TRIBUS has a track record of success in investment in early-stage real estate technology startups. We seek to provide aggressive growth for the company both in terms of product potential as well as sales. The real estate industry is not as easy to succeed in as it may look. Some investors see 1.5 million Realtors (and more than 2 million real estate agents) and envision quick riches. For most companies entering the real estate space, there isn’t a path to a hundred million dollar-plus company. However, there is lots of room for multi-million dollar companies with quick exits, or that become quickly profitable. The real estate technology world involves long-term relationship building with the various facets of the transaction, including agents, brokers, Realtor associations, MLSs, mortgage, and title.
When assessing a company we look at four options:
- Acquire – For the right company and team, TRIBUS looks to do acquisitions that bolster its product offerings. Typically, these companies provide a service that would allow brokers to grow.
- Advisory – When first engaging with a company, we typically start as an advisor. Our team digs deep into the company to learn what it needs to grow. Sometimes that involves assistance from our product and design teams, other times it means help from our sales group. We spend days with the founder or founders to really learn what their goals are and everything we can do to help them succeed.
- Invest for hyper growth – Some companies, with grand ideas that are more than a single product, fit into this category. At TRIBUS, we help companies to get their ideas set, avoid landmines, and then prepare for large-scale growth. Typically, we help put them in a position to best succeed in terms of raising additional capital and getting mass adoption.
- Invest for profitability – Most of the companies we invest in obtain profitability within the first year of the business operating. Leveraging our network effect of large brokerages with hundreds of thousands of closed transactions per year, we help put the company in a position to succeed quickly.
We’ve had successful exits in the past, like when one of our portfolio companies, Retsly, sold to Zillow for an undisclosed sum after operating for just seven months. We’ve also helped founders build quickly profitable companies like MapTrack.
If you’re interested in learning more, please contact Eric Stegemann at 312.957.8834
Disclosure:
The purpose of this page is to provide you with information on TRIBUS and our investments. This page is not intended to constitute an offer, or solicitation, to purchase or sell any security, other asset or service or provide investment advice or an offer to provide such advice.
