This week's funding and investment roundup starts in Europe, where the German market leader is soaking up real estate data at a rapid pace...
German real estate giant has acquired the real estate developer database provider Exploreal for an undisclosed sum.
Exploreal provides data on upcoming construction projects in Austria. According to Immoflash, the company's founder Alexander Bosak will remain in charge of Exploreal, while co-founder Matthias Grosse is understood to have left the business.
Markus Dejmek, Austria boss of ImmoScout24, told Immoflash:
"Scout24 has taken over 100 percent of the shares in Exploreal and is pursuing the strategy of continuously developing ImmoScout24 beyond an advertising platform and building a comprehensive ecosystem for all customer groups. In addition, our customers will benefit from better data in all our products in the future."
This deal adds another string to Scout24's 'data bow'; the business bought German real estate data provider Bulwiengesa in December.
Scout24's parent company ImmoScout24 has entered a partnership with the revolutionary AI virtual staging startup Proptexx.
This collaboration brings AI-driven virtual staging and refurnishing solutions to ImmoScout24’s platform, revolutionizing how homebuyers and renters explore and personalize properties online using Proptexx's industry-leading virtual home staging widget.
ImmoScout24 users can now interact with property listings like never before, visualizing homes with tailored furniture, decor styles, and room configurations.
Stephen Molloy, Vice President of Product at ImmoScout24, said:
"Our collaboration with PropTexx on the AI-powered image gallery allows our users to imagine properties in ways never before possible—with personalized staging that resonates emotionally and visually. We are very happy with the results of this feature, which is driving up our user engagement on the platform."
Joshua Lamerton, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at PropTexx, said:
"Working with such an innovative and forward-thinking team has been both inspiring and transformative. Together, we’re introducing immersive, interactive tools that fundamentally change how people connect with their future homes. And this is just the start—we’re paving the way for a new era in home discovery and personalization.
"This isn’t just about adding another feature to a website. It’s about reinventing how people engage with real estate online—creating a personal, interactive, and inspiring journey that deepens the emotional connection with listings. When people can see a home as their own, it’s a transformative experience.
The Denmark-based curated holiday rentals platform Landfolk has acquired Danitalia as part of an expansion into Italy.
The acquisition added more than 130 holiday homes to Landfolk's 3000-strong portfolio of hand-picked properties in Scandinavia and Germany.
Danitalia boss Elisabeth Hjorth has become country manager for Italy in the process.
Christian Schwarz Lausten, CEO at Landfolk, said:
"We’re delighted to welcome Danitalia to the Landfolk family and to take our first step into the Italian market. Italy has always been a dream destination for travellers, including our own guests, who have shown a clear interest in authentic and unique Italian homes.
"This acquisition not only brings Italy into our portfolio but also marks an exciting moment for Landfolk as we explore mergers and acquisitions as a strategic growth lever. Together with Elisabeth, we’re excited to build something extraordinary in Italy."
Online Marketplaces interviewed Schwarz Lausten in September 2024. Read it in full here.
Spanish language publication El Español has reported that the iBuying startup Tiko is close to bankruptcy.
El Español says Tiko has outstanding debts of circa €2 million and is in the process of appointing a bankruptcy administrator after submitting pre-bankruptcy proceedings for itself and its subsidiary Housell, which it acquired in 2024.
Tiko pivoted its model slightly towards becoming a brokerage in 2024—founder Sina Afra told Online Marketplaces himself—but now it appears the strategic change hasn't paid off...
KE Holdings has terminated the agreement to acquire the home renovations firm Space Wisdom Decoration.
According to Yicai, KE Holdings withdrew from the deal because of "the uncertainty of reaching delivery conditions and other factors".
Yicai went on to say:
KE first announced the acquisition of Space Wisdom on Oct. 11 last year, with Beike Meijia penning a deal to buy a 98 percent stake for about CNY1.6 billion (USD219 million).
The termination was fair and reasonable and in the interest of Ke and its shareholders without affecting the firm's business or financial situation, according to the board of directors.
The real estate giant already holds a 2% stake in Space Wisdom via its subsidiary Beike Meijia.
The Saudi Arabian proptech company Rize has secured a Series A funding round worth $35 million in equity and debt.
Investors, including Raed Ventures, Seedra Ventures, and Aqar (a Saudi Arabian real estate portal), took equity in the company. Partners For Growth, which provides flexible, asset-backed financing worldwide, provided debt.
Notably, Aqar already provides Rize's BNPL offer on its marketplace.
The firm says it will use the funds to establish a presence in Riyadh, the capital, and improve brand recognition.
Rize provides tenants in Saudi Arabia a significantly easier way of paying rent, where traditionally an entire year's worth of rent is paid upfront, or at least six months' worth.
Tenants use Rize to pay in 12 monthly instalments, with the proptech charging 15%+ as a service fee depending on the tenants' circumstances such as credit scores and the specifics of the tenancy agreement.
Mohamed Alfraihi, CTO at Rize, said:
"We have worked hard to develop our internal technologies to enable the automation process and make the rental experience smoother. This investment round is a significant step to enhance our technologies and accelerate the company’s growth."
Fractional real estate specialist Micro Mitti has raised INR900 million ($10.4 million) from several investors, including high-net-worth individuals from Indore, its home city.
Micro Mitti says it will use the majority of the money to fund project developments in Indore, with the rest reserved for improving the firm's proptech platform with a special focus on AI-driven analytics.
Micro Mitti, founded in 2023, operates a unique model to facilitate the fractional ownership of real estate in India, developing self-funded real estate projects, collaborating with architects, securing regulatory clearance, and listing the properties through a private-placement, fractional ownership program. The startup has already launched a U.S. subsidiary.
Manoj Dhanotiya, Founder and CEO at Micro Mitti, said:
"This funding marks a significant milestone for MicroMitti and highlights the trust and confidence of Indore’s business community in our vision. The capital raised will fuel the expansion of our proptech platform, with a focus on AI-driven analytics and automation, while also supporting large-scale real estate developments aimed at generating long-term wealth."
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