Digitalization is increasingly coming to the forefront at most real estate companies. In the past six months, many developers and construction firms have taken major steps to appoint internal leaders responsible for technological innovation.
A PropTechZoom analysis revealed that the sector needs education to keep up with the latest innovations and effectively use different products. The PropTech Hungary Conference offers this opportunity.
With this educational intent, PropTechZoom launched its startup competition in collaboration with Hiventures. The competition closed this week with 26 applicants, ranging from ideas to early-stage companies. The organizers and jury are now selecting participants for the bootcamp program, where they will present themselves to the real estate market at the PropTech Hungary Conference on May 25.
In addition to startups, the conference will feature major figures from the Hungarian proptech scene, sharing their experiences on company building, challenges, and opportunities. International voices will also enrich the agenda: James Dearsley, founder of global proptech platform unissu.com, will provide an international outlook on the latest innovations; Dirk Paelinck, Chairman of the EU PropTech Association, will present how the EU plans to support the digital real estate market with a focus on smart buildings and sustainability; and Ivo Van Breukelen, Chairman of PropTech Connection, who invests directly in proptech companies through venture capital, will present the market from an investor’s perspective.
“Much has changed since the first PropTech Conference in 2018. The pandemic made it clear that real estate can be used more efficiently with digital and sustainable solutions, which also make performance more measurable. We live in an age of change, and those who embrace technology early, integrate it into daily operations, measure performance, and analyze data will be able to anticipate changes and gain an advantage,” added Zoltán Kalmár, founder of PropTechZoom.
The current PropTech Startup program aims to bring the Hungarian real estate sector into the global innovation and startup mainstream. Therefore, the initiative—primarily incubation-focused—did not exclude already operating proptech firms more mature than the idea stage.
Entries covered nearly the full spectrum of the proptech market: from sustainable development (operations optimization, material innovation, energy efficiency) and the future of work (remote work solutions, office spaces), to improving user experience (robotics, automation, smooth office processes), smart solutions (sensors, AR/VR tools), and security technology (access control, facial recognition, parking, 3D modeling, artificial intelligence).
Hiventures has long wanted to invest in the proptech market and welcomed the initiative. Major real estate players also joined, including DVM Group, Dome Facility, Cushman & Wakefield, and CPI, who participate in the jury.
The official program of the conference can be viewed at conference.proptechhungary.hu. The official language of the event is English, but Hungarian translation will be available on-site for all presentations. Exhibitors will also be present at the PropTech Hungary Conference, with almost all major real estate technology players showcasing, including Orthograph, ARWorks, APFM-Systems, Buildext, Netlife Robotics, Parkl, Energrade, Invensol, and Adlatus.
The goal of PropTechZoom.com is to build the proptech ecosystem: educate real estate market players and help accelerate the spread of digital solutions. It cooperates with neighboring countries’ proptech organizations—primarily in the Central and Eastern European region—as well as Hungary’s largest real estate associations and companies. PropTechZoom organized the region’s first PropTech Conference in 2018. Its mission is not only to support the market but also to discover talented young people, dedicated professionals, sparks of potential in startups and companies, and support these values as a cohesive force.