Lerer Hippeau bets on founder for a second time, Acorns and Betterment Co-Founders join the round with Sway Ventures and FJ Labs
LOS ANGELES, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Capitalize.io, an AI-powered platform turning data into deals by connecting brokers and lenders with high-quality leads, announced its public launch. The company also closed its seed funding round, backed by leading investors including Lerer Hippeau, Sway Ventures, FJ Labs, and Treasury. Many of the investors previously supported co-founder Luke Morris’s earlier venture, Crexi, reaffirming their continued confidence in his vision for the future of Commercial Real Estate (CRE).
“Trillions in CRE debt are coming due, and the industry is still using outdated tools to move capital. That disconnect is freezing development, delaying capital, and slowing down the entire industry,” said Ben Lerer, Managing Partner at Lerer Hippeau. “Capitalize brings modern infrastructure to an industry that desperately needs it—and it’s exactly the kind of purpose-built, founder-led platform we like to back.”
The launch comes at a critical moment for CRE. More than $3 trillion in loans are set to mature over the next three years, while high interest rates and tightening credit markets are forcing the industry to rethink how capital is originated and structured. Capitalize offers a modern, AI-first approach to keep brokers and lenders competitive in this rapidly shifting environment.
“CRE finance data has always been out there—but it’s often delayed, buried in PDFs, or just hard to use,” said Morris. “With AI, we finally have the ability to pull it all together and make it actionable. Capitalize gives brokers and lenders a first-mover advantage—spotting refis, distress, and lender activity before the rest of the market catches on..”
Capitalize’s flagship product is the most advanced tool on the market for finding real borrower and lender information – using proprietary AI to pull together and organize scattered data, and deliver real-time contact details at a fraction of the usual cost. The result: what once took hours of manual research now happens in seconds. With Capitalize, brokers and lenders can instantly find active borrowers, lenders, and maturing loans.
Brokers use Capitalize to identify lenders and prospect for capital, while lenders use the platform to benchmark competition and source active deal flow. Customers span multifamily, industrial, office, hospitality, and more. Built to serve both sides of the CRE transaction, Capitalize has quickly demonstrated market traction. In just four months of monetization, the company has signed over 200 paying companies and is on track to surpass $1 million in ARR by year-end.
“Commercial real estate is facing a historic credit crunch, with trillions in debt coming due and few scalable tools to navigate the chaos. Capitalize is launching at exactly the right time,” said Brian Nugent, Founding General Partner at Sway Ventures. “Luke deeply understands the nuances of CRE market dynamics, and he’s built a platform that turns data into clarity for brokers and lenders when they need it most.”
Capitalize’s founding team blends deep domain experience and technical innovation. Co-founder Soren Craig leads development of the company’s proprietary AI engine for skip tracing and data enrichment. The team operates from Newport Beach and Los Angeles, serving brokers and lenders across all property types and markets nationwide.
About Capitalize.io
Capitalize.io is a modern, AI-powered data platform for commercial real estate finance professionals. Founded in 2023 by CRE veterans and data engineers, Capitalize helps brokers and lenders make better, faster decisions by surfacing real-time insights into active lenders, borrower needs, and market activity. The company is backed by Lerer Hippeau, Treasury, Sway Ventures, FJ Labs, and alumni of Crexi.
To learn more or request a demo, visit: www.capitalize.io
Contact:
Martina Vargas
marti@capvstrategies.com
