Venture funding to proptech startups is nowhere near its peak and still hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, as higher interest rates make real estate a tougher place to invest, leading to fewer deals and raising the bar for startups seeking capital. But startup investors haven't abandoned the sector, either, Crunchbase data shows. Instead, they're being more selective about their bets and putting more money into companies using AI and other technology to make construction, property operations and real estate transactions faster and less expensive. The broad trend: Even before the pandemic-fueled funding peaks, proptech startups received more than double the venture funding in 2019 than in more recent years. While investors haven't given up on proptech, funding to startups in the space remains down as interest rates hover in the 6% to 7% range. In case you forgot, during the COVID-19 pandemic, home buyers and owners had access to 15-year mortgage interest rates as low as 2.5%....
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