Peter Rollings, ex-MD of Foxtons and until recently CEO of Marsh & Parsons, has taken a stake in Viewber.
This is the outsourced viewing service for the property industry, including both online and high street agents, led by Ed Mead, formerly of London firm Douglas & Gordon.
Rollings, who stepped down from Marsh & Parsons last year and was given an Outstanding Contribution to the Industry award last month, said: ”When I first read about Viewber I was intrigued and rang Ed to hear more about it.
“We had coffee and by the time the bill came I told him I wanted to be part of it and was prepared to invest in the business.
“It’s the first proptech I’ve seen which genuinely understands the way the business works. They’ve looked at a problem within the industry and provided a viable solution.”
Rollings is the only external investor in a recent founders and employees round of funding for the firm.
Viewber was launched last summer by Mead and Marcus de Ferranti, a pilot who served in the Cabinet Office as head of policy communications in the nineties, and who has a track record of investing in early stage technology businesses.
Mead said: “I’m delighted to have Peter involved as his experience and insight, as one of the most highly respected property professionals around, will prove invaluable.
“When I took him through the proposition, he just ‘got it’. He understood what we were doing – why and how and what a potential game changer Viewber is for so many property related businesses.
“I’m really looking forward to working with him as we enter the next phase of development.”
Plans for a second round of funding later this year are already under way.
Interesting. Not a fan of Ed Mead, but if know Peter Rollings thinks this prop tech has legs, I’ll watch this space.
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Viewber. So its just Uber for viewings.
wow, i didnt even get half way through my coffee before i “just got it”
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Correct me if I am wrong, but I just don’t get it.
People buy into people – that’s why we spend time and money training our negotiators to sell / rent in a specific way. By outsourcing this, are you not gambling your companies reputation, allowing a ‘Viewber’ to be in charge of your reputation ? Someone who is not trained by you, does not answer to you ?
Do they all have a criminal background checks or are people just handing keys to their property to……a stranger.
I think driving a taxi from A to B – you need a licence, and its simple to check paperwork, and the chat is secondary to the journey. If he gets this wrong he only ruins his own business.
I think showing a house is 100% the chat / knowledge / personality etc etc , and what licence / paperwork do you need. If they get this wrong, then they ruin the estate agents business ?
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