Antwerp, 18 April 2023 – European media group Mediahuis has invested in Smooved, a Belgian property tech scale-up that uses innovative software solutions to help real estate agents increase customer satisfaction and generate more sales mandates. Mediahuis’ investment will allow Smooved to expand its business in the Belgian market and will support the company’s internationalisation. The investment sees Mediahuis taking further steps into the proptech market.
Smooved enables estate agents to offer value-added services to their clients, such as optimisation of energy and telecoms contracts. In addition, it helps agents collect and share authentic customer reviews on online platforms. Those reviews play a key role on HouseMatch, a platform launched by Smooved last summer as the “TripAdvisor for real estate agents”. Using artificial intelligence, owners get the best agent match based on their property and expectations.
Founded in 2019 in Brussels by three young entrepreneurs, the company has enjoyed an impressive growth trajectory. Smooved employs 20 people and supports one in five Belgian transactions. It has partnerships with Belgium’s largest real estate groups, including Dewaele, Heylen Vastgoed, Immo Francois, Hillewaere, Century 21 and Living Stone. Smooved will use the Mediahuis investment to accelerate the development of its services in Belgium and, in parallel, prepare for international expansion.
For Mediahuis, the investment in Smooved represents a further step into the property technology market.
Patrick De Wachter, Business Development Director at Mediahuis Marketplaces: “At Mediahuis Marketplaces, we really believe in the growth potential of the proptech market in Europe. Smooved has the ideal set of products and services to become an essential player in this market. The combination of their offer to both consumers and brokers, along with the ability to deliver valuable sales mandates, puts them in the ideal position. Moreover, we really believe in the ability of Smooved’s strong and driven team to make this happen.”
Nathan Coox, CEO and co-founder of Smooved: “We are excited to partner with Mediahuis, a media giant with a strong track record of investing in and supporting innovative digital companies in the proptech sector. This investment confirms our vision and mission to transform the real estate industry with our breakthrough technology and service. We believe that with Mediahuis’ expertise and network, we can take Smooved to the next level and become the leading proptech player in Europe.”
