How CEO Mike Maher got a Seven-Figure ‘Yes’ from Investor Ira Lubert — on the Fourth Try
It took some persistence, but real estate startup Houwzer, a tech-enabled real estate brokerage, just closed a $4.5 million “seed extension” round of funding aimed at growing its presence in Philly and Washington D.C, while expanding to a third big market over the next year.
Among the backers are past investors such as Ben Franklin Capital Partners — via StartUp PHL’s second seed fund — angel investor syndicate Broad Street Angels, NBA star David Robinson and an immediately recognizable name in Philly business: real estate and private equity captain Ira Lubert.
“Our vision at Houwzer is to be the best real estate company in the world – and for the world,” said the B Corp’s CEO, Mike Maher, a Navy veteran who founded Houwzer in 2014. “We now have the network and resources to help us scale nationally.”
We asked Maher, who also cofounded coworking company Benjamin’s Desk (now 1776): How does a founder go about getting a million-dollar check from an investor like Lubert, who hears hundreds of pitches a year?
“The simple answer is: he turned me down three times before he said yes,” Maher said. “Like any entrepreneur, you keep selling your story and sticking to it. He first saw the deal as just a PowerPoint, but at the end of the day it came down to traction. We now have great traction in our home market.”
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