Redfin announced a mezzanine investment of $50 million led by Tiger Global Management LLC and by portfolios managed by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. Previous Redfin investors Greylock Partners, Globespan Capital Partners, DFJ Venture Capital, Vulcan Capital and The Hillman Company are also participating. Redfin will use the capital on new technology to make every step of home-buying and selling better for consumers, from the open house to the tour to the offer, negotiation and escrow process.
"Redfin's devotion to the customer was apparent from our first meeting with the company," said Lee Fixel, Tiger Global partner. "The real estate industry is ready for an innovator who understands how business can be transformed by putting the customer first, as we've seen with many industries before. We are confident this strategy will create significant value for all stakeholders over the long term."
"Redfin is reinventing the process of buying or selling a home," said Henry Ellenbogen, portfolio manager for T. Rowe Price's New Horizons Fund. "We invest in companies that have the opportunity to grow. We believe Redfin has the real-world service, management team and vision to be much larger."
"T. Rowe Price and Tiger Global see opportunities over ten-year time-frames, building positions in companies as they grow from private businesses into industry leaders," said Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman. "We are delighted to have found partners who support our mission to make real estate better for consumers, not just ourselves, because this is the only way we know of to build a business for the ages."
