Techstars Boston alum Placester, which provides real estate agents with inbound marketing products to get more leads and manage revenue, raised $5.5 million in Series A on Tuesday. The round was led by Romulus Capital, with participation from a number of high-profile existing investors. In total, the company has raised $8 million in financing.
Angels that joined in the round include: Dave Anderson, CEO of LeanLogistics; Josh Summers, co-founder of clypd and Where.com; David Cohen, the founder of Techstars; Adam Berrey, formerly of Curoverse and Brightcove; and Angel Street Capital.
Placester’s platform transforms publishers’ existing digital real estate section by enabling them to manage consumer search, real estate inventory information and other ad products all in one place. Offered as a freemium service, individual real estate agents can get the most basic single package that includes set up, hosting and MLS fees. Paying users, who will shell out $45 per month, also have access to the MLS search capability, search-indexed listing pages, premium themes, customer support by phone and email, and more.
“Our network of real estate professionals has grown to nearly 100,000, [and] we’ve proven that a straightforward way to market one’s self is essential," said Matthew Barba, co-founder and CEO of Placester, in a statement. "Professionals can reach buyers through local advertising, yet the publishers lack of available systems has made it difficult to deliver the digital ad products that today's professionals seek."
Along with the fresh round of funding, Placester also announced that its 34-person team has settled into a new office on Arch Street in Downtown Boston. Since raising a seed round of $2.5 million in April 2013, the startup has more than doubled the number of its employees.
