Israeli start-up Apply Design has closed a $3.3 million seed funding round for its platform, which automatically creates virtual interior designs for empty property images. The capital raised will be used to increase the size of the Apply Design team, and to develop more products that will allow homeowners to sell and advertise their properties online.
The seed round was led by top US funds like Urban Innovation Fund, Cathexis Ventures, Goodwater Capital, and Y Combinator, which Apply Design joined during their latest summer batch, alongside earlier pre-seed investors like Fusion, Secret Chord, and other strategic real estate angel investors.
Prior to founding Apply Design in 2018, co-founders Yaniv Knoll (CTO) and Asaf Amit (CEO) worked together in an elite intelligence unit in the IDF that specializes in 3D solutions for special operations. The duo drew upon that prior expertise in order to develop what they tout as “the next Shopify for property listings.”
“Up until today, realtors that wanted to virtually stage the properties they represented had to pay a lot of money and wait days until they would get the result they wanted because those images were created manually. Using computer vision and ML algorithms, we developed an automated way to get the same results in minutes and for a price that’s much cheaper,” said Knoll.
What is their goal?
The company’s technology is centered around mixed-reality imaging, machine learning and AI-driven computer vision technology, enabling realtors to show personalized examples of a property’s potential to prospective buyers. In the past year, over 100,000 images have been created using Apply Design for over 10,000 properties in 25 different countries, by realtors from top real estate franchises including Keller Williams, Re/Max and more.
Amit further elaborated on Apply Design’s unique approach to real estate showcasing, saying: “When a young married couple with a baby visits a website hosted by Apply Design, instead of seeing a dull property listing on Zillow with empty pictures or old furniture, the family will see realistic virtual interior designs of whatever they resonate with [such as] a bedroom, a nursery, or a home office, which are automatically generated for them. The couple can then further customize these designs and really visualize how the property fits their needs and tastes.”