Navigating Market Entry and Fundraising in PropTech
Dec 2025
The European building sector is undergoing a profound transformation. New environmental and operational standards are redefining how buildings are designed, operated, and upgraded. Against this backdrop, a young technology startup, which we will refer to as Project Atlas, set out to develop a software platform enabling commercial buildings to become fully COO-compliant through data-driven monitoring and automation.
The ambition was clear. The execution was not.
The challenge
Project Atlas had developed a strong technical foundation: a robust software solution combining building data, compliance logic, and operational insights. Early pilots confirmed the relevance of the technology. However, the company faced three critical challenges:
No clear go-to-market strategy in a highly fragmented real estate ecosystem
Limited visibility on how to structure a credible business plan beyond product development
No defined roadmap for approaching investors, despite growing capital needs
Like many early-stage technology companies, the founding team was strong on product and vision, but lacked a structured approach to commercialization and financing.
Our intervention
Genki International was engaged to support Project Atlas through a structured advisory mandate, internally referred to as Project Horizon.
The objective was not to rewrite the product story, but to translate technical value into a coherent business narrative, an executable plan, and an investor-ready strategy.
Our work focused on three pillars:
1. Structuring the business model and market entry
We worked with the founders to clarify:
Target customer segments across commercial and institutional real estate
The decision-making chain between owners, operators, and service providers
A pricing and deployment model aligned with compliance-driven purchasing cycles
This resulted in a focused market entry strategy, prioritizing a limited number of high-impact use cases rather than a broad, unfocused rollout.
2. Building a credible business plan
Under Project Blueprint, we supported the company in structuring its first full business plan, including:
A clear value proposition linked to regulatory and operational pain points
Financial projections grounded in realistic sales cycles and deployment constraints
A phased growth plan connecting product roadmap, hiring, and capital needs
This exercise helped align the founding team internally and created a single reference document for partners and investors.
3. Preparing for fundraising and execution
Finally, through Project Northstar, we assisted Project Atlas in:
Defining its funding strategy and investor targeting approach
Refining the equity story and investment narrative
Preparing management for investor discussions and due diligence
In parallel, we introduced execution discipline through clear operational priorities, KPIs, and short-cycle reviews.
Key outcomes
Within the first year following the engagement, Project Atlas achieved several critical milestones:
Successful market entry with its first commercial customers
Deployment of the platform in initial buildings, validating operational assumptions
Completion of its first institutional fundraising round
Establishment of a structured operating model supporting scale
Most importantly, the company transitioned from a product-led initiative to a structured, investor-ready business with a clear execution path.
