Bonnier 2017: Strong Underlying Development – Weak Year-End Financial Results

Blok Raises Funding From Bonnier Ventures

Bonnier Ventures and Lifeline Ventures invest in real-estate startup Blok, alongside previous investors Alexander Samwer-backed Picus Capital and former Supercell executive Erlend Christoffersen

Blok, a digital-first real-estate broker based in Finland, offers a new home-selling experience to match the high expectations set by today’s tech-savvy consumers.

Founded by former Slush Conference team members Rudi Skogman, Olli Gunst, Samu Hautala and Juha Jokela, Blok applies technology paired with human assistance to handle all steps of a residential real-estate transaction.

Blok started selling homes in Helsinki in June 2017 and has since seen strong growth within all major city centers across Finland. In the first six months of business, the company saw close to 100 completed sales handled by its system, predominantly properties in urban neighborhoods popular with young buyers and sellers. The new financing comes on the back of high demand for the service and will be used to support continued expansion of the business and to recruit top talents.

“I have followed Blok since January 2017 when the company was founded, and I am very impressed by their progress,” says Victor Bodin, Investment Director at Bonnier Ventures. “We are very excited about supporting the team. They bring a customer-centric technology approach to the real-estate brokerage market – a large industry that we think is poised to undergo significant change over the coming years.”

“We know that Bonnier has a good media reach and knowledge about the sector, which will be very helpful as we grow the business further,” says Rudi Skogman, CEO & Co-founder of Blok. “We are very excited to have Bonnier Ventures join as a shareholder.”