What We Actually Back (And What We Don’t)
What We Look for in PropTech Startups (And What We Don’t)
PropTech has become a buzzword. But behind the hype lies a critical truth: the way we build, operate, and experience the built world is overdue for transformation.
At Dreso Ventures, we don’t invest in PropTech because it’s trendy. We do it because it’s necessary. The built environment accounts for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions. It’s also one of the slowest sectors to digitize—and one of the biggest levers we have for scalable, measurable impact.
We’re here to back the startups that get this. That build with urgency. That focus on real-world adoption, not just real-estate pitch decks.
So, if you’re building in PropTech—or thinking about it—here’s what we’re looking for. And just as importantly, what we’re not.
✅ What We Look For
1. Painkiller Products, Not Vitamins
The real estate and construction industries don’t adopt tools for fun. They adopt them when the ROI is clear, the cost of inaction is higher than the friction of change, and the value shows up fast.
We look for founders solving urgent problems:
Inefficiencies in project planning, communication, or execution
Energy waste and emissions in building operations
Manual, error-prone workflows in property or asset management
Materials and construction supply chain complexity
Retrofitting challenges at portfolio scale
If your product removes friction, cuts cost, reduces carbon, or accelerates timelines—you have our attention.
2. Digitally Native Infrastructure for a Physical Industry
We’re excited about products that bridge the physical and digital worlds. The best PropTech companies don’t just bolt software onto legacy systems—they rethink how workflows and data should move.
We look for solutions in:
BIM + project planning platforms with collaboration and automation at the core
Predictive maintenance and facility analytics, not just dashboards
Material marketplaces and traceability tools that enable circularity
Cloud-native building operation systems with plug-and-play integration
AI-native tools that learn from portfolio data and improve over time
Bonus points if you’re making something invisible, automatic, or infrastructure-grade.
3. Founders Who Understand the Industry
The best PropTech founders don’t just know how to code—they’ve spent time in the weeds of development projects, construction sites, or facility operations. They know what workflows are broken. They understand how decisions get made. And they have credibility when speaking with customers.
We love teams that combine:
Deep industry knowledge (engineering, architecture, construction, real estate)
Product obsession and technical excellence
A sharp go-to-market thesis and repeatable sales strategy
This is a complex market. Domain insight is your unfair advantage.
4. Early Traction, Not Vanity Growth
Real adoption matters more than media buzz or awards. We look for:
Paid pilots or LOIs with relevant industry players
Signs that users are not just logging in, but changing behavior
A repeatable motion for acquiring and activating new customers
We understand this sector takes time to scale. But the signals of product-market fit—even at an early stage—are often very clear.
5. A Clear Path to Impact at Scale
We want to back founders who care about outcomes. Who track real-world KPIs, not just SaaS metrics. Who understand how buildings, cities, and portfolios actually work—and have a vision for improving them.
That includes:
Measurable energy or carbon savings
Efficiency improvements that drive costs or emissions down
Tools that scale across asset classes, regions, or project types
You don’t need to save the world on day one. But you should be building toward something that could.
❌ What We Don’t Look For
1. Nice-to-Have Dashboards
A prettier interface on legacy data isn’t enough. We’re not interested in shallow wrappers, cosmetic features, or "digital twins" that don’t drive action.
2. Tools That Require a Change in Owner Behavior Without ROI
If your solution only works when the customer radically changes how they operate—and doesn’t generate immediate, defensible value—it’s a hard sell in PropTech.
3. Generic SaaS for “Real Estate”
We don’t invest in horizontal SaaS that happens to mention buildings in the deck. If your product could just as easily be used by a trucking company, a marketing agency, or an events team—it’s not for us.
4. Founding Teams with No Industry Insight
Tech founders with no exposure to how the built world operates tend to underestimate complexity. We want partners who speak the language of the industry they’re trying to serve.
🧭 Bottom Line
We believe PropTech is no longer a niche—it’s the foundation of climate resilience, urban livability, and operational transformation.
If you’re building real solutions for real problems in the built world—let’s talk.
At Dreso Ventures, we invest early. We partner deeply. And we bring 50+ years of built-world expertise to help you scale what matters.
👉 Got a deck or an idea? We’d love to hear from you.
Let’s keep in touch.
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