HomeBlogCase StudyEcosystem NewsStartupsLaunch Pad Startup PT Blink Attracts Major US Investor, Accelerating Platform Development and Overseas Expansion
Launch Pad Startup PT Blink Attracts Major US Investor, Accelerating Platform Development and Overseas Expansion
Western Sydney University’s Launch Pad property tech startup PT Blink has attracted a multi-million-dollar investment by the owners of Holland Partner Group (HPG), a major United States developer and operator of high-quality investment properties.
Supporting PT Blink’s “do it and digitise it” strategy, the $5 million investment backs a partnership that will see PT Blink technology applied to HPG developments in the US as the cloud-based platform is being created.
“We are thrilled to have HPG on board with us to accelerate our cloud platform development and market expansion,” says Murray Ellen, PT Blink Founder. “They are supporting our strategy to apply our technology to exemplar projects that demonstrate our unique benefits and concurrently feed data and the user experience into the platform development.”
In addition to the capital investment, the partnership will see a pipeline of HPG projects and collaboration initiatives commencing with an eight-storey apartment complex in Seattle, Washington.
“We pride ourselves on staying at the forefront of technology to continue delivering premium quality assets, connected communities and sustainable approaches to building,” says Clyde Holland, CEO and Chairman, Holland Partner Group. ”PT Blink offers unique advantages in quality, safety, speed and waste reduction, and we are excited to be part of a platform that will help scale these benefits for the global construction industry.”
“We have accomplished transaction values of more than US$20 billion and today have nearly 20,000 units under management and in the construction process. PT Blink’s ability to deliver high quality while reducing time to market was immediately appealing to us. However, as an owner operator in the growing build-to-rent sector, the ability to capture the quality PT Blink brings to the construction process and the long-term benefits of capital expense reduction opens many possibilities for investors seeking ongoing above-index returns,” continues Clyde Holland.
Having delved into the 6-month accelerator experience at Launch Pad’s SydWest Ignition Accelerator 2021, the startup is now ready to take on new challenges.
“The Launch Pad program has been instrumental in our expansion and ability to attract a partner of the calibre of HPG,” says Murray Ellen, PT Blink Founder. “It helped us get to the essence of the problem we were solving and distil the key elements of our solution – technology to develop property faster, safer, better and with less waste.”
“Without our involvement in Launch Pad we would not be in as strong a position to enter our scaling phase in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Also, we are now stationed at the Western Sydney University Penrith campus and look forward to our association with Western Sydney University deepening through employing students and creating a “fitness centre” to test the fit of the manufactured components. We see this as a partnership for the future and Launch Pad has certainly been true to its name in giving us the initial thrust to get us going.”
“We are particularly grateful for the support and efforts of the Launch Pad Program Manager, Rebecca Pham, who did a magnificent job keeping everyone on track. And to the ‘Entrepreneurs in Residence’, Jamie Pride and Jonathon Wolfe, whose expertise, guidance and encouragement were at the heart of the program.”
In preparation for the next stage of its platform launch and project work, PT Blink has been increasing its US engineering capability and is bolstering its people on the ground to build out the US supply chain.
In Australia, the company has strengthened its Executive Leadership Team and Board with key appointments and this week launched its new branding and marketing website.
PT Blink is actively building its partner ecosystem of Designers (architects and engineers), Manufacturers and Integrators (builders) with registrations open via the website.
The PT Blink platform and marketplace will enable the flexible design, offsite manufacture and onsite integration of multi-storey buildings.
PT Blink was part of Launch Pad’s SydWest Ignition Accelerator 2021 cohort.