New investment firm for proptechs
Avobis Group, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg and Gebäudeversicherung Bern have founded Swiss Immo Lab, an investment company for proptech startups.
Swiss Immo Lab AG is based in Zurich and aims to drive the digital transformation of the Swiss construction and real estate industry by investing in prop and fintech startups, according to a joint announcement from Avobis, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg and Gebäudeversicherung Bern (GVB).
The three companies have equal stakes in the new company. Two additional institutional investors may be added to the partnership, the statement said.
In a first step, the three partners have committed a total of CHF 6 million. The money is to be invested in startup projects over the next one to two years. The focus will be on companies that develop innovative business models in the areas of digital marketplaces, real estate management, construction, building materials, analytics software or smart cities, the three companies say.
Geographically, the company intends to focus on Switzerland and Europe. Swiss Immo Lab is expected to make its first investments in the first quarter of 2020. The aim is to become a larger platform for other institutional investors in a later phase.
The Zurich-based venture capital company investiere.ch will act as investment manager; Alexander Seel will manage Swiss Immo Lab as an investor platform and build an "attractive and diversified investment portfolio". Seel is responsible for institutional clients at investiere.ch. (ah)
