CRETI Launches Foundations Accelerator: Selects Four Proptech Companies for Inaugural Cohort
Summary: As real estate operators tighten procurement standards and demand clearer economic outcomes from technology vendors, proptech companies face growing pressure to move beyond product innovation and demonstrate operational relevance. CRETI’s Foundations program reflects this shift, emphasizing commercialization, operator alignment, and measurable return on investment over traditional accelerator models focused on fundraising or exposure. By structuring direct engagement between startups and decision-makers, the program aims to reduce adoption friction and shorten the path from product development to deployment. The inaugural cohort highlights a broader market transition in which technology increasingly resembles operational infrastructure rather than experimental software.
The Center for Real Estate Technology & Innovation, CRETI, has selected four startups for the first cohort of Foundations, a new go-to-market program aimed at helping early-stage proptech companies scale in the real estate industry at a time when adoption, not experimentation, has become the industry’s priority.
The six-week, non-dilutive program, known as CRETI Foundations, is designed to address a recurring challenge in real estate technology: promising products that struggle to gain traction with owners and operators navigating tighter margins and longer procurement cycles. Rather than focusing on fundraising or product ideation, the program centers on commercialization, operator feedback, and real-world execution.
The inaugural cohort includes:
RentFlow – A pricing and leasing intelligence platform helping operators optimize rents and leasing strategies in commercial real estate.
SurfaceAI – An AI agent platform for property operations, focused on lease audits, due diligence, and delinquency workflows.
Pares – An AI-powered solution focused on operational insights and performance optimization for real estate teams.
Domiq – An end-to-end agentic AI system that assists, scores, and analyzes your multifamily leasing teams, 24/7.
These companies span pricing and leasing intelligence, AI-driven property operations, performance analytics, resident engagement, and digital building services across commercial and multifamily real estate. According to CRETI, the group was selected based on product readiness and demonstrated owner and manager demand.
"We’re super excited to be part of CRETI’s inaugural cohort,” said Zihao Wang, CEO and Founder of PARES AI. “We joined because they bring together industry experts who can help PARES scale adoption, provide valuable feedback, and refine our go-to-market approach."
Foundations launches as many operators have grown more selective about new technology, placing greater emphasis on measurable return on investment and operational fit. CRETI said the program is structured to mirror how adoption actually occurs, with startups engaging directly with property executives through working sessions, feedback forums, and curated introductions.
“We joined CRETI for its practical focus on helping early-stage proptech companies reach the market,” said Alix Maurin, co-founder of RentFlow. “From sharpening our commercial strategy through hands-on guidance and industry mentorship to pitching directly in front of thousands of owners and property managers, CRETI provides a rare, end-to-end path to real adoption.”
Throughout the program, participating companies will work closely with multifamily leaders to refine their commercial strategies, pursue pilot opportunities, and position themselves for partnerships and early revenue. The initiative culminates in private briefings with operators and investors, reflecting CRETI’s emphasis on execution over exposure.
“Foundations was built to close the gap between strong products and actual adoption,” said Ashkan Zandieh, managing director of CRETI. “In the real estate industry, technology only works if it aligns with operational realities and delivers clear economic value. This cohort reflects that shift in the market.”
CRETI plans to roll out additional Foundations cohorts focused on other real estate segments, including residential, brokerage, multifamily, and asset management, as demand grows for programs that prioritize commercialization and operator alignment over traditional accelerator models.
