Two UK online agencies in global list of top 50 to watch in 2018

Two UK online estate agencies have been named in a list of the world’s top 50 real estate start-ups to watch out for in 2018.

The list is compiled by YoStartups, an international company that works with start-ups, chiefly in the financial, agricultural and real estate sectors; the firm provides consultancy, content and technical assistance to firms, as well as help with pitching to investors. 

The firm is not involved with those named on its top 50 real estate list.

There are four UK entries in total. 

One is LendInvest, which specialises in property development finance including loans to investors; this firm is listed at number 4. Another UK entry is Appear Here, which is number 31 and is effectively a portal for retail space to be purchased or hired around the world.

The first of the two UK online agencies to make the cut is Nested at number 12.

Nested was launched a year ago and has raised around £50m in investment; it is an agency that provides sellers with what is effectively an advance of up to 97 per cent of their property’s value - they receive the rest when the property sells.

The seller can use the advance to buy their next home before selling their old one; meanwhile Nested markets the home. Nested describes itself as a company that “breaks property chains and gives vendors the same market power as cash-buyers.”

The second UK online agency in the top 50 is Yopa, at number 49.

In June 2016, Yopa raised £16m in funding from Grosvenor Hill Ventures, the proprietary investment arm of Savills, and last year attracted an additional £27m from LSL Property Servces and the Daily Mail General Trust. 

The full Yostartup list includes many real estate entries from the US, but also some from China, Brazil and elsewhere. You can see the list here.