DISCLOSURE: I am personally invested in this firm.
Firm Overview:
Over the last 2.5 years and at a cost approaching $6m, a team of real estate and tech experts – including the former MD of LinkedIn Europe; Former MD at AIG Global real estate; Real estate principals at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and General Motors, the former publisher of Inc and Fast company magazine and others – built the first effective on-line B2B marketplace for real estate professionals, called RealConnex.www.realconnex.com
The platform connects these professionals to Capital, Investments and Services, at a fraction of the cost and in ways never possible before.
FOI Peer Insights Report Interview with Roy Abrams
Sometimes referred to as “Match meets LinkedIn for Real Estate Professionals”, RealConnex translates all the sensitive’s, confidentialities and methods of the off-line deal making and networking into to an identical and powerful online solution. The result; More deals, much faster and at a fraction of the cost.
The site launched in November 2014. Key highlights.
- 35 staff
- A robust and advanced technology
- Targeting 700,00 members and $40m EBITDA by year 3
- Over $10B in RE investor funds and $700 million of sponsors deals are already registered on the site
- Members already include many of the nation’s leading Developers, Investors, Lenders, Advisors and other professional
- A marketing partnership with Google was signed in January 2015
- Significant sponsors and industry partnerships in place
- A $100m equity fund launched by backers to deploy in deals listed on the site
- China office opens in Q3 2015.
The Company aims to emerge as the largest aggregation of real estate professionals in the world within 36 months.
The Opportunity
Learn what is happening in the Real Tech (Real estate technology) marketplace – considered by TechCrunch to be the hottest sectors on the technology landscape. Hear how this new category will fundamentally disrupt the way developers find capital and services and how investors find investment opportunities and partners.
At the same time you will also be introduced to RealConnex and have the opportunity to invest in their ‘pre B’ round, as they prepare for their final ‘B’ round (due in in Q3/4 2015) before an IPO or other exit event.
Executive Bios:
Roy Abrams – CEO
Tech Entrepreneur and Real Estate Developers. A 25 year career leading blue chip software and internet companies before becoming a real estate developer in 2006. Formerly with Lotus Development / IBM, CEO of TurboCAD, CEO LBI/Aspect Group; CEO GPI Group, a multinational real estate development and Investment organization
Jim Ellsworth (AIG) – COO
Investor and Real Estate professional. Formerly MD and member of Investment Committee of AIG Real Estate Funds and advisor to Fortress; Portfolio manager at TC, M&A at Merrill Lynch, Senior Consultant Price Waterhouse.
Joseph Stecher – Institutional Capital Markets
Chief Capitals Markets Revenue Officer: Formerly Principal Real Estate Investor at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and General Motors Asset Management
Kevin Eyres – Advisor
Kevin was formerly, Managing Director Europe – LinkedIn and Kayak and now a renowned angel investor and mentor
Gary Mirkin –Strategic Alliances
Former Publisher of INC Magazine, Fast Company Magazine, Formerly a senior executive at Dow Jones & Co., Barron’s, McGraw-Hill BusinessWeek, American Lawyer Media in charge of all publications, digital media and events.
RSVP deadline is past