Former AFL player’s real estate startup Gavl raises $1.8 million from Flight Centre co-founder Geoff Harris

Melbourne-based real estate startup Gavl has raised $1.8 million from Flight Centre co-founder Geoff Harris as it looks to close a $6 million Series A round to bring its live-streamed auction offerings to cities across Australia and New Zealand.

Founded in 2015, Gavl is the brainchild of former AFL player Joel Smith, Leith Donaldson and Michael Artup, who saw a gap in the real estate market for live-streamed auctions that facilitated participation from buyers around the globe.

“It’s out of consumer need — all Australians love real estate and at any given time just about all of us are dreaming of a new house,” Smith tells StartupSmart.

It was in June 2016 that the former Hawthorn player took the idea to Flight Centre co-founder Geoff Harris, who he had previously known from Harris’ time as director of the same club.

As an early investor in Boost Juice, Topdeck and Fonda Mexican, Harris saw the potential of the yet-to-be built platform, and Smith managed to secure $2.5 million from Harris Capital to build and launch Gavl in December 2016.

Harris Capital has now invested an extra $1.8 million into the startup and Gavl will be using these funds to launch worldwide live auction bidding across eight major currencies.

Smith says these funds will also go towards marketing and expanding its team of 23 to cover more real estate opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. Read more

Angela Castles - Smart Company - 6 Oct 2017