Unlocking The Secrets Of Land: How Two Entrepreneurs Have Transformed Property Development – Forbes
Posted: December 14, 2020 at 1:53 am
LandTech founders Andrew Moist and Jonny Britton
A decade ago, a nightmare self-build experience led former software developer Andrew Moist down a path that would culminate in LandTech, the proptech platform that he cofounded with Jonny Britton, which streamlines the entire property development process into a single digital workflow, enabling developers, from novices to building firms, to be build ready.
Anyone developing property, whether on a small or a large scale, is looking for one thing; an off-market deal to which they can add value. LandTech helps them by unlocking the secrets of land and providing them with the notoriously hard-to-find information and data on things like land ownership and availability, planning permission, previous sold price comparisons, potential problems with developing the land, and any other ongoing developments in the area, all in one place.
By eliminating the need for laborious manual research and liaising with countless organizations, including such as councils and land registries, the technology streamlines the process for existing developers and allows new developers to see the bigger picture and make informed decisions from the outset.
The business began with a chance conversation on Twitter. In 2013, Moist embarked, naively, on a mission to buy and do up an east London-based two-bedroom apartment. But having zero experience of property purchase, renovation, or development, his project quickly became a nightmare, which he shared on the social media platform.
Meanwhile, Britton, a former town planner, had become frustrated by the archaic systems and processes that he had to work with every day, especially as he could see the rapid evolution in technology that was driving innovations in social interactions and data capture. He decided to leave the planning industry, learned to create software, and built TimeMaps, an online atlas of world history, in his family business.
Through a chance conversation on Twitter he was introduced to Moist and the problems he was facing in trying to build his own home in London. With a clear understanding of these problems from the planning side, Britton saw an opportunity to tackle the U.K.s housing crisis by bringing much-needed innovation to the industry. With their combined insight into property and smart technology, they teamed up and launched LandTech.
Within a few weeks of meeting for the first time, we were working together full time on the business in a startup accelerator, says Britton. Andrew had already left his previous job and I still had some commitments with the family business, but, thanks to the accelerator we were able to dive into the business, which we started in February 2014.
By the end of the three-month program, they had a business plan and some of the basic, more visual aspects of the product. A year later, they were ready to put the product out into the market, but immediately ran into problems.
There were complications since the property data we wanted wasn't available when we first started, says Britton. We also had to aggregate a dataset from over 10 million unstructured PDF documents found in hard to reach locations. However, building the technology to do this has given our company a huge advantage as we can now use it for other datasets.
Another issue was that property developers had no industry body that the founders could work with, nor were they big users of social media, or advocates of business networking, so marketing LandTech to this group proved difficult. But, the founders knew their target audience and approached them direct, confident that their pitch would grab their interest. On the back of this came an unexpected challenge, in that their product was too good.
Our customers were blown away by it and therefore didn't want to talk about it with others so that they could keep the advantage to themselves, says Britton. Overall, having no clear channels to market and customers who wanted to keep it a secret, it was difficult to build brand awareness.
However, over time, LandTech began to build momentum. The founders hired a marketing team and used data-driven content to appeal to their customers, which Britton says has enabled them to add value to the industry through their unique insights.
The coronavirus pandemic that initially posed a threat to the business has also played a part in shaping its future. When it struck in March the uncertainty it created in the market left them unsure of their prospects. But they were keen to offer help during the crisis and adapted their product for volunteer groups to help them organize their work getting supplies out to the vulnerable.
It was used by hundreds of volunteer groups, says Britton. Fortunately, customer demand returned very quickly, so the business wasnt too badly affected. But it has made us more conscious as a business. The impact of Covid-19 will be minimal compared to climate change, so we will be speeding up our work towards becoming carbon neutral and a better ecosystem contributor in and around the property.
Recent reforms to the U.K.s planning system have presented LandTech with further opportunities. Being able to respond rapidly to the reforms, we can offer our customers the fastest way to take advantage of them, says Britton Without technology, you would not be in the game.
Today Landtech has a broad client base that includes major housebuilders, leading commercial and residential property agencies, and hundreds of SME residential developers. With investment, comprising seed capital and a grant, totaling $678,000 LandTech has been profitable since its first year of trading. It employs 90 people and is on track to turn over 8 million ($10.6 million) this financial year.
The brand is also set to go global, with immediate territories including the U.S. and Australia. The founders plan to grow revenues to 50 million by 2024 through this expansion.
Britton adds: We already have an office in Sydney and will be moving into the U.S. in 2021. As global urbanization continues, so will the need to develop in smarter, more efficient, more open ways, and we have some big surprises in store in terms of our market entry.
Read more:
Unlocking The Secrets Of Land: How Two Entrepreneurs Have Transformed Property Development - Forbes
- On evolution and art: A retrospective for Selma Grbz | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah - January 27th, 2021
- RELIGION: Now is the right time | Opinion | montrosepress.com - Montrose Daily Press - January 27th, 2021
- Fun Game: Ask Your Darwinist Friends, Guess Who Said This? - Discovery Institute - January 27th, 2021
- Beauty & Wellness Briefing: How far will sustainability efforts go in 2021? - Glossy - January 27th, 2021
- 2021 IPPE: How has COVID-19 impacted the US broiler industry? - The Poultry Site - January 27th, 2021
- Ticking the plant-based box: Vegan-friendly confectionery gathers pace, says Innova Market Insights - FoodIngredientsFirst - January 27th, 2021
- Editors Picks: 18 Events for Your Art Calendar This Week, From a Chat With the Guerrilla Girls to the Music That Inspired Basquiat - artnet News - January 27th, 2021
- How the Russo Family Switched From Superheroes to America's Opioid Crisis With 'Cherry' - Hollywood Reporter - January 27th, 2021
- Could the pandemic get rid of fast fashion for good? - Berkeley Beacon - January 27th, 2021
- Dimensional Fund Advisors Ltd. : Form 8.3 - WILLIAM HILL PLC - Ordinary Shares - Yahoo Finance UK - January 27th, 2021
- KSB SE & Co. KGaA: Adjustment of sales and earnings forecast 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK - January 27th, 2021
- Directors focus is to change lives and impact community - Midland Reporter-Telegram - January 27th, 2021
- Lockdown has hindered career progression of Indian women in tech: Report - HT Tech - January 27th, 2021
- Fundamentals of respect, subordination, and leadership in the army for young soldiers - London Post - January 27th, 2021
- Political scientist Angie Maxwell on countering the 'Long Southern Strategy' - Facing South - January 27th, 2021
- Page refresh: how the internet is transforming the novel - The Guardian - January 27th, 2021
- What Is Diet Culture? The Reasons Why Diet Culture Is Toxic - GoodHousekeeping.com - January 27th, 2021
- Glenn Murcutt, the 'pavilion architect,' on his MPavilion - Architecture AU - January 27th, 2021
- Pass It On: To Counter Sexist Microaggressions In The Office, Set Boundaries And Find A Mentor-Ally Who Can Help - The Swaddle - January 27th, 2021
- The Magic In Your Mind - Self Mastery - January 11th, 2021
- Learn deep esoteric and profound ideas relevant to your daily life and work with new book - GlobeNewswire - December 14th, 2020
- This Everett artist makes a statement in multiple mediums - The Daily Herald - December 14th, 2020
- 6 Eco-Friendly Activewear Brands You Should Be Adding to Cart - Well+Good - December 14th, 2020
- India's rise will evoke its own reactions and responses: S Jaishankar - Mint - December 14th, 2020
- Trendspotting in beverage flavors: citrus, fermentation and indulgence - BeverageDaily.com - December 14th, 2020
- Letters to the Editor December 14, 2020: The beauty of Bhutan - The Jerusalem Post - December 14th, 2020
- The Ten Best Photography Books of 2020 | Arts & Culture - Smithsonian Magazine - December 14th, 2020
- The legends of Covid-19 and technology - IOL - December 14th, 2020
- Shetland pony helps woman with workout - Yahoo Finance Australia - December 14th, 2020
- Dr. Sue S. Yom named editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (Red Journal) - Newswise - December 14th, 2020
- Am I Dating An Algorithm? Relationship Experts Weigh In On The Impacts Of AI - Forbes - December 14th, 2020
- Oliver Wyman and SFA publish report on Singapore's fintech scene - Finextra - December 14th, 2020
- Affinity Answers Awarded Neutronian Certification Badge - PR Web - December 14th, 2020
- The Vision of Human Rights and Legal Morality - TheLeaflet - The Leaflet - December 14th, 2020
- The Triumph of the Sexual Revolution Seems Stunni... - ChristianityToday.com - December 14th, 2020
- 4 reasons why marketing should drive your company's digital evolution - Fast Company - December 8th, 2020
- ESSAY: Dreams and Perception, Part Seven - Pagosa Daily Post - December 8th, 2020
- Wish wants to be the Amazon for the rest of us; will retail investors buy it? - TechCrunch - December 8th, 2020
- Smartphones But in Thin Air? | Future of Interface Evolution - Medium - December 8th, 2020
- Found in translation - The Bookseller - December 8th, 2020
- Fats in fashion: 'Fat is the product developers' friend' - FoodNavigator.com - December 8th, 2020
- Examining the Complex, Subjective Filmography of Oliver Stone: A Comparison and Critique of "JFK" to "Nixon" and... - December 8th, 2020
- There's probably an app for that! | By Terence Ronson Hospitality Net - Hospitality Net - December 8th, 2020
- Crows are capable of conscious thought (and it could rewrite the story of evolution) - Yahoo News UK - September 30th, 2020
- Study Shows That Crows Are Much Smarter Than We Ever Imagined - My Modern Met - September 30th, 2020
- Do Birds Have A Subjective Reality? A New Experiment Suggests So - Forbes - September 30th, 2020
- Scientists Claim to Have Proved That Crows Have Conscious Experiences - Futurism - September 30th, 2020
- Latest Research on Brain Structures Reveals How Birds Are Actually Intelligent and Even Self-Aware - VICE - September 30th, 2020
- Maelstrom Collaborative Arts Stays Flexible and Creative with The Wondering: A Story in Time and Space - Cleveland Scene - September 30th, 2020
- Director Alankrita Shrivastava explores sisterhood, sexuality, and breaking free in her latest film on Netflix - YourStory - September 30th, 2020
- 'It wasn't a conscious decision' - Meet the security distie that launched during lockdown - www.channelweb.co.uk - September 30th, 2020
- How Retail Brands Are Capitalizing On Growing Activewear Demand Through Innovation - Forbes - September 30th, 2020
- The Journey of the Antihero - Alta Magazine - September 30th, 2020
- Rayon Market Forecast and Segments, 2020-2025 The Daily Chronicle - The Daily Chronicle - September 30th, 2020
- Asian Women At The Top: Four PR Network Leaders On How Change Happens - PRovoke Media - September 30th, 2020
- Reflective Tape Market to Showcase Vigorous Demand During the Period until 2025 - The Daily Chronicle - September 30th, 2020
- Unmanned Fighter Aircraft Market : In-depth Analysis to Understand the Competitive Outlook of the Global Industry with Future Estimations - The Daily... - September 30th, 2020
- Medium and Large Satellite Market Application And Specification, Product Category, Downstream Buyers,Top Player with Forecast till 2025 - The Daily... - September 30th, 2020
- Modified Nylon Market Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin, Industry Analysis & Forecast by 2025 - The Daily Chronicle - September 30th, 2020
- FTSE 100 on the back foot as market waits for presidential debate sponsored by Saga - Proactive Investors UK - September 30th, 2020
- Why Consciousness Couldn't Just Evolve from the Mud - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence - August 19th, 2020
- How the History of Skin Care Pushes the Industry Forward - Well+Good - August 19th, 2020
- How to Turn 175 Years of Words in Scientific American into an Image - Scientific American - August 19th, 2020
- Where will the new normal take this tourist town? - Santa Fe New Mexican - August 19th, 2020
- Transcript: Into Black Women and the 19th Amendment - NBC News - August 19th, 2020
- 10 Ethical Brands That Support Indigenous Artisans and Communities - Eco Warrior Princess - August 19th, 2020
- Integrated Revenue and Customer Management for CSP Globally Expected to Drive Growth through 2020 - Scientect - August 19th, 2020
- Global Silica based Matting Agents Market 2020: Industry Analysis and Detailed Profiles of Top Key Players Evonik Industries, WR Grace, PPG... - August 19th, 2020
- The India story after 25 years of internet and how it has transformed our lives - Economic Times - August 19th, 2020
- Remco Evenepoel expected to travel back to Belgium within 24 hours - Cyclingnews.com - August 19th, 2020
- A-Methapred Market to Expand Substantially Owing to Technological Innovations During 2019-2025 - Scientect - August 19th, 2020
- Roots And Tings Announces Debut Album - Broadway World - August 19th, 2020
- Can the Democratic Party Hold Together? - POLITICO - POLITICO - August 19th, 2020
- Internet of Things (IoT) Cloud Platform Market 2019 Trends, Size, Segments, Emerging Technologies and Industry Growth by Forecast to 2023 - Scientect - August 19th, 2020
- IN FOCUS: Singapore's love affair with bubble tea - an obsession that will never die? - CNA - August 15th, 2020
- Trends in the Ready To Use Industrial Ventilation Systems Market 2019-2020 - Scientect - August 15th, 2020
- Peripheral Intervention Drug-Eluting Devices Market is Seeing Explosive Growth By Future Industry Winners: Forecast, 2014-2022 - Owned - August 15th, 2020
- Human Primary Cells Market Insights, Trends, Analysis, Types, Applications, key players, Market shares and Forecast 2019 to 2023 - Scientect - August 15th, 2020
- Polypropylene Random Copolymer Pipe to Flourish with an Impressive CAGR During 2019-2026 - The News Brok - August 15th, 2020
- On Consciousness: Science and Subjectivity: A Q&A with Bernard Baars - Scientific American - May 28th, 2020