MetaProp NYC Announces DIY Platform for Landlords as First Real Estate Tech Accelerator Participant

NEW YORK - Aug. 3, 2015 - PRLog -- NEW YORK, NY – August 3, 2015 – MetaProp NYC (http://www.metaprop.org), the New York real estate technology accelerator, announced its first 2015/2016 participant Rentalutions, Inc. –– an online platform created to help landlords easily manage their residential rental properties –– as well as its sixth corporate partner, the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), at its launch event. The event on Thursday, July 23^rd was attended by more than 60 estate technology entrepreneurs, investors, innovation champions and guests at Warburg Realty’s Flatiron office.

New technology accelerator MetaProp NYC will select eight of the best technology-driven real estate industry startups to participate in a 16-week intensive growth program based in New York City for the 2015/2016 year. The program culminates in a Demo Day for partners, investors, venture capital, and media.

Ryan Coon, Chief Executive Officer of Chicago-based Rentalutions, presented a short overview of his vision for the future of this online platform, created to help small and medium sized landlords find tenants with online rental listings, easily screen tenants with TransUnion credit and background checks, create and electronically sign lease agreements, collect rent, and track maintenance requests, among other tools. Tenants can also take advantage of this end-to-end platform designed specifically for do-it-yourself landlords, by using the Rentalutions website to apply for units, sign leases, make rent payments, and build their renter profiles.

MetaProp NYC selected Rentalutions from an initial applicant pool of nearly 100 technology-driven real estate industry startups, and will participate in an $800,000 seed round led by former FeedBurner founder Steve Olechowski. The round includes other prominent angel investors including Brad Feld of Foundry Group. Rentalutions founders will split their time working between New York and Chicago during the sixteen week accelerator program.

Rentalutions CEO Ryan Coon said, “MetaProp NYC gives real estate tech start-ups an unfair advantage. The founders know how to build fast-growing businesses and are giving access to their all-star line-up of mentors and corporate partners like Zillow and REBNY. We’re proud to be a part of the inaugural class and we look forward to rolling out Rentalutions in New York and strengthening our relationships within the industry during the 2015/2016 program.”

MetaProp NYC Co-Founder and Managing Director Aaron Block remarked, “We’ve had our eyes on Rentalutions’ Co-Founders Ryan Coon and Laurence Jankelow for almost a year now. They have an impressive track record and have grown the start-up like a weed. We fell in love with their best-in-class platform for hard-to-serve small and medium-sized landlords. This is a massive, fragmented market and we’re confident that this team has what it takes to win the day.”

At the launch event, Accelerator Co-Founders Clelia Peters, Zach Aarons and Aaron Block also reviewed MetaProp NYC strategy and recent milestone achievements including launching in new office space at 18 West 21st Street, naming six corporate partners (REBNY, Zillow, Warburg Realty, DLA Piper, EisnerAmper, The News Funnel), accepting more than 50 professionals into MetaProp NYC’s RE200 mentor network, receiving the first 100 applications for MetaProp NYC’s 2015/2016 cohort and establishing industry thought leadership thanks to its new “Innovation Conversation,” blog posts, and new initiatives in affordable housing tech and women in real estate tech.

Applications for the MetaProp NYC 2015/2016 cohort opened on June 16, 2015 and rolling admissions will continue through August 14, 2015.

About MetaProp NYC
MetaProp NYC is a NYC-based real estate tech accelerator that brings together the brightest minds in real estate and technology to help quickly build the industry's most promising young companies. Each year, the eight best technology-driven real estate industry startups are selected to participate in the 16-week intensive growth program based in New York City. The program culminates in a Demo Day to partners, investors, VCs and media.

About Rentalutions
Rentalutions helps do-it-yourself landlords easily manage their residential rental properties through the entire process. With Rentalutions, landlords can easily find tenants, access credit and background reports, collect rent and create and sign leases electronically. The Company launched in 2012 and currently serves more than 12,000 landlords managing properties in 5,300 zip codes nationwide.

About The Real Estate Board of New York
The Real Estate Board of New York is the City’s leading real estate trade association with more than 16,000 members.  REBNY represents major commercial and residential property owners and builders, brokers and managers, banks, financial service companies, utilities, attorneys, architects, contractors and other individuals and institutions professionally interested in the city’s real estate.  REBNY is involved in crucial municipal matters including tax policy, city planning and zoning, rental conditions, land use policy, building codes and legislation.  In addition, REBNY publishes reports providing indicators of market prices for both the residential and commercial sectors. Please visit us online at www.REBNY.com.