Community Is the Superpower

I do not know what I did in life to find myself here, privileged enough to be a small cog in the engine room of so many entrepreneurs. Over the weekend, together with Ebonnie Schravemade and Tom Ellis, we celebrated the close of another REACH Australia and New Zealand program, six remarkable companies and their owner-founders. Every year it is the same and somehow entirely new, a tangle of emotions and a deep sense of gratitude.

What We Witnessed This Year

1. Relentless effort and real growth

I am proud, and frankly in awe, of the work these founders put in. The growth is not abstract. It is visible in their customers, their teams, their roadmaps, their confidence and the clarity of their execution.

2. Personal transformation

The people who entered in January and February are not the same people graduating now. Together, as a community, we have taken down barriers and dissolved blockages to personal growth in the pursuit of honesty and authenticity. That is not soft work. It is the hardest part.

3. A halo effect that reaches beyond the room.

Staff, customers, partners and the broader community feel the ripple. When founders change, the systems around them change. That is the real multiplier.

4. Industry impact through creativity.

These companies are building technology for change, daily and consistently. Innovation is not an event. It is a discipline. Over time, it transforms the industry they serve.

5) We leave as equals.

What we are building is more than a program. It is a tapestry. We step out as peers, not titles. It is a community that moves beyond the professional into the personal, grounded in an Aussie and ANZAC spirit of mateship, courage and service.

Endings That Begin: On Becoming Alumni

Yes, last night marks an ending of sorts. In truth it is a change of status to Alumni.

Here in Australia and New Zealand, that word carries weight. With it comes:

• Responsibility to yourself, your family and your company.

• Accountability to each other and to the broader community.

• Expectation to uphold every new member, just as the alumni before you did.

Alumni is not a label. It is a practice.

The Journey of the Lonely Founder

For too long, the founder’s journey has been portrayed as a lonely road. It does not have to be. Those in the REACH ANZ program have a superpower, and it is not funding, curriculum or any specific module.

The superpower is the community.

The most valuable gift we can preserve for every participant is each other.

When peers show up with candour, context and care, they compress time. They help you see around corners. They remind you who you are when the work gets loud.

A Note of Thanks and a Charge

To the six companies and their owner-founders, thank you for trusting the room, doing the work and lifting each other up. To the mentors, partners and alumni who give generously of their time and scars, you make the difference between a cohort and a community.

And to our newest Alumni, wear the word lightly and the responsibilities heavily. Keep showing up. Keep pulling others forward. Keep proving that the engine room runs best when every small cog turns for the whole.

This is not goodbye. It is the next lap.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you’re building a proptech solution with the potential to transform how we live, work, and invest in property, now is the time to move. REACH ANZ is looking for ambitious founders who want to scale smarter, grow faster, and join a global community of innovators shaping the future of real estate.

Apply Now

About REACH Australia

and New Zealand

REACH Australia and New Zealand is part of the global REACH accelerator network powered by Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). The program is designed to scale the most promising property technology companies through education, mentorship, and market exposure.

Led by Managing Partner Peter Schravemade, REACH Australia and New Zealand supports high-growth startups shaping the future of real estate, finance, and the built environment. With deep ties across the local and global property ecosystem, the program offers founders unparalleled access to strategic partners, industry leaders, and international expansion opportunities.

For more information, visit www.reachanz.com