MOTIVE, the Southwest’s only real estate-focused accelerator, kicked-off last month in Dallas with a roster of backers, and its inaugural class scheduled for Fall 2015. Selected real estate technology startups will receive capital, mentorship from some of the leading experts in real estate and technology, and be channeled through a rigorous program focused on customer and product development.
“Dallas is the best place in the world to innovate at the intersection of real estate and technology,” said John Backes, co-founder of the MOTIVE real estate accelerator fund. “Two of the top five real estate CRMs are based in Dallas. RealPage is here. CBRE, the number one Real Estate company in the world, has their Innovation Lab here. The JLL technology group has a major presence here. Trammell Crow is here. Dozens of startups are here, and we have an incredibly accessible investor community. Dallas real estate tech is one of the great untold stories in the country. We are going to change that.”
The project will be launched in late August, and is accepting applications at thisismotive.com for its first class.
“MOTIVE is an entrepreneur-first accelerator with a focus on customer development for early stage tech companies in the real estate sector,” said Backes. “Texas is the biggest technology exporter in the country, and we will be able to leverage extensive real estate, technology, and international industry networks.”
The MOTIVE mentor network includes experts from industry leaders like Trammell Crow, CBRE, Hillwood, CompStak, ViewTheSpace, DisruptCRE, ManagedByQ, and REthink CRM. MOTIVE plans to fund up to 10 selected companies each year, investing approximately $40K in each venture.
“We really are interested in the best teams, reflecting what is important to us: intensive focus on the lean entrepreneurial process, a strong and cohesive team, a give-before-you-get mentality, and strong desire to change the built environment,” said Backes.
Applicants are asked for detailed information on their organization’s founders, their target customers, and what problem their products will solve. They must also provide details on how they are organized and what existing funds are in place.
For more information visit www.ThisIsMotive.com.
