Mark Birschbach Promoted to Vice President for Strategic Investments
CHICAGO – October 30, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Second Century Ventures, the National Association of Realtors®’ strategic investment arm, has hired top technologist Alex Lange, former Market Leader chief technology officer, as an operating partner. Adding to SCV’s future success is the promotion of Mark Birschbach to vice president.
Lange will help run the venture capital fund, which focuses on early-stage technology companies, and its technology accelerator program REach®. Lange has acted as an entrepreneur in residence with SCV for the past year, mentoring the eight 2015 REach class companies and quickly becoming a trusted advisor to many of startup companies.
“REach and Lange’s mentorship has been invaluable,” said David Manshoory, CEO of AssetAvenue.com, a member of the REach 2015 class. “Alex’s depth of knowledge from his past career achievements has made him an incredible leader to work with, and I consider myself lucky to have crossed paths with him and have the pleasure of working alongside him. In my humble opinion, any company with Alex on its team has an unfair competitive advantage – he’s something every company would want in its arsenal.”
Lange has more than 25 years of technology, product and start-up experience. Prior to joining SCV, he was chief technology officer at Market Leader, acquired by Trulia in August 2013, and co-founded Roost.com, a unique social marketing platform that was acquired by software company Vertical Response. Lange was recently included in a global Top 1,000 Chief Technology Officers list and is a graduate of the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Birschbach joined SCV in 2013 and is responsible for identifying, evaluating and executing the fund’s strategic investments and supporting existing SCV portfolio and accelerator companies. Previously, he was chief operating officer at Monthlys, a go-to marketplace for consumers to manage subscriptions and memberships to products and services. Birschbach is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
“SCV and REach are the only venture fund and accelerator in the industry that have unparalleled access to NAR, the nation’s largest trade association and a powerful influencer in the industry, and to its more than 1 million members,” said Dale Stinton, president of SCV and NAR CEO. “With the addition of Alex and promotion of Mark, SCV has consolidated its position as the leading strategic investor in the real estate industry.”
Over the past eight 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.
The REach technology accelerator provides industry access and mentorship to startup technology companies over 9-months. While there are no shortage of technology accelerators, REach is among the biggest in the industry and has the largest network of mentors and experts; over 300 executive-level mentors and more than 4,000 Realtors® provide input and participate as beta testers to give the companies early product feedback and help build the right tools for the industry. Past participant companies include well-known names, including Updater, BombBomb, SmartZip and WeVideo.
About Second Century Ventures
Second Century Ventures (SCV) is an early-stage technology fund, backed by the National Association of Realtors®, which leverages the association’s 1 million members and an unparalleled network of executives within real estate and adjacent industries. SCV systematically launches its portfolio companies into the world’s largest industries including real estate, financial services, banking, home services, and insurance. SCV seeks to define and deliver the future of the world’s largest industries by being a catalyst for new technologies, new opportunities, and new talent.
About REach
REach® is a unique strategic accelerator created by Second Century Ventures, the investment arm of the National Association of Realtors®, which helps technology companies launch into the real estate vertical and its adjacent markets. REach™ is a 9-month program that provides education, mentorship and market exposure to help its portfolio companies access the trillion-dollar real estate market and leverage NAR’s strategic expertise. REach® accepts fewer than a dozen companies each year to access one of the world’s largest industries. Learn more at www.narreach.com.
About National Association of Realtors®
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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