Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 26, 2015
The elmspring accelerator, a seed-stage accelerator for real estate tech startups, will hold the first in a series of demo events for investors outside of its headquarters in Chicago on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 in San Francisco.
Sponsored by Zillow Group, the demo event will offer participants in the accelerator, founded by real estate entrepreneurs Thomas Bretz and Adam Freeman, the opportunity to connect with accredited investors on the West Coast. With a keynote speech by Jeff McConathy, VP of Engineering and an early employee at Trulia, the event will underscore the excitement of emerging ideas in real estate technology, a field in which elmspring and the Midwest in general are playing a leading role nationally.
“In real estate, we tend to think locally,” says elmspring Co-Founder Thomas Bretz, “but real estate technology has nationwide and even global impact. With many top startups coming through Chicago, we have a need to build bridges to other knowledge centers. Connecting entrepreneurs and investors from across the country will help enrich the ideas in this space, and broaden the opportunities and connections the Midwest needs to grow in these areas.”
Companies launched in the elmspring accelerator have ranged from HerbFront, a predictive mapping and zoning research portal for the growing legal cannabis industry, to ReaLync, a live video streaming platform for open houses and virtual tours of spaces. At the conclusion of each session, participants demonstrate their products to an audience of investors at Chicago’s 1871, a burgeoning hub for the tech and startup community, and, going forward, in other cities.
“There has been a massive amount of innovation in the real estate industry over the last 10 years, as real estate has become a software-powered experience for consumers and professionals,” said Jeff McConathy. “As we enter the next phase of innovation, it’s great to see elmspring working with these startups and helping them access the talent and resources they need to make an impact on the industry. We’re happy to be a part of bringing these ideas to the West Coast and helping a cross-pollination of ideas that will be of benefit to all.”
Following McConathy’s keynote, the June 9th demo will feature presentations by past graduates of the elmspring accelerator, who will demonstrate their products and business cases. The event is open to all accredited investors.
Zillow is a registered trademark of Zillow, Inc. Trulia is a registered trademark of Trulia, Inc. Zillow and Trulia are owned and operated by Zillow Group, Inc.