AutomatedBuildings.com Interview -

Oded Eliashiv is Principal and Managing Partner of BuiltUp Ventures, a Tel Aviv- and New York-based venture capital firm that invests in innovative, early-stage Israeli proptech companies. He is also Managing Partner of B-Seed, an investment arm of Besadno Group that invests in early-stage technology firms.

Mr. Eliashiv leads the BuiltUp Ventures team in identifying, vetting, choosing and supporting companies on their road to success. A longtime entrepreneur, he has founded and led multiple startups, including EPOS, a provider of advanced digital positioning technology to the PC peripheral, notebook and touch-screen markets.

Israel Proptech

Global demand for Israeli innovation is on the rise, and the “Startup Nation” is in the forefront of technologies that are being adopted in the real estate sector.

Sinclair: What types of companies does BuiltUp Ventures invest in?
Eliashiv: We focus on the most promising Israeli proptech startups in the early stage, including MyTower, MTtech, Innovesta, SolidBlock, SkySaver, Swathly, Augmind and Xtate.

Specific sectors we invest in within the proptech sector include logistics tech, retail tech and construction tech.

Sinclair: Can you tell us more about MyTower?
Eliashiv: MyTower is an innovative, all-in-one online platform for building managers and occupants. Personalized services include: Property Management tools such as a BI platform to anticipate needs, proactive and preventative maintenance, finance and legal management, and a unified property dashboard; a Residents App featuring a CRM system to monitor visitors, vehicles, deliveries and other building services; On-Demand Concierge Services including spa treatments, housekeeping and room service; and App Connect, which offers a number of upgrades and seamless integrations such as real-time security, smart locks, parking management and leak sensors.

Sinclair: And what is MTtech?
Eliashiv: MTtech is a software and hardware company that creates interactive multimedia operating systems for homes and offices. MTTech’s flagship product Kisense is an innovative smart system that fully integrates with the home or office kitchen countertop. Sensors and designated applications are embedded into the working surface, enabling such tasks as weighing and interactive cooking guidance, answering phone calls from the countertop, and managing your kitchen’s inventory efficiently.

Sinclair: How is BuiltUp Ventures different from other proptech venture capital firms?
Eliashiv: We offer a 360-degree solution that encompasses the most promising Israeli startups, providing real estate players with the pieces to complete every stage of the proptech puzzle.

BuiltUp Ventures also utilizes a hands-on approach and longstanding industry expertise to increase our partner companies’ opportunities for success. Applying a vast network, seasoned team of professionals and tested vetting process, we add strong value to our partner companies and position them for Round A investment, negating the need for additional seed funding.

Our go-to-market model (we are an active partner), together with the synergy within our investments, means that we are able to provide better value to the market by having a broader base to assist customers by offering them a wider approach.

Sinclair: You recently spoke at MIPIM PropTech NYC about proptech ecosystems in North America. Is the US market a focus for BuiltUp Ventures?
Eliashiv: Definitely. Global demand for Israeli innovation is on the rise, with $45 billion in M&A and IPOs since 2014. With a strong foothold in the US, we are seeing growing demand from real estate companies that want to work with Israeli startups. And Israel – often referred to as the “Startup Nation” – is in the forefront of technologies that are now being adopted in the real estate sector within the relevant business models. This demand is visible in several areas, including property management, construction, digitization of real estate assets and their fundraising, big data/machine learning/AI decision making tools, robotics, materials and much more. At BuiltUp Ventures, we have the ability to bridge between the "techies" and real estate-minded business people.

Sinclair: What’s next for BuiltUp Ventures?
Eliashiv: Together with our sister companies B-Seed and SIDRE, a US-based private equity real estate investment firm, we will continue to maximize our deal flow and provide the real estate market with access to the best Israel has to offer from its universities, incubators, army and security forces, and accelerators.

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