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CHICAGO (February 24, 2020) - Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors®, announced Monday plans to expand the REACH Accelerator program to Canada.
The award-winning REACH accelerator aims to recruit and accelerate the most promising new technologies in the real estate industry and nurture their success around the world. Canada’s long history as a birthplace of widely adopted real estate technologies across North America, its proximity to the U.S., similarity of market structure and relatively low cost of development make it ideally suited as the next region for expansion.
“With over 130,000 REALTORS® and a number of shared interests within the Canadian and U.S. real estate markets, it was only natural for NAR’s REACH accelerator program to expand into Canada,” said Bob Goldberg, CEO of the National Association of Realtors®, and President of Second Century Ventures. “We are excited to be able to add to the list of impressive companies that have graduated from the program, and we’re eager to discover the mark they will leave on real estate throughout North America.”
REACH Canada will be led by Lynette Keyowski, veteran real estate executive and avid proponent for innovation in the real estate industry. “I am thrilled to be joining the global REACH family under the exceptional leadership at Second Century Ventures. Building on the expertise and proven track record of the REACH Accelerator in the U.S. and now Australia, Canadian proptech companies will have an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate their growth and capitalize on the rapid revolution of the global proptech landscape, in close conjunction with the REALTOR® community,” Keyowski said. “Based in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, the REACH Canada team is eager to open applications in late May.”
Canada represents the second region of global expansion for the award-winning REACH program, which launched the first REACH® Australia class in December 2019.
“We are thrilled to continue expansion of the REACH program and have immense confidence in Lynette’s leadership in the Canadian real estate marketplace and beyond,” said Dave Garland, Managing Partner of Second Century Ventures. “On the heels of growth in the Commercial marketplace with REACH Commercial, and with the debut of REACH Australia, our continued expansion to Canada furthers our mission to increase the depth of our global network of industry professionals, strategic partners, investors, mentors and innovators responsible for delivering rapid and transformative change in all sectors of real estate.”
Applications for REACH Canada will open in late May. For more information or to sign up to be notified when applications open, visit www.narreach.com.
About REACH
REACH is a unique real estate technology accelerator created by Second Century Ventures, a strategic technology investment fund backed by the National Association of Realtors®, which leverages the association’s more than 1.4 million members and an unparalleled network of executives within real estate and adjacent industries. The REACH Accelerator program helps technology companies launch into the real estate vertical and its adjacent markets. The program provides education, mentorship and market exposure to one of the world’s largest industries. For more on REACH, visit www.narreach.com.
The National Association of Realtors® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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