NAR’s REach Program Names its 2019 Lineup of Tech Innovators
An online rental pool for staging and design items. An ROI-focused renovation specialist that collects payment upon closing. An open house app that improves agent security.
These are a sampling of the innovators named by Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors®, to its 2019 REach® Class. REach is a growth technology accelerator program helping launch companies into the real estate, financial services, banking, home services and insurance industries.
The REach accelerator focuses on providing early- to mid-stage companies with access to NAR’s industry expertise, influence and key relationships as businesses launch into the trillion-dollar real estate space. The vertical focus within real estate industries and the growth stage at which most companies enter the program make Second Century Ventures unique compared to other accelerators.
“As the real estate industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, Second Century Ventures has positioned NAR at the forefront of the emerging technology landscape,” said Bob Goldberg, NAR’s CEO. “REach continues to recruit and accelerate the most promising new technology companies through education, mentorship and market exposure efforts, driving industry innovation and our ability to deliver new technology to our members.”
The companies chosen for the 2019 class are:
- Amarki: A seamless, automated marketing platform that helps real estate professionals integrate their favorite systems in one place;
- Curbio: Helps agents deliver exceptional results for home sellers through ROI-focused, pay-at-close renovations;
- Evocalize: A platform that makes sophisticated digital marketing simple, and helps brokerages and agents collaborate to generate demand when and where it’s needed;
- Kleard: Kleard is a safety and productivity app that provides real-time verification for open houses and showings;
- RateMyAgent: A digital marketing tool designed to help agents easily collect, share and promote verified client feedback;
- reConsortia: An open, crowdsourced referral consortium that builds transparency, enhances professionalism and provides an improved customer experience; and
- Staging & Design Network: The first-ever online shared rental pool for home furnishings built for the real estate and home staging communities.
“The future of our industry is increasingly dependent on fast, seamless adoption of technology that benefits homebuyers, sellers and investors at every step of a real estate transaction. Companies accepted to the REACH® program are positioned for rapid growth within the real estate, finance and home services spaces, which will help them expand into other verticals and benefit the overall real estate industry,” said Mark Birschbach, NAR’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Business, Innovation & Technology.
Hundreds of applications are received annually. Those chosen for the program have demonstrated solid business models, executable business plans and significant potential to influence our nation’s economy. Program participants can expect significant results, as past classes have, on average, doubled their customer base and collectively raised over $300 million in financing following acceptance.
REach is a unique strategic accelerator created by Second Century Ventures, a strategic technology investment fund backed by the National Association of Realtors®, which leverages the association’s more than 1.3 million members and an unparalleled network of executives within real estate and adjacent industries. The REach Accelerator program helps technology companies launch into the real estate vertical and its adjacent markets. The nine-month program provides education, mentorship and market exposure. For more on REACH®, visit www.narreach.com.
