Moderne Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on early stage investments in real estate, finance, insurance and home services, today announced its 2018 Passport Class, a group of technology companies selected to participate in a seven-month immersion program offering “mentorship, pilot opportunities and even investment and acquisition potential for participants,” according to the program website.
The Passport Program was launched in May for technology companies of all stages and sizes who need help connecting with a wider consumer base and access to industry leaders, including the 400 corporations and executives who make up the “Moderne Network.” Companies must apply to be considered.
“These companies are breaking boundaries for the commercial and residential real estate industries with smart tech, business automation and platform solutions that are solving real business challenges for the industry, and outside it, to better service clients and increase transactional efficiencies,” Moderne Ventures founder and managing partner Constance Freedman told Inman. “The new Passport Companies have already raised over $50 million in outside capital coming into the program from some of the top strategic and venture investors anywhere. We are excited to help these companies continue to grow, innovate and create value for the industry,” Freedman said.
The 2018 Passport Class includes:
- Auctio, a B2B referral management and tracking platform
- Beaconhome, a smart home startup
- Bodega, a controversial “micro-store” startup
- Covered, an insurance startup
- Envoy, an on-demand transportation startup
- Homesnap, a mobile platform for real estate agents
- Leaselock, a rental fee program that eliminates security deposits
- Nova, a credit history reporting startup
- TransitScreen, providing real-time transit information
- Track, a way for real estate professionals to do taxes
Moderne Ventures, founded by Freedman in 2015, is a “broadened vision” of Second Century Ventures and REach, a fund and accelerator Freedman created for The National Association of Realtors, that invested early in real estate giants such as DocuSign, SmartZip, Updater, BombBomb and the August Smart Lock.