Real estate brokerage and franchise giant Realogy Holdings Corp. has selected 15 emerging technology companies from about 100 that applied to compete for a $25,000 cash prize at the Realogy FWD Innovation Summit. The companies selected to present their most innovative new real estate technology products or services on Tuesday, June 18, at Realogy’s Madison, N.J., headquarters are:
- BuyerMLS: a real-time buyer marketplace for agents.
- Floored: interactive 3-D models of all types of real estate.
- HomeLight: a new way for consumers to find a real estate agent.
- HomeZada: software that helps homeowners organize and manage their home.
- Keyzio: a consumer marketplace where every house is for sale.
- Lumentus Social: makes social media easy and effective for brokers and agents.
- MyCityWay: a consumer app that provides a live view into more than 100 cities.
- Onvedeo: powers videos for real estate listings.
- Planwise: technology that allows people to visualize and understand financial decisions.
- Relocality: a neighborhood discovery tool that uses social data to provide recommendations.
- RealScout: a full-featured search portal for homebuyers and agents.
- Realty Mogul: a marketplace for investors to pool money and buy shares of property.
- Storefront: an online marketplace for short-term retail space.
- StreetAdvisor: a content creation and social engagement platform for real estate companies.
- Updater: helps buyers seamlessly update all of their accounts with the new address.
The Realogy FWD Innovation Summit is one of several opportunities for startups and emerging technology companies in real estate.
Last year, the National Association of Realtors announced a “tech accelerator” program, REach, overseen by Second Century Ventures, NAR’s strategic investment arm. The seven companies selected for the program’s first year — BombBomb, Lumentus, Planwise, Reach150, Treater, Updater and Workface — will reportedly pay up to $25,000 to participate, gaining exposure and guidance from a group of more than 140 mentors and feedback from about 500 Realtor product testers.
Inman News has launched an initiative, the Inman Incubator, that’s intended to serve as a launchpad for innovative real estate companies including technology startups, brokerages, agents, service providers and mortgage lenders. The Inman Incubator program will provide yearlong mentoring, $100,000 of in-kind promotion, and valuable connections and resources for up to 25 promising companies.
What do you think of real estate-focused technology incubators and accelerators? Leave your comments below.