ShareCHICAGO (December 6, 2022) – Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors®, opened applications today for the 2023 U.S. REACH and REACH Commercial technology growth programs. SCV, the most active global venture fund in real estate technology, operates the award-winning REACH program across North and South America, Europe, Australia and Asia-Pacific.
"Real estate technology continues to undergo a significant transformation, and the startups selected for the REACH program will play a critical role in helping to drive that change," said NAR CEO and SCV President Bob Goldberg. "REACH companies get access to resources and expertise to help expand their network and accelerate their growth. Their ideas and ingenuity will help ensure that Realtors® continue to have access to the latest technology and remain in the best possible position to serve consumers here in the U.S. and across the world."
NAR's REACH program aims to select and help scale the most promising new technology companies in real estate and adjacent industries, including banking, insurance and home services. Participants in the program receive premier access to the following:
- Mentorship from real estate, venture capital and technology sector leaders;
- Education on how to navigate the trillion-dollar global property industry from top experts;
- Exclusive opportunities at the most impactful conferences, trade shows and networking events;
- Unique access to top media and academic organizations; and
- A global network of highly talented, like-minded entrepreneurs from more than 200 REACH portfolio companies and curated program sponsors.
REACH recently expanded its operations to Latin America, and this week appointed a new executive director to the helm of the U.S. NAR REACH program. Ashley Stinton, who previously served as SCV and REACH's head of marketing and communications, will lead the organization's U.S.-based team focused on technology that serves residential and consumer markets. Stinton brings more than a decade of sales, marketing and business development expertise from some of the world's most influential real estate and consumer goods organizations.
"Ashley has been instrumental to the growth of the REACH brand and in the expansion of our flagship program across geographies and verticals," said Dave Garland, managing partner, Second Century Ventures. "She has worked closely with our global team and portfolio, helping accelerate more than 100 companies during her tenure and time spent previously as a REACH mentor. We have immense confidence in Ashley's ability to lead the NAR REACH program through the next decade of innovation and to further amplify the depth of transformative technology REACH helps cultivate."
"REACH offers an unmatched level of support and growth to the proptech community," said Ashley Stinton, executive director, REACH. "I am honored and excited to lead the NAR REACH team as we continue to elevate the role of technology in and beyond real estate. As we look to the year ahead, we will embrace the market's most pressing challenges as an opportunity to source new ideas and evolve existing solutions to benefit consumers, real estate professionals and the economy as a whole."
The REACH Commercial program, led by executive director Bob Gillespie, is now in its fifth year of operation and will run a congruent curriculum, supporting entrepreneurs developing innovation across all asset classes of the commercial sector.
Applications for the 2023 U.S. REACH and REACH Commercial programs will be accepted through January 31, 2023. For more information about REACH, or to apply, visit https://www.nar-reach.com.
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About NAR
The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
About REACH
REACH is a unique technology scale-up program created by Second Century Ventures, the most active global fund in real estate technology. Backed by the National Association of Realtors®, Second Century Ventures leverages the association's more than 1.5 million members and an unparalleled network of executives within real estate and adjacent industries. The REACH program helps technology companies scale across the real estate vertical and its adjacent markets through education, mentorship and market exposure. For more on REACH, visit www.nar-reach.com.