Homepal, scaleup proptech, founded in 2014 by Andrea Lacalamita, Fabio Marra, Monica Regazzi and a group of managers and entrepreneurs, a leading digital real estate agency on the Italian market, which enables the direct matching of supply and demand, has signed a strategic and commercial partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo and BPER Banca (already an investor in Homepal) with the aim of transforming the scaleup into a digital platform open to real estate market operators (see here the press release).
The partnership will be realised through Intesa Sanpaolo’s contribution of its 100% stake in Intesa Sanpaolo Casa, a company that offers real estate brokerage and advisory services through a network of agencies in major Italian cities, which will be incorporated into Homepal. Intesa Sanpaolo and BPER Banca will invest a total of EUR 15 million to enhance services and communication and to launch the project. At the end of the process, Intesa Sanpaolo will own 49% of the new company and BPER Banca 17%, while the remaining 34% will continue to be held by Homepal’s current shareholders, who financed some previous investment rounds.
We recall, in fact, that Homepal in May 2021 closed an equity crowdfunding campaign on Mamacrowd with a fundraising of EUR 2.7 million, thanks to the commitments of 600 new investors, based on a pre-money valuation of the company of EUR 19.8 million. (see here a previous article by BeBeez). That crowdfunding campaign constituted the fourth round for Homepal, after the €1 million raised in 2015 among a group of business angels, including Algebris‘ founder Davide Serra; the €2.6 million round in April 2017, led by Homeclub, an investment vehicle created by Maria Ameli, senior private banker at Ersel and also previously participated by BPER (see here a previous article by BeBeez); and the €2.3 million round in September 2018, led again by Homeclub. The 2018 round had also been attended by Daniele Ferrero (chairman and ceo of the Venchi Group); Roberto Piroddi (ceo of Your Voice); the communication agency H-57; Boost Heroes, the holding company promoted by Fabio Cannavale, in turn already a shareholder of Homepal; and again BPER Banca and Davide Serra (see here a previous article by BeBeez).
Now, the main objective of the operation just announced with Intesa Sanpaolo and BPER is to exploit the complementary service models of Intesa Sanpaolo Casa and Homepal. This new entity, leveraging the networks of Intesa Sanpaolo and BPER, aims to meet customers’ needs in buying and selling property through technological services, physical presence in major cities and the experience of its agents. This strategy reflects the growing trend in the real estate sector to combine physical access with the ease and convenience of digital services.
The corporate transition will enhance all the employees and agents of Intesa Sanpaolo Casa and Homepal, who will become part of the new reality. The new structure will be able to count on an initial sales network of over 60 people, with the aim of creating a leading operator in the real estate sector. This reflects the growing importance of qualified personnel in the real estate sector, at a time when digital skills are becoming increasingly important.
The company is also being created with a strong B2B component and aims to support the activities of other banks and industry networks. This new growth model, an open proptech platform, will be distinctive. This approach reflects the growing importance of open platforms in the real estate sector, where collaboration and sharing of resources can lead to new growth opportunities.
“The business model will combine experienced real estate agents, agencies in the best Italian cities with premium locations (Milan, Rome, Turin, Padua, Genoa, Florence, Bologna and Padua, with further openings to follow) and technology, making us competitive with the most innovative models at an international level, while maintaining strong human contact with clients. We will be the only operator that combines an important physical presence with the ability to conclude real estate transactions in any city in Italy,” explained Lacalamita, president of Homepal, who will lead the new reality.
“It will be the first proptech open platform in the Italian market,” added Stefano Barrese, head of Intesa Sanpaolo’s Banca dei Territori Division, who added: “This constitutes a further step for Intesa Sanpaolo towards the digital transformation envisaged in the 2022-2025 Business Plan.”
