Dubai’s property investment platform Stake raises $4m in seed funding round

Stake, a Dubai-based fintech and real estate investment platform, has raised $4m in a seed funding round

The round was led by Combined Growth Real Estate, with participation from Dubai-based private family office Vivium Capital, Verve Ventures, Lama Holding from Riyadh, Saudi Arabian angel investor Mishaal Alireza, and shareholders of the UK’s Chalgrove Properties Limited.

Stake will use the funds to scale the platform by introducing new products and features, invest in sales and marketing, and  grow the current team of 15 to fulfill its goals in technology innovation, property sourcing, product development and operational excellence, a statement said.

Based in DIFC’s Fintech Hive and regulated by the DFSA, Stake allows users to browse properties and invest from as little as Dhs2,000 ($545). The platform currently consists of units in Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina and soon DIFC and City Walk. Since its launch, Stake has over 4,000 registered users from 54 different nationalities, achieving 30 per cent month on month increase in sales.

The company is also in discussions with strategic partners and regulators in the Saudi Arabia, and intends to expand into the UK, the statement added.

“Through Stake, we will enable anyone to participate in this asset class in an easy, transparent, and digital way. This fundraise allows us to build the go-to digital real estate investment platform for Dubai property and eventually the region. We are focused on bringing the best property investment deals to our clients,” said its co-founder Rami Tabbara.

“When we launched Stake, we made clear our goal to democratise real estate investment. Our shareholders believe in our vision for a world where real estate is a completely liquid and fully accessible investment asset class, available to everyone looking to preserve and grow their wealth. With this fund raise, we can accelerate our journey to radically improve the real estate investment market and bring this tangible asset into the new digital age,” noted Manar Mahmassani, co-founder of Stake.

Amer Hammour, head of Combined Growth Real Estate, commented: “The Dubai residential property investment market offers very attractive opportunities to investors for growth in value and strong current income, as the current high supply gets absorbed by the very strong demand. Stake allows investors to participate directly in this market and make diversified bets on properties through partial ownership deals.”