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Draft:Placester

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Placester, Inc. is an American software company launched in 2011 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.[1] It provides website-building and digital marketing tools to real estate agents, teams, and brokerages.[2]

History

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Origins and early development

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Placester launched through the Techstars Boston accelerator in 2011.[1] The startup initially focused on online advertising and the syndication of property listings before shifting toward helping real estate professionals establish their own websites.[1]

The company was developed by co-founders Matthew Barba and Frederick Townes. Barba had previously worked as a real estate agent, while Townes had served as chief technology officer of Mashable.[1]

Expansion and funding

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In April 2013, Placester raised $2.5 million in seed financing in a round led by Romulus Capital.[1] At the time, it reported that its freemium platform covered approximately 85 percent of multiple listing service organizations in the United States.[1]

In April 2014, Placester raised $5.5 million in a Series A round also led by Romulus Capital.[3][4] The company used that period to expand into the media publishing market. It entered an agreement with Hearst Communications to provide real estate search and advertising technology to several newspaper websites.[3]

Later that year, Placester joined the National Association of Realtors' Realtor Benefits Program. The agreement made a basic version of the company's website product available to association members for $5 per month.[5]

In August 2015, Keller Williams, then the largest U.S. real estate franchisor by agent count, selected Placester to provide websites and marketing tools to its 123,000 associates.[6][7] The websites included Keller Williams branding and integration with the company’s eEdge software platform.[6]

In 2015, Placester raised $15 million in Series B financing followed by a $27 million Series C round, bringing its reported funding to $50 million.[8][2] By November 2015, the company employed 105 people.[9]

In March 2016, Placester acquired HomeFinder, an online property-search company.[10] The following month, it acquired RealSatisfied, an Australia-based service that collected customer feedback and ratings for real estate professionals.[10][11]

In March 2017, Placester raised $50 million in Series D financing in a round led by New Enterprise Associates. The investment brought the company’s total reported funding to $100 million.[12][13]

That year, the National Association of Realtors expanded its relationship with Placester by making a basic version of the platform available without charge to its members. Some MLS integrations and lead-capture features still required payment.[14]

Restructuring

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In March 2018, Matt Barba left the role of chief executive officer and became Placester’s chief technology officer.[15] That December, the company carried out a major restructuring that reinstated Barba as chief executive and reduced its workforce from more than 140 employees to approximately 25.[16]

In 2019, Keller Williams ended its partnership with Placester as it prepared to launch its own agent websites. During the same period, Placester discontinued the free websites offered to NAR members and replaced them with a paid service.[17]

In 2021, Placester launched Concierge Custom, a workflow system through which brokerages could manage outsourced marketing services.[18] Later that year, it introduced Agent Manager, which gave brokerages a centralized system for overseeing agents and their websites.[19]

In February 2026, HousingWire included Placester in its list of the best real estate apps for agents. It highlighted the software’s ability to connect agents with website leads through real-time lead routing and CRM synchronization.[20]

Products and services

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Placester provides website-building software and related marketing services to individual real estate agents, teams, and brokerages.[21] Its platform includes an AI-assisted website builder and editor, SEO and AI visibility tools, IDX property search, lead-capture and lead-management tools, CRM features, and automated email campaigns.[21][22]

Recognition

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In 2015, HousingWire named Matt Barba one of its Rising Stars and featured him on the cover of the magazine’s June issue.[23]

In December 2015, Business Insider included Placester in a list of 53 startups that venture capitalists expected to grow in 2016.[24]

In 2016, Forbes included Matthew Barba in its 30 Under 30 list for enterprise technology. The publication highlighted Placester’s software for real estate agents and brokers, as well as Barba’s earlier experience in real estate and software development.[25]

In 2017, Barba ranked 134th on the Swanepoel Power 200 and was also included in its Emerging Leaders category.[26]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Perez, Sarah (April 29, 2013). "TechStars Boston Alum Placester Raises $2.5 Million For Its Professional Website Builder For Realtors". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Lardinois, Frederic (November 24, 2015). "Placester Raises $27M Series C Round For Its Real Estate Marketing Platform". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Perez, Sarah (April 22, 2014). "Real Estate Marketing Platform Placester Scores $5.5M Series A, Plus a Deal With Hearst". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Placester Raises $5.5M Series A Funding, Launches Online Real Estate Ad Portal". WSJ Pro. April 22, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  5. ↑ Wiggin, Teke (November 7, 2014). "NAR Partners With Placester to Offer Members Websites for $5 a Month". Inman. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Swanson, Brena (August 20, 2015). "Placester Announces Partnership With Keller Williams". HousingWire. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  7. ↑ Hagey, Paul (August 25, 2015). "Real Estate Franchising Grows — but Not Without Indie Brokers". Inman. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Placester Closes $27M Series C for Real-Estate Marketing Tech". WSJ Pro. November 24, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  9. ↑ Geller, Jessica (November 24, 2015). "Placester Raises Another $27 Million". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Wiggin, Teke (April 19, 2016). "Placester Acquires RealSatisfied". Inman. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  11. ↑ Konrad, Alex (April 19, 2016). "Placester Says It Now Serves 400,000 Real Estate Agents After Acquiring Startup RealSatisfied". Forbes. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  12. ↑ Lane, Ben (March 24, 2017). "Placester Continues Growth With $50 Million Capital Raise". HousingWire. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  13. ↑ Geron, Tomio (March 24, 2017). "Placester Grabs $50 Million for Real Estate Marketing". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ Wiggin, Teke (May 17, 2017). "NAR Offering Free Placester Websites to Realtors". Inman. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  15. ↑ Lane, Ben (March 15, 2018). "Placester Names Omar Hussain President and CEO". HousingWire. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ Dalrymple, Jim (December 6, 2018). "Placester Makes Mass Layoffs, Reinstates Original CEO". Inman. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  17. ↑ Kearns, Patrick (July 30, 2019). "KW Ends Its Partnership With Website Builder Placester". Inman. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  18. ↑ Rowe, Craig C. (September 16, 2021). "Placester Rolls Out New Solution for Managing Outsourced Creative Services". Inman. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  19. ↑ Rowe, Craig C. (December 15, 2021). "Placester's Agent Manager Helps Agents Get Online Faster". Inman. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  20. ↑ L’Eplattenier, Emile (February 25, 2026). "The 14 Best Real Estate Apps for Agents in 2026". HousingWire. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Placester. "Placester: #1 Website Builder for Real Estate Agents and Teams". Placester. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  22. ↑ L’Eplattenier, Emile (June 17, 2025). "7 IDX Websites to Beat Zillow + Capture More Leads in 2026". HousingWire. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  23. ↑ Lane, Ben (November 24, 2015). "Placester Continues to Boom With Substantial Capital Raise". HousingWire. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  24. ↑ Bort, Julie (December 25, 2015). "The 53 Startups That Will Be Huge in 2016, According to Venture Capitalists". Business Insider. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  25. ↑ Upbin, Bruce (January 4, 2016). "The 30 Under 30 in Enterprise Technology for 2016". Forbes. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  26. ↑ Feeney, Caroline (January 9, 2017). "Swanepoel Announces 2017's Most Powerful People in Real Estate". Inman. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
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