Many proptech startups are mushrooming with an aim to transform and evolve the sector. Earlier this month, Belgium-based investment platform AMAVI Capital raised funds for its new pan-European proptech Fund.
And today, with the initiative from Noshaq and finance&invest.brussels, a new proptech fund called the Rise PropTech Fund has been launched. It’s a €20M proptech fund aimed at supporting the property and construction sectors.
Use of the capital
Rise PropTech Fund aims to support the transformation of the construction and property sector, by attracting promising young companies, while promoting partnerships, and synergies with existing players. It focuses on specific priorities in response to the real issues facing the sector.
Sound partners
Rise PropTech Fund is a new Belgian risk capital fund dedicated to proptech startups. Provided with €12M for its first closing, this new fund will exceed €20M in 2022, with Frédéric Driessens and Gaëtan Baudelet (Noshaq) at the helm, together with Jérôme Constant (TheNextDay).
These experienced and complementary managers have expertise in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation, in addition to supporting/funding startups and property development.
Gaëtan Baudelet, Rise PropTech Fund partner, says, “The Rise PropTech Fund management team also has active support from a wide range of players and decision-makers within the construction and property sector.”
Besides Noshaq and finance&invest.brussels, the team includes partners including, Abacus Group (Matexi), Ardent Invest, Balteau Group, Eloy Group, the Knauf family, the Moury group, Noshaq Immo, and Uhoda Group.
Rise PropTech Fund’s European vision
The aim is to invest in about 10 startups that are working and have the potential to improve the PropTech sector in Europe in the near future. The targets will be startups at late Seed & Series A stage. Over the next few years, Rise PropTech Fund aims to invest in 2 – 3 projects per year, mainly in the Benelux countries, the DACH region, and France.
The investment would be between €0.5M – €3M in several financing rounds. The fund focuses mainly on startups that are active in sectors, such as artificial intelligence, intelligent buildings, Big Data, the circular economy, sustainability, the IoT, construction technologies/processes, design/construction solutions, property management tools, etc.
These strategic objectives are combined with a firm commitment to financing startups that meet the ESG criteria (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) as part of their approach towards the construction and property market.
Driessens, adds, “The construction and property sectors have a major environmental and social impact, which affects us all in our everyday lives. For this reason, we want to invest in these startups, which take these consequences into consideration when developing their solutions.”
About Rise PropTech Fund
Rise PropTech Fund intends to position itself as a high value-added investment fund, which aims to significantly accelerate the commercial growth and performance of the companies that it supports.
Jérôme Constant, Rise PropTech Fund partner says, “As well as providing funding, we give the startups in our portfolio an opportunity to gain direct access to decision-makers in the sector, in order to test, improve and market their solutions more rapidly and effectively. This access is greatly valued by the startups, with which we are already in discussion.”
The hybrid fund is backed by a large base of complementary private and institutional groups, all of which are active in the industry. Its unique approach: the fund combines financial solidity with a 360° approach in order to accelerate the growth of companies within its portfolio.
01
From port to startup fort: How Lars Crama is ‘Making it Happen’ in Rotterdam