Dec 2, 2022

Dallas PropTech Startup Stellar Reports $20M Series B Funding Round Stellar's platform leverages AI and machine learning to enable property managers and contractors to resolve home maintenance issues. Its new growth equity financing round was led by Weatherford Capital and supported by existing investors Brick & Mortar Ventures, S3 Ventures, Alerion Ventures, and Navigate Ventures. "We have caught lightning in a bottle," Founder and CEO Dustin Marx said of the new raise. Stellar serves more than 150,000 properties across 9 cities with around 8,000 contractors in its network. [Photo: Stellar] Dallas-based proptech startup Stellar announced $20 million in Series B growth equity financing in a round led by new investor Weatherford Capital and supported by existing investors Brick & Mortar Ventures, S3 Ventures, Alerion Ventures, and Navigate Ventures. Founded in 2016, Stellar is a venture-backed, technology-driven marketplace that solves maintenance at scale for the single-family rental (SFR) market. The funding news comes on the heels of Stellar boosting its technology via the October appointment of former Facebook executive Renaud Casanova as the company’s new chief technology officer. “We have caught lightning in a bottle,” Stellar Founder and CEO Dustin Marx said of the new raise on LinkedIn, adding that it will “accelerate our mission of delivering hassle-free maintenance done right. We love enabling property managers and contractors to successfully resolve home maintenance issues that give residents peace of mind.” “This funding will allow us to meet the rising demand for our maintenance marketplace, evolve into more agile technology including a new mobile app, and expand our talent and market reach,” Marx added in a statement. “We’re uniquely positioned in this extraordinary macro-economy to create a revolutionary marketplace that thrives and provides new opportunities for SFR stakeholders, enabling them to experience home maintenance that is fast, frictionless, and done right.” $35 million in total venture capital Founder and CEO Dustin Marx The new funding round brings Stellar’s total venture capital to $35 million and will be used to enhance the company’s technology and platform, invest in new talent, and expand into more U.S. markets. Stellar said its mission is to increase asset value, reputation, and retention to build thriving businesses and communities. The company said it melds technology with an intimate knowledge of property maintenance to solve the challenges that residents, property managers, and contractors collectively face, and now serves 10 of the 11 largest SFR operators across more than 150,000 properties. Stellar said the new equity financing round will help it enhance its platform, which leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable property managers and contractors to successfully resolve home maintenance issues, giving residents peace of mind. Unlike local contractors, Stellar uses technology to make the maintenance experience seamless, simple, and scalable, the company said, with the work’s quality guaranteed. Plans to double staff by end of 2023 L to R; CTO Renaud Casanova, VP Operations Seana Stewart, and CFO Chuck Lueckemeyer. [Photo: Stellar] Stellar said that it will invest in new talent and plans to grow its staff by nearly 100% by the end of 2023 in the areas of operations, sales, marketing, and technology. “We’re on the hunt for exceptional talent in both DFW and the Bay Area,” Marx wrote on LinkedIn. An expansion of the U.S. market is also in the offing, the company said. Stellar added that in conjunction with the financing, David Seider, principal at Weatherford Capital, has been appointed to its board of directors, effective at the closing of the investment. Seider brings a long history of tech solutions impacting complex and regulated industries because of his board and adviser roles with Branch, High Definition Vehicle Insurance, and The Zebra. “As a firm focused on backing high-quality leaders who manage rapidly growing B2B technology companies, we have a keen eye for identifying startups solving real problems in the market,” Seider said in a statement. “Stellar’s impressive growth, combined with a rising number of U.S. households choosing to rent instead of owning a house, underscores the company’s position as a market leader. We’re proud to align with them on this next phase of growth to continue to solve challenges across the property lifecycle.” Get on the list. Dallas Innovates, every day. Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day. One quick signup, and you’re done. The DEC Network’s flagship event—Dallas Startup Week—will be held August 7 through August 11 both virtually and in person at SMU's Cox School of Business. Bringing together the local ecosystem’s “breadth and diversity” of corporations and startups, the Corporate Startup Innovation summit will feature Jim Adler, founding managing director of Toyota Ventures, and Steven Levy, editor at large at Wired—plus a deep dive in the funding landscape, an accelerator pitch competition, and more. HBCU HUB, a startup focused on connecting students to recruiters at historically Black colleges and universities, is moving its headquarters to McKinney with the aid of grant funding from the McKinney Economic Development Corporation’s Innovation Fund. Island, a Dallas-based unicorn that emerged from stealth last February, was valued at $1.3 billion in March. It continues to attract big investments for its Enterprise Browser, which protects companies' SaaS tools and internal web apps from data leaks with a long list of security features. "Being able to further validate our valuation, even with the headwinds facing the broader market, is an honor,” Island CEO and co-founder Mike Fey said. Dallas Startup Week—The DEC Network’s annual flagship event, sponsored by Capital One—had its kickoff party Sunday at The Star in Frisco. You'll find 100+ events and sessions running Monday through Thursday, August 8-11, both online and in person at SMU’s Cox School of Business. Here you'll find Dallas Innovates' handy, one-sheet guide to each day of DSW. TAGS: