The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) REach® Technology Accelerator program has a clear mission: partner with growth-oriented companies looking to expand into and leverage the real estate market.
Each year, Second Century Ventures (SCV), the investment arm of NAR, chooses eight companies to participate in the program. Aside from an entrepreneurial spirit, NAR and SCV search specifically for companies that are benefitting consumers. The program includes NAR-provided mentorship, demo days and education, as well as a priceless association with the organization.
The 2018 REach® Class, announced in May, discussed their offerings at the 2018 REALTORS® Conference & Expo this month.
Active Pipe
“Like MailChimp on steroids, but specific to the real estate industry” is how Mike Feller, CRO of Active Pipe, described the company’s product. The email marketing software is intuitive and sleek, and just what agents need, as email is some 40 times better at generating new clients than social media.
BoxBrownie.com
BoxBrownie.com, led by co-founders Mel Myers and Brad Filliponi, is an Australian company that has taken off thanks to its selection of innovative photo editing products. They offer everything from standard photo editing and floor plans to clipping, CGI renders and custom edits at extremely low prices—all with a guaranteed 24-hour turnaround.
“BoxBrownie.com is Botox for your real estate photography,” said Myers.
Connect Now
“Real estate has afforded me the ability to raise my seven children,” said Stephanie Sullivan, mother and CEO of Connect Now. She created her product because she saw the industry average 15-hour wait time for agents to respond to listings, and decided she needed to create an intelligent solution. Connect Now is a real-time lead routing platform that enables instant connections between consumers and agents.
Glide
Based in San Francisco, Calif., Glide is marketed as the safest, most efficient way to complete official real estate disclosure forms such as the TDS, SPQ and AVID—and the company delivers. Sebastian Tonkin, CEO of Glide, said, “PDF isn’t exactly paperless; it’s basically a picture of a paper.” Glide reimagines real estate documentation as a digital-first design.
Hurdlr
Founded in 2011, Hurdlr tracks all income streams, expenses and tax deductions in real-time. Essentially automating agents’ financial goals, Hurdlr co-founder and CEO Raj Bhaskar describes the product as “the Fitbit for agents.” Some 30,000 REALTORS® already use Hurdlr, and, on average, have seen a 20 percent increase in productivity.
Quigler
“Quigler is not built by tech interlopers—no one is trying to replace you,” said David Michonski, CEO of Quigler. With Quigler, you have a real estate mentor and guide in the palm of your hand. According to the company’s mission statement, Quigler provides instant, immediate notifications via text or email messages every time an agent completes a required federal/state or ethical action, all time-stamped and dated, creating a running record.
RealKey
Buying or selling a home can be a painful process. There’s so much documentation needed by so many different parties that constant headaches can become the norm. That’s the problem that RealKey set out to solve. “We collect all documentation and see what can be eliminated, then send documents to the right places,” said Christopher Hussein, founder and CEO of RealKey.
zavvie
“Homebuyers are the ones that will pick today’s winners and losers, and tomorrow’s disruptors,” said Lane Hornung, founder and CEO of the Boulder, Colo.-based zavvie. “We’re all about hyperlocal.” The company connects top hyperlocal agents in the country with homebuyers and sellers that have been personally vetted by zavvie.
Continuing coverage of the REALTORS® Conference & Expo to come.
For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.
Jameson Doris is RISMedia’s blog and social media editor. Email him your real estate blog ideas at jdoris@rismedia.com. For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.
