Kzas introduces new “real estate marketplace” concept

São Paulo-based Kzas, one of the Pitch Club winners at the Global Online Marketplaces Summit in Miami 2019, is a digital real estate transaction platform that recommends matches between properties and buyers. This process is achieved thanks to a detailed pre-analysis of requirements including, availability, documentation and credit status, of users who show a high potential of closing a deal. 

With Kzas, buyers are able to process everything digitally, on their own, within a user-friendly interface, as they’re supported by a virtual assistant, Kimi.

As an expert in promoting kazamentos (from the word “casamentos” or “marriages” in Portuguese) between home buyers and sellers, Kimi analyzes a buyer’s data, selects the most appropriate properties based on their compatibility (match) with the desired attributes and presents them to the buyer, who then chooses their favorite one(s). 

Once the property is selected, communication between the buyer and seller takes place anonymously within the platform, with the support of a Kzas expert during negotiation, closing, and documentation. Everything is processed by the system in a simple, secure way with total transparency and without the red tape associated with the usual bureaucracy. In addition, upon closing, Kzas rewards the buyer with one percent of the transaction value, which can be used toward the furnishing of their newly purchased home.

Much like in other markets, real estate is adapting to a new generation of consumers, dubbed “3.0 customers,” whose demands are higher and use smartphones for faster access to the best product and service alternatives. However, these up-and-coming real estate buyers are still concerned about the complexity of the buying and selling process, especially in Brazil, where “seller brokers” show only what they need to sell, and generally with unreliable information about the listings. As an added concern, buyers are wary of their personal information and data being passed onto these brokers.

With 15+ years’ experience in real estate, Roberto Nascimento, former ZAP CEO, Eduardo Muszkat, founder and COO of You, Inc., and Rodrigo Costa, former CTO of Grupo Zap and Imovelweb portals combined their broad expertise and market knowledge to create a new PropTech that would break these paradigms. Founded in March 2019, Kzas uses AI, digital automation and its own team of experts to transform the experience of buying and selling real estate. Roberto Nascimento, CEO, Kzas explained during Pitch Club in Miami, “Kzas is a platform focused on the buyer because the brokerage model is not working anymore.”

“Our main objective is to turn this market right side up by focusing on the buyer. We provide an extraordinary and transparent shopping experience, in which the consumer feels safe, confident and, above all, valued,” said Eduardo Muszkat, CFO, Kzas.

Only three months after the commercial launch of Kzas, the company raised a seed investment of US$4 million, led by Redpoint eVentures, one of the largest and most coveted VC investment funds in Brazil. The partnership with Redpoint eVentures, which is focused on technology-related startups in Latin America, provides the company with new resources to quickly leverage its growth potential, supported by the proven experience of its founders.

According to Rodrigo Baer, Partner​, Redpoint eVentures, the real estate market is huge, and the purchase process in Brazil needs to be completely reinvented. "This is the most important purchase in a person’s life, yet, it is complex and unfamiliar. Buyers lack adequate information and are very poorly advised by brokers more aligned with the sellers, who pay their commission (in Brazil, there are no “buyer brokers”),” said Baer. “We invested in Kzas because the company is well-positioned to drive significant change in the market through innovation. The co-founders are leveraging their enormous experience in the sector, combined with the latest technology, to solve a huge problem.”

“We only promote matches between property sellers and buyers that have the best potential for closing deals and this compatibility is established after a detailed assessment of the individual needs and credit approval of each buyer, in addition to thorough verification of the property's documentation and characteristics,” stated Nascimento.

Advanced technology is used to create a smart and secure transaction platform, designed to provide the buyer with transparency, agility, and power to decide. In addition, Kzas is fully compliant with the rules of the LGPD (similar to European Data Regulation - GDPR) which, in Brazil, should become law only next August. This ensures buyers’ and sellers’ personal data remain encrypted and inaccessible within the system.

Kzas is also introducing a key transformation in current market practices by aligning its specialists’ interests to that of the buyers. Kzas Specialists are company employees who receive a fixed salary plus bonuses based solely on client satisfaction. This avoids the typical situation in which a broker in dire straits will do anything to close a sale.