Funding and Investment Roundup: Urban.com.au, Huspy, NewHome, Spacest

Another valuable domain name has been acquired in Australia, so that's where we'll start with this week's Funding and Investment Roundup...

Oceania: Urban to rebrand to apartments.com.au as acquisition spree continues

Urban.com.au has acquired Apartments.com.au in a combined cash-and-equity deal.

Urban confirmed it will rebrand to Apartments.com.au in light of the acquisition, and web searches for Urban.com.au already appear to redirect to Apartments.com.au.

Mike Bird, CEO of Urban.com.au, said:

“Apartments.com.au is more than a domain, it’s a brand buyers can instinctively trust. In a market where people are making some of the biggest financial decisions of their lives, having a name that feels familiar, credible, and safe gives us a powerful advantage in helping buyers and developers connect with confidence.”

Read the full coverage here.

Asia: Huspy raises Series B round worth $59 million

The Dubai-based proptech startup Huspy has completed a Series B funding round after raising $59 million led by Balderton Capital.

Other investors include ExBorder Partners, Turmeric Capital, COTU Ventures, BY Ventures, Dara Management, and KE Partners.

Huspy says it will use the funds to consolidate its position in the Middle East and focus on a European expansion.

The startup operates a hybrid marketplace and brokerage business, using a strategy that involves entering mid-sized cities with high transaction volume and low agent efficiency, building supply through marketplace partnerships, onboarding top-performing agents onto the platform, and then layering in mortgage distribution.

The startup claims to be one of the top three real estate companies in Valencia by transaction volume. It already operates in six cities across Spain, where it claims over 20x year-on-year growth. It previously took 30% of the UAE mortgage market within three years of launch.

Jad Antoun, CEO and co-founder at Huspy, said:

"I think it’s going to be difficult for someone to compete on the mortgage product specifically across both markets. We’ve just been here longer, and in Spain, we have better efficiency."

Rana Yared, general partner at Balderton Capital, said:

"[Huspy has built a repeatable and efficient playbook for city launches, and their pace of innovation — especially around AI tools for brokers and agents — continues to raise the bar for the entire industry."

Europe: CH Media takes 20% stake in NewHome

The Swiss media company CH Media has acquired a 20% stake in the Swiss real estate marketplace NewHome.

CH Media operates several media brands across television, radio, digital, print and streaming, while CH Media's describes the business as "the leading media company in German-speaking Switzerland".

A press release stated:

The investment is part of a clear growth strategy: to strengthen and further develop newhome as the leading regional real estate portal. At the same time, CH Media is opening up an additional revenue stream in a fast-growing advertising market.

NewHome brings comprehensive market knowledge and technological expertise in operating a real estate portal and in the digital marketing of properties, while CH Media leverages its extensive regional reach and media power to bring the platform even closer to users.

Michael Wanner, CEO of CH Media, commented:

"Newhome is an ideal complement to our existing classifieds business. We already operate several digital job portals and see the real estate marketplace as another attractive growth area. As a media company with strong regional roots, we can significantly strengthen newhome's market presence while simultaneously expanding the offerings for our users."

Johannes Hoehener, Chairman of the Board of Directors at NewHome, added:

"NewHome is the strongest real estate portal in the region. Crucial for future growth is not only close cooperation with the real estate industry, but also a strong brand positioning in the market. The existing shareholders were specifically looking for a strong media company–and found it in CH Media. This investment underscores newhome's potential and will sustainably support the portal's growth strategy."

CH Media is now the third-largest shareholder in the portal, behind Switzerland's government-backed cantonal banks (39.25%) and Next Property AG (23.35%), and ahead of AXA (17.4%).

Roomless Srl acquires TheHomeLike.com assets

Roomless Srl, operator of the digital rental platform Spacest.com, has acquired the domain, logo, and brand assets of TheHomeLike.com from Homelike Internet GmbH. The transaction involves only the digital properties—domain, logo, and branding—and does not include Homelike’s operational business, technology, or property catalogue.

No financial details were disclosed. The acquisition does not impact the operational or customer data assets of Homelike Internet GmbH, which ceased active business in March 2025.

Effective immediately, traffic to www.thehomelike.com now redirects to Spacest.com. This ensures continuity for Homelike’s established user base and incorporates legacy brand equity into the Spacest.com ecosystem.

Spacest.com, owned by Roomless Srl, currently operates in Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and Portugal. The platform’s growth is attributed to a fully digitised approach to the rental process, covering listing publication, contract signing, tenant screening, and compliance with bureaucratic and fiscal requirements.

For property owners, Spacest.com provides features such as automated tenant selection, property damage protection, guaranteed rent in cases of non-payment, and plans to introduce automated monthly payment management. For tenants, the company emphasizes a transparent rental journey, from property search through contract conclusion.

Homelike, founded in Germany in 2015, developed a reputation for serving travelling professionals and corporate clients seeking temporary housing. At its peak, Homelike offered more than 70,000 fully furnished properties in major European cities and the United States, particularly for corporate relocation initiatives.