Second Century Ventures
One of the Second Century Initiatives announced by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® in 2007 was the creation of an entity to fund new technology ventures that hold promise for helping real estate practitioners. That initiative was fulfilled this year with the launch of Second Century Ventures (SCV), the venture capital fund which was fully capitalized by NAR. SCV focuses on partnering with companies that offer new technology endeavors to spur innovation in the real estate industry and, ultimately, to benefit its REALTOR® members by stimulating the creation of more transactions, increasing velocity of transactions, and helping them to be more productive/efficient and to improve the quality of their work.
Investment Themes and Investment Characteristics
Investment themes for SCV include:
- Information & Analytical Services — to facilitate informed real estate related decisions
- Transaction Focused Solutions — to improve efficiency
- Relationship Building — to increase relationships and communication among industry experts
- Front & Back Office Business Solutions
- Experience, Professionalism & Education — other offerings to increase value and experience among industry participants
Second Century Ventures primarily invests in real estate technology companies with the following characteristics:
- $2 - $30 Million in Revenue — with some exceptions, SCV will consider opportunities outside this range
- A Fit with NAR’s and its Members' Strategic Goals
- Market Leaders Poised for Growth
- Teams That Can Build World-Class Companies
Portfolio and Representative Investments
ePropertyData (ePD), a leader in Commercial Information Exchange (CIE) technology.
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ePropertyData is the leader in Commercial Information Exchange (CIE) technology. From researched sales and leases to online mapping and GIS information, ePD has a robust product offering and has become the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®' official operator of www.CommercialSource.com, an online commercial real estate marketplace. |
An impetus for forming Second Century Ventures was past representative investments which served both NAR and its membership well. These investments include:
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Move, Inc., the leader in online real estate, operates the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® official consumer property listing Web site, REALTOR.com®, the #1 most visited homes-for-sale site1. The Move Network, including its flagship site REALTOR.com® lead the real estate vertical in traffic metrics and consumer engagement. Move's goal is to be the essential resource for consumers seeking the information and connections they need before, during and after a move. For over ten years, Move has been providing information and decision support tools for consumers looking for home and real estate-related information on the Internet, as well as marketing and business support tools for industry professionals. Visitors to Move's Web sites, have access to the most comprehensive selection of existing homes for sale, new homes, apartments for rent and senior housing. In addition to REALTOR.com®, its network of sites include:
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SentriLock provides the SentriLock's REALTOR® Electronic Lockbox to serve brokers and agents with its reliable and secure technology and outstanding customer service. It provides a value driven product that focuses on the true needs of the REALTORS® who use it every day. SentriLock has more than 300,000 lockboxes in use by almost 150,000 Agents from over 140 different Associations around the country. |
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ZipForm® streamlines the forms process and frees real estate professionals from repetitive paperwork. A vision of a mobile, more efficient agent able to access information quickly and easily; free to focus on the art of the deal. ZipForm® took that vision and created a suite of innovative products that has virtually transformed an industry. ZipForm® is the official forms software of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and a REALTOR Benefits® partner. ZipForm® offers MLS integration, association partnerships, special agent and broker tools and packages, desktop and online programs, TMS integration, online concierge services and electronic signatures. ZipForm® is a powerful, easy-to-use real estate contract software program that is helping real estate agents and brokers increase productivity while decreasing the amount of time spent doing paperwork. |
Learn more about Second Century Ventures.
Learn more about NAR's Second Century Initiatives.
