Another day, another real estate tech startup comes to Seattle.
This time it’s Curbio, which bills itself as the “only turnkey pre-sale renovation technology company on the market.” The startup is a licensed general contractor that partners with realtors to renovate houses that homeowners are preparing to sell. It handles the entire renovation process from start to finish, and sellers don’t have to pay until the home sale closes.
Curbio is live in 17 markets, and its entrance to Seattle marks its first West Coast expansion. The company will hire local project managers in Seattle and work with local agents and subcontractors. It plans to begin service in San Francisco, Portland and Los Angeles soon.
Curbio claims its technology platform lets it complete renovation projects 60 percent faster than other contractors. The technology streamlines major parts of the process, including creating an estimate, acquiring materials and managing the project.
“This is a completely new approach to pre-sale home renovations, which traditionally put the burden on real estate agents and homeowners to manage projects, select materials and push subcontractors to meet deadlines,” said Rikki Rogers, vice president of marketing.
The Washington D.C.-based company raised a $7 million Series A round in August. The funds helped fuel expansion to Seattle and other markets around the country. The company employs more than 75 people. Total funding to date is $13.6 million.
Seattle has become a hotbed for real estate technology, due to its status as an innovation leader and its skyrocketing housing costs. The area is home to heavyweights such as Zillow and Redfin and startups including Flyhomes, Blokable, Loftium and others. Just last week, a Y-Combinator grad ZeroDown opened up a small office in Seattle, its first outside of San Francisco.
