Proptech in London
Here are five reasons why proptech in London is booming:
1. London's ecosystem
The capital is home to a significant real estate community, the main client base for proptech in London.
Major landlords and investors are based in London, many with European head offices, such as CBRE, JLL, Colliers International and Cushman & Wakefield, as well as international headquarters including Landsec, Segro, Intu Properties and Hammerson.
London’s proptech ecosystem showcases specialist incubators and accelerators, such as Geovation and RELab, and leading industry organisations including the UK PropTech Association, New London Architecture (NLA), the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) and the British Property Federation.
The London PropTech Show is an annual event boasting more than 100 speakers and 150 exhibitors, and aims to review progress and inspire collaboration within the proptech sector.
2. A hotbed of talent
London has one of the world’s most diverse talent pools for proptech, from architecture and blockchain to construction and data science. The city boasts 151,600 employees in the property sector and a further 200,300 employees working in construction.[1]
Two of the world’s top 50 universities for engineering and technology are in London[2] – Imperial and University College London (UCL) – as well as The Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment. There are also 13 London universities that offer 15 real estate, planning and related courses.[3]
In 2024, London was ranked as the strongest city in Europe, and second strongest in the world after San Francisco, for improving real estate longevity due to its environmental, economic and innovation impacts.[4]
Other fantastic initiatives support professionals in London's proptech industry, such as UKGBC’s Future Leaders programme and NLA’s NextGen initiative, which focus on the development of business leaders in the built environment.
3. Access to capital
In 2022, £479.4m of venture capital (VC) was invested into London’s proptech sector with more than 53 rounds. The average seed round funding in London stands at $889k – compared to the global average of $821k.[5]
There was £1.4bn of VC investment in London proptech companies between 2017 and 2022. This momentum looks like it is set to continue with more than 500 VC firms based in London in 2024.[6]
Just a few of these firms with offices in the city include Europe’s largest proptech VC, A/O PropTech, and specialist VC funds Pi Labs, Fifth Wall, Concrete Ventures and Round Hill Ventures.
London is where it’s at. The real estate companies are here. The tech companies are here. The VC investment is here. The real estate investment is here. The energy is here. The skills are here. The opportunity is here.Alex Edds
Director of Innovation, JLL UK
4. Sustainability
London is increasingly leading the way on sustainability, with several eco-friendly initiatives focused in the industry.
London Councils coordinate cross-borough projects on retrofit and low-carbon development. These programmes address major sources of current and future carbon emissions and support important co-benefits around inequality, health and green economic development.
The Greater London Authority (GLA) has launched the Business Climate Challenge, aiming to reduce participating companies’ building energy consumption by 10% in the first year.[7]
NLA's Net Zero programme brings together built environment professionals and decision makers to share best practices and accelerate the adoption of climate solutions to create a greener, zero-carbon London.
Modular home building and high-quality off-site construction is being pioneered in the UK by innovative London-based housing associations, such as Swan Housing and its in-house development and building arm Nu Build.
Major private sector developers and consultancies are fuelling the drive towards sustainability, thanks to their net-zero commitments. UK-based British Land, Landsec, Grosvenor Group and The Crown Estate are all committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2030.
5. Data and innovation
The adoption of proptech innovation is accelerating and is supported by initiatives in the public sector, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Transport for London (TfL) and the GLA.
The Infrastructure Mapping Application (IMA) provides utilities, local authorities and others with an interactive digital map to identify growth and opportunities for joint street works. The tool contains planned and speculative future infrastructure investment data, and growth and development data, alongside relevant layers of context (social, environmental and policy) that are available to the public.
NLA’s Urban Innovation programme connects tech experts and built environment professionals in London to collaborate on innovative ideas and transform the city and solve key urban issues.
London is a city of collaboration. The Planning DataHub is a collaborative project between all of the planning authorities in London to build a single open data set of development proposals in the planning process.
Find out more about sustainable business in London.
One of the top 20 universities in the world.
The only university in the UK to focus exclusively on science, medicine, engineering and business.
The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Europe's largest proptech VC firm.
An early-stage proptech investment firm.
The first and largest venture capital firm advising corporates on and investing in built world technology.
A non-bank mortgage lender in the UK.
A venture capital fund investing in early stage, high-growth UK companies.
Europe's first and most active proptech VC.
An investment platform for real estate and insurance investors.
Building and scaling innovative solutions to shape the future smart built environment.
Investor in property technology innovation.
A European seed-stage venture capital fund.
A venture capital firm that specialises in investing in property entrepreneurs and high growth real estate ventures.
Professionally managed lettings.
Retail space rental agency.
An AI driven property management platform.
Using AI to track all construction activities on-site.
Aiming to make it cheaper, faster and easier to rent a home.
Helping to make more inclusive planning decisions.
Transforming performance and productivity in the construction industry.
AI-powered construction analytics platform.
Commercial real estate software.
The property registry and platform for location-based AR.
Fast, easy access to high quality data for all registered commercial properties in England and Wales.
Attracting and retaining tenants, adding asset value and engaging your community.
Enabling property and facility managers to increase efficiency and reduce risk.
Technology to accelerate the development of smart, sustainable and people-focused places.
Streamlining professional quality photography and high accuracy floor plan creation.
Lettings software and services that improve the renting process.
Channelling capital towards an inclusive net-zero carbon economy.
Software for real estate professionals looking to digitise operations, improve client experience and maximise efficiency.
Search, view and book shared offices, coworking spaces and serviced office space.
Providing a platform that enables users to analyse global industry sectors.
Specialist buy-to-let mortgage lender.
A platform to find and assess off-market opportunities.
The fastest-growing proptech company in the UK.
Omnichannel rental exposure for residential real estate.
The estate agent that also negotiates your purchase.
Helping real estate lawyers provide useful advice in property transactions.
Bringing transparency to real estate management and investment decisions through efficient use of data.
Integrated lettings platform that reduces admin, maximises revenue and provides transparency.
An urban design and public realm practice.
Powering decision making at UK property's most successful organisations.
The UK's largest online real estate portal and property website.
The first and only business process automation engine built using AI.
Using the latest aerial mapping technology to survey your infrastructure site.
Retail space rental agency.
Uniting the UK building industry using sustainability as a catalyst.
Improving the image of the PRS and enhancing relationships between agents and customers.
A platform for commercial real estate professionals.
Integrating data to demonstrate the real life impact of buildings on their surrounding environments.
A peer-to-peer lending company which has a banking licence.
The smart property management platform powering landlords and property pros all around the world.
A revenue growth platform for residential investors and institutions.
A proptech company which has codified the rules of residential planning and generates 3D models of all possible extensions available to your home.
AI-driven concirge chatbot enabling employee wellbeing by finding a rental home in 10 hours.
Innovative technology company bringing SaaS platform for digital program management, construction workflow automation and AI driven project delivery.
Helping property investors to secure more deals faster.
A platform allowing landlords and renters to conclude the entire rental journey via an application, with near to no human interaction.
A SaaS plantech business that uses data and analytics to drive efficiency, simplicity and collaboration in the entire planning application process, for the private and public sectors.
The world's premier infrastructure firm.
A global design, engineering and management consulting company.
An independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, architects, consultants and technical specialists.
One of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies.
A leading global supplier of technology and services, including energy and building technology.
Creating outstanding places for people to work, live and visit.
Commercial real estate services and investment firm.
An independent commercial business.
A global commercial real estate services firm.
A property investment and development business.
Architecture firm reimagining the future of cities.
A FTSE 250 property investment and development company.
One of the world's largest privately-owned international property businesses.
Creating real economic, social and environmental value as a global real estate advisor.
An international workspace provider creating remarkable experiences through real estate solutions.
A property estate in Marylebone, London, owned by the Howard de Walden family.
A world leader in real estate services.
Providing personalised, clear and considered advice on all areas of property.
Creating and delivering innovative and sustainable real estate and investment solutions.
A global real estate services provider.
An estate covering large parts of Soho with tenants including hotels, independent retailers, residential flats and offices.
A commercial real estate company that provides flexible shared workspaces for startups.
A property discovery website and app.
An industry-first global programme in real estate.
Focusing on growing businesses with innovations in mobility services and the built environment.
Accelerating location and property innovation.
Redefining the world of coworking space.
The second-largest professional services network in the world.
A not-for-profit membership organisation representing companies involved in property ownership and investment.
The devolved regional governance body of London.
Registering the ownership of land and property in England and Wales.
Working to find and drive the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy.
The planning authority for the area around and including Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The UK Government department for housing, communities and local government in England.
A forum for city architecture.
The national mapping agency for Great Britain.
Enforcing global standards through qualified professionals across the built and natural environment.
Running the day-to-day operation of the capital's public transport network and managing London's main roads.
A not-for-profit membership organisation driving the digital transformation agenda within the property industry.
Use the filters in the map to discover the city's ecosystem.
Success stories
How we can help
London & Partners offers free advice to potential and existing overseas investors, from startups to established companies.
We can help you:
- Stay informed and access the latest developments, initiatives and incentives.
- Connect with the wider ecosystem, including support networks and trade associations.
- Future-proof the setup of your London business.