The most compelling and exhaustive overview of the German-speaking PropTech scene.
The numbers
9
100
368
Categories of PropTech companies
Not all about selling, letting and managing.
AI/Analyze
These Business models pick up the change of user behaviour and offer different kinds of areas (spaces) in a more flexible manner than established companies do.
Appraise
Businesses, which valuate Real Estate through already existing or self-acquired data digitally.
Finance
These companies digitalize the process financing of Real Estate.
IoT/Measure and Control
Companies, which control buildings and make them more efficient through self-developed or third-party data.
Plan & Build
Companies, which control buildings and make them more efficient through self-developed or third-party data.
Space-as-a-Service/Use
These Business models pick up the change of user behavior and offer different kinds of areas in a more flexible manner than established companies do.
Selling & Letting
Companies, which control buildings and make them more efficient through self-developed or third-party data.
Manage
These companies support the management of Real Estate. However, they do not only carry out the key functions of this sector but also broader tasks concerning this field.
Visualize
These companies offer visualization through 3D-/VR-/AR- technologies as a substitute or a support of physical home viewing.
At the distribution of fields, it becomes obvious that the by far biggest share of PropTechs arised in the fields “selling and letting” and “managing”. The legislator’s decision in 2014 to introduce the “Bestellerprinzip” for accommodation pushed this area in the Tech-companies focus. Add to that, that these fields of the Real Estate economy are easily accessible even for founders which do not originate from this industry because most of the relevant processes are open to a large extent. Furthermore, great efficiency gains can be realized in these sectors through software or web applications (so called Space-as-a-Service models). The initial entry barrier is therefore lower than in the other sectors, which are significantly more complex concerning technology, capital and knowledge. So, it is no surprise that the greatest number of PropTechs emerged in the categories “selling and letting” and “managing”.
However, this distribution also indicates that there is still potential in the other sectors. Significantly less innovative business models emerged on the market from these sectors. Since the fields “selling and letting” and “managing” are established for the most part, it can be expected that more complex fields will follow next.
From our viewpoint, the peak of the PropTech development is in no way over. Quite the opposite: We experienced a first wave of business models, which established themselves quicker on an easier-to-penetrate market. Because of more complex technologies, higher capital requirements and profound knowledge for complex industry processes, the following waves will potentially arrive with a longer warm-up time.
Geographic distribution of PropTech companies (Top 7 cities)
Berlin is not the only hotspot anymore.

Berlin
92 companies – importance relatively increasing
München
29 companies – importance relatively decreasing
Wien
26 companies – importance relatively decreasing
Hamburg
20 companies – importance relatively decreasing
Zürich
18 companies – importance relatively decreasing
Frankfurt
12 companies – importance relatively increasing
Köln
9 companies, importance relatively increasing