Investment and Funding Roundup: CoStar Group, Landeed, Cian

This week's investment and funding roundup starts with an interesting partnership in the UK that will see American #2 CoStar Group get a foot in the door of the United Kingdom's commercial real estate sector...

United Kingdom: CoStar Group signs partnership deal with U.K. commercial property consultancy

American real estate giant CoStar Group continues to deepen its footprint in the United Kingdom after announcing a deal with Chandler Garvey, a U.K. consultancy that focuses on commercial property in Thames Valley, Buckinghamshire.

Under the terms of the agreement, Chandler Garvey will gain access to LoopNet and CoStar’s real estate data and analytics data, including property values, market conditions, and occupancy levels.

In return, CoStar will increase its market penetration for its data services and its commercial property marketplace subsidiary LoopNet.

Andy Florance, founder and CEO of CoStar Group, said:

"We are committed to supporting our clients’ growth plans by providing them with the sector-leading insights, tools and far-reaching online marketplaces they need to secure competitive advantage."

Joanna Kearvell, director at Chandler Garvey, said:

"We are keen to market our properties to a wide audience and benefit from the investment CoStar has made into the platform and are looking forward to making full use of the full functionality that CoStar offers and advertising our properties on LoopNet."

Florance told Online Marketplaces in a 2023 interview that no real estate portal has effectively penetrated the commercial sector in Europe to the same extent that CoStar has in the United States. This deal takes CoStar one step closer to realizing that ambition in the United Kingdom.

Europe: Cian releases shareholding information before flotation

The Russian portal Cian has released its current shareholder structure ahead of its expected flotation in Russia, according to Interfax.

Under the name Cian Technology Ltd, the portal operator has registered a prospectus with the Bank of Russia, with 36.9% of Cian controlled by Elbrus Capital founder Dmitry Kryukov.

7.95% is owned by Cian founder Dmitry Demin, and 6.26% by former head of Cian Maxim Melnikov. 30.06% of shares are directly owned by the subsidiary Cian Investments Limited, while circa 10% of shares are reserved for employee incentive programs.

Cian was previously listed on the New York Stock Exchange but was delisted in 2022 when Russia was sanctioned by the United States in the immediate aftermath of the Ukraine invasion. The firm then filed for re-domiciliation in Russia in August 2024, and is now undergoing the final steps to relist itself.

Asia: Indian proptech Landeed raised $5 million

Landeed, an India-based property title search engine platform, has raised circa $5 million in early-stage funding from investors including 10x Founders Fund, Paradigm Shift, Pioneer Fund, and angel investors.

Landeed, founded in 2022, specializes in standardized property-documentation retrieval systems for stakeholders who need access to core documentation surrounding property purchases.

The firm says it will use the funds to establish Landeed Labs, a division focused on enhancing its AI and ML capabilities.

Sanjay Mandava, Co-founder and CEO of Landeed, said

"AI and machine learning are not just buzzwords; they are tools we have been using extensively to rewrite how property ownership works in India. With Landeed Labs, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in property transactions. AI and machine learning aren’t optional for us—they’re the backbone for everything you will see in our products going forward.

"We still have the majority of our funds from our seed round in the bank account. So, you’ll see us relentlessly shipping new products and firing on all cylinders. We never do what we do to be second best."

The startup raised a seed round of $8.3 million in January 2023.