Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of REALTORS®, has selected Dave Garland – a respected industry consultant and investor – to join the firm. Garland will help set a forward looking direction for the venture capital fund, which develops early-stage technology companies, and guide its technology accelerator program, REach.
In this new role, Garland will search out and evaluate investment opportunities that promise to improve the global residential and commercial real estate industries. Under his guidance, SCV and REach will fund and nurture innovation that will make a positive impact on the day-to-day activities of NAR members.
“Partnering with a real estate executive who has practical brokerage, development and technology experience is a true win for NAR and the industry as a whole,” says Dale Stinton, CEO of NAR. “This is by far the strongest team we’ve ever put together at SCV and REach. Combined with the REALTOR® brand, SCV continues to be the number one incubator of ideas and technologies in the real estate space.”
In an interview with RISMedia, Bob Goldberg, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing and Business Development & Strategic Investments at NAR, agreed. “We are very excited about the opportunity to have Dave on the team. We went out in the industry with the intent of finding the top person to marry with Mark Birschbach, our Vice President of Strategic Investments. With his experience and insight, I knew Dave was the right guy for the position, and we were lucky enough to get him to join our team. We now have the strongest team in SCV history.”
Goldberg noted the group’s mission is to find the top emerging technology and help members and brokers gain a competitive edge by adapting technology first.
“We aim to be early adapters of top technology before it becomes the mainstay,” he said. “Dave brings a unique aspect to what we’re trying to accomplish. With Dave’s experience, contacts, knowledge and expertise, we’ve really put ourselves in a position to bring the best solutions to our industry.”
Garland will continue his work from his Silicon Valley office in Menlo Park, Calif., and report to SCV Managing Director Mark Birschbach. “As a mentor for Reach®, Dave has already been playing an active role in the success of our companies, and behind the scenes, he has driven many of the industry’s biggest deals. We are fortunate to have him as part of our team,” says Birschbach.
In an interview with RISMedia, Garland said he’s looking forward creating new opportunities for the industry in his new role. “It’s certainly an honor and privilege to be part of a 100-year-old brand that brings not only brand strength but influence and opportunity,” he said. “For me to bring the network that I have built outside of the NAR network—in the mortgage space, the commercial, rental and global space—it becomes a scenario where not only can I add value to an existing system but also create additional innovational opportunities that can better serve the entire real estate community.”
He continued, “I’ve been a real estate practitioner and adviser for over 16 years. If you encapsulate what i have done, it’s been serving great ideas and great leaders within the industry. That ability to serve is my calling. I enjoy seeing ideas being implemented in ways never imagined previously.”
He said his goal is to be a bridge builder between ideas and leaders, between organizations and individuals, “which becomes the basis of future innovation.”
“I’m excited to implement non-traditional technology that may have an impact within the mortgage, commercial, rental and global market,” he added. “That inevitably serves not only the Realtor® but society as a whole.”
Garland brings his strategic advisory experience to numerous venture-backed, public and private real estate companies – bridging these entities with established brokerages and technology firms. As a startup investor, he sits on the boards of growing organizations in Silicon Valley.
“Dave is an accomplished professional. He knows our industry from the street up to the very highest levels,” says Mike Ryan, RE/MAX, LLC executive vice president. “He is a seasoned, knowledgeable broker with a stellar track record for identifying promising technologies and startups with a real future.”
As an industry practitioner, Garland has acquired, owned and managed portfolios of single-family residential, commercial and development properties in 30 states. During the housing crisis, he worked with several key organizations to create practical solutions for thousands of real estate professionals, including critical short sale programs instrumental in helping homeowners survive the great recession.
Garland holds an MBA from the Melbourne Business School and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Notre Dame. He has also attended advanced programs at Oxford and Stanford and is a licensed real estate broker.
Over the past nine years, NAR and SCV have invested in and cultivated dozens of innovative technology companies, including well-known names: DocuSign, Xceligent, SentriLock and zipLogix, and past companies, ePropertyData and ifbyphone.
REach is among the largest tech accelerators in the industry with a network of experts that includes over 300 executive level mentors and more than 4,000 Realtors. Past participant companies include well-known names: Updater, BombBomb, and SmartZip.
For more information, visit www.secondcenturyventures.com.
