of -18%).
 
</div>

Porch

​​Mynd operates a platform for individual investors (i.e individual landlords) of Single Family Rental (SFR) properties that provides full-service property management (mostly to individual owners) using digital leasing with 3D tours, self-showings, tenant screening, tenant and owner portals, financial reporting, electronic rent collection, repairs and maintenance, a dedicated portfolio manager, and 24/7 emergency support.The company claims the platform has reduced leasing times and generated high-quality tenants with low delinquency for its users. One advantage of using Mynd is that the company provides a guarantee of up to USD 5,000 when 1) tenants fail to pay rent, 2) damage to the properties beyond the normal wear and tear, and 3) tenants cannot pay and get evicted. The company has different subscription fees for various cities. The company’s pricing for its full service without guarantees ranges from USD 69 - 99 per month, while its prices range between USD 99 - 199 per month with the inclusion of guarantees.As of August 2024, the company managed over 18,000 homes and USD 6 billion worth of assets under management, spanning over 27 markets across Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.In June 2024, Mynd <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/30124">merged with</a> <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/354173">Roofstock</a>, a real estate investment platform focused on SFRs, to offer users integrated property investment and management offerings. Through this merger, Mynd planned to provide real estate investors with an integrated investment and rental management platform, offer analytical insights on SFRs, and support buying and selling decisions.

Mynd

Tools for automating property lease management workflow processes. Some startups handle the entire leasing process while others only handle part of the process (e.g., rent collection). Leasing tools for agents are included here.

These tools automate the property appraisal process. Appraisals are generally required by lenders before originating mortgages to buyers.

Tools for title and escrow, as well as transaction management;
1) Title and Escrow: These platforms provide settlement and closing services. They cover a variety of tools, such as, title search and examination, automated generation of closing disclosure, online notarization, automated fund disbursements using electronic cheques, etc. 
2) Transaction Management: These platforms generally enable various users (agents, buyers, sellers) to manage real estate transactions more efficiently. They bring all users and tools together onto a single platform to complete tasks like electronic signatures, seller disclosure forms, etc.

These tools essentially help agents in buying and selling activities, such as generating and managing leads, getting referrals, and searching for suitable homes for clients.

These platforms handle activities related to home maintenance and improvements. They either provide the services themselves or simply connect clients to vendors.

Companies that offer tools that allow renters or buyers to view homes without visiting the sites.

Companies that offer an online platform to match buyers and sellers of residential real estate properties.

Allows real estate agents to create 3D virtual tours for properties

Uses AI/ML to support property related tasks such as rental payments and spatial data capturing

Uses GenAI to help customers navigate listings, enhance marketing content, and automate communications

Transaction closing tools that use the blockchain to facilitate title and escrow services

Vero, a rental property management platform, has formed a partnership with RealPage, another property management platform. The purpose of this alliance is to integrate Vero's platform with RealPage and other top property management platforms. The aim of the partnership is to simplify the leasing processes, automate tasks, reduce bad debt, and improve transparency in order to expand the reach of Vero's platform.

VERO

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