Why Corporate–Startup Collaboration Is Now a Competitive Advantage for Real Estate and Construction
- Shereen Salvatierra
- Dec 8
- 4 min read
A new report from GlassDollar has delivered one of the clearest data sets to date on the role startups now play in corporate innovation.
The Startup Advantage analysed more than 250,000 corporate–startup partnerships worldwide and reached a simple conclusion:
Companies that engage systematically with startups outperform the market.
For REACH Australia and New Zealand, this finding is both timely and relevant. Our mission has always been to close the innovation gap between the ANZ property sector and the world’s leading regions. The GlassDollar report now provides the quantitative backing that confirms why this matters.
The Numbers are Impossible to Ignore
GlassDollar compared the fifty most active corporate collaborators with the broader market. The results were clear:
These corporations increased their market capitalisation by 109 percent between 2022 and 2025.
Over the same period, the MSCI World Index grew 69 percent.
The outperformance continued even after removing the largest US tech firms.
What this shows is that systematic innovation does not belong solely to Silicon Valley or a handful of global giants. It is a discipline, not an accident. Corporates that build a repeatable approach to sourcing and adopting startup technology consistently pull ahead of their peers.
The Standout Finding for our Region: Real Estate and Construction Leads the World in Uplift
Across all ten sectors studied, Real Estate and Construction showed one of the strongest returns from startup collaboration, outperforming its MSCI benchmark by 2.6 times over the three-year period.
This matters because:
Real estate is traditionally slower to adopt technology.
Margins are tight, costs are rising, and expectations around sustainability and compliance continue to increase.
Productivity, asset performance and risk management are all under pressure.
The report highlights exactly where the most active real estate and construction corporates are investing:
Energy efficiency, decarbonisation and ESG reporting
Construction automation, robotics and site intelligence
Smart building operations and tenant experience platforms
These are the same categories where REACH ANZ has been building capability and supporting founders across our portfolio.
Australia and New Zealand: A Gap Worth Closing
The report notes that most of the world’s structured startup procurement is driven by Europe and North America. Asia contributes only a small fraction of the top collaborators, and Australia and New Zealand do not appear at all.
This is the opportunity.
Our region has the talent, the ambition and the market scale to benefit from technology adoption, but what is missing is a structured mechanism to connect corporates with the right solutions and to help those solutions scale safely.
That mechanism is venture clienting.
And that is precisely what REACH ANZ delivers.
Why This Matters for the ANZ Property Sector
The pace of technological change is accelerating. AI adoption windows are shrinking from years to months. Innovation budgets are tightening worldwide. Corporate lifespans are shortening. Against this backdrop, relying solely on internal development is no longer realistic.
The GlassDollar data shows that:
External innovation now outweighs internal R&D in many leading companies
Business units, not innovation teams, are driving most successful collaborations
Venture clienting has become the preferred model for accessing startup capability
For real estate groups, franchise networks, developers, builders and construction supply-chain operators, the message is direct:
Working with startups is no longer experimental. It is now a competitive requirement.
REACH ANZ’s Role
REACH ANZ exists to help the ANZ property sector adopt global best practice by:
Selecting and accelerating high-potential PropTech scaleups
Creating structured pathways for corporates to trial and adopt technology
Reducing risk by aligning founders with the actual needs of the industry
Building a multi-country network of partners, experts and alumni
Helping both sides learn faster and act faster
In short, we provide the venture clienting infrastructure that the GlassDollar report identifies as the foundation for modern corporate innovation.
Looking Ahead
The findings of The Startup Advantage reinforce what we already see on the ground: the highest-performing property and construction organisations are the ones that engage most consistently with new technology.
The opportunity for Australia and New Zealand is to move from sporadic experimentation to structured, strategic collaboration. As the regional arm of the world’s largest PropTech accelerator, REACH ANZ is committed to leading that shift.
The full GlassDollar report can be accessed here
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.
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
Comments