- Side, the only real estate brokerage that enables high-performing agents and teams, announced it raised over $60 million in total funding
Side — the only real estate brokerage that enables high-performing agents, teams, and local brokerages to grow their businesses — announced it raised over $60 million in total funding, including a recent $35 million raised in a Series C round led by Paul Levine, Managing Director at Sapphire Ventures. Levine — who is also joining Side’s Board of Directors — was previously President/COO of Trulia through their IPO and multi-billion dollar acquisition by Zillow. And Patricia Nakache of Trinity Ventures, Dana Stalder of Matrix Partners, and several strategic real estate investors also participated in the round.
What does Side do? Side is on a mission to improve the way real estate works by enabling and empowering top performing agents to better serve the needs of home buyers and sellers. And the funding will be used to further support Side’s agent partners and nationwide expansion.
“It is great validation to have Paul and Sapphire Ventures as a lead investor, and we welcome their experience and support as we expand our reimagined brokerage model nationwide,” said Side CEO and co-founder, Guy Gal. “By bringing the best agents in each market together and empowering them with a game plan, support team, and a one-of-a-kind technology platform that delivers a premium service, they’re able to provide the best experience and results to more buyers and sellers. What consumers want most is a great experience and great results, and working with experienced agents is the best way to buy or sell a property, now and in the future.”
This funding round also follows recent announcements of Side’s expansion into Southern California and Texas by partnering with top agents in those respective markets. Side’s growing roster of partners includes Michael Silva, Founder of Happen Houston; Anthony Marguleas, founder of Amalfi Estates; Bryn Stroyke and Robb Stroyke, founders of The Stroyke Properties Group at Bayside; Ben Bacal, founder of Revel Real Estate; Dave Fratello, founder of Edge Real Estate; Matt Luke, founder of Major League Properties; Jared Jones and Brian Hopkins, founders of POWERof2 Realty; Jeff Rosa, founder of Market Real Estate; and Tyson Robinson, founder of Trillion Real Estate, and several others.
“Side partners with top-producing real estate agents and teams in each market, and provides a valuable mix of technology, support, and an economic model that helps entrepreneurial agents grow,” added Levine. “I’m delighted to join Side’s board and be a part of the journey ahead.”
Side is making a bet on the central role that high-performing agents play — and will continue to play — in a real estate transaction. And Side only works with top-producing agents and teams and it provides them with a proprietary back-office platform and the highest level of support in the industry.
Plus Side’s model is predicated on the idea that agents should focus on the high-value work of serving clients while everything else should be handled by technology and specialized support staff. The agents who partner with Side own their business and benefit from an economic model designed to help them grow and continue to build highly-productive agent teams.
Side is led by experienced industry professionals and technology innovators. And Side has developed a proprietary end-to-end platform from the ground up that improves agent productivity, growth, compliance, marketing, and client experience.
Side’s platform saves agents an average of 62 days of time per year and these agents see a 45% year-over-year growth rate with some experiencing growth greater than 120%.
Launched in January 2017, Side now empowers over 100 of the nation’s top-producing teams and is on track to facilitate over $8 billion in annual home sales in 2020.
