Relli Platform Set to Democratize Real Estate Investment with Novel Two-Sided Marketplace
Relli, a pioneering real estate investment platform set to launch by year’s end, aims to bridge the gap between everyday investors and real estate developers through an innovative peer-to-peer marketplace approach that could reshape how Americans invest in property.
Founded by four-time entrepreneurs Mor Milo and Ross Iannarelli, Relli emerged from their personal frustration with real estate investment barriers. “I had two options: either stay in the corporate world and purchase my first piece of real estate like my parents had done, or figure out how to build a startup,” explains Milo, Relli’s CEO. That decision led to a journey that ultimately revealed a significant market gap in real estate investment accessibility.
The founders identified two primary problems in the current real estate investment landscape. On one hand, accredited investor platforms like CrowdStreet and RealtyMogul require substantial minimum investments, often $25,000 to $100,000. On the other, existing solutions for non-accredited investors typically limit options to single asset classes or individual sponsors, requiring separate accounts across multiple platforms.
Relli’s solution is what Milo describes as a “stock market for real estate,” offering investments starting at just $100. This low entry point enables investors to diversify across multiple properties with relatively small amounts of capital. “At $100 minimum, you can take $1,000 and divide it amongst 10 deals as an average consumer and diversify your risk in real estate investing,” Milo explains.
The platform has attracted significant interest during its beta phase, with approximately 16,000 prospective investors and 1,000 active users. On the developer side, Relli has interviewed about 60 different developers across the country, maintaining strict quality standards through a rigorous underwriting process.
What sets Relli apart is its comprehensive approach to building both sides of the marketplace. The team, comprised of Fortune 500 veterans from companies like Zillow, Snapchat, Raytheon, and Insperity, has leveraged their corporate experience to create efficient processes for both user acquisition and developer onboarding.
The platform plans a staged launch, beginning with accredited investors before opening to the general public. Currently, they have several developers in underwriting and aim to launch with 3-5 carefully selected partners offering diverse investment opportunities ranging from single-family homes and multi-family properties to unique assets like surf parks, hotels, golf courses, and data centers.
Relli’s timing appears opportune, as traditional real estate investment becomes increasingly challenging for average Americans. By providing a compliant framework for both developers to raise capital and retail investors to participate in real estate investments, the platform aims to address both the supply issues in real estate and the growing demand for alternative investment options.
The company’s leadership emphasizes their commitment to regulatory compliance, particularly given the stringent U.S. requirements for retail investor protection. “The United States has a very protected retail investor,” Milo notes. “We’re trying to demystify these offerings for our developers so that they can improve their business, build more property in the United States, and help support the supply issue that we have in real estate right now.”
Looking ahead, Relli’s ambitions extend beyond the U.S. market. “If we can achieve that here in the United States, we believe we can take it globally and improve upon the crowdfunding marketplace on the global stage and really help this real estate problem worldwide,” Milo explains.
As the platform prepares for its launch, it represents a potentially significant step forward in democratizing real estate investment, making previously inaccessible opportunities available to a broader range of investors while providing developers with new channels for capital raising.
