Head of NAR's Strategic Tech Accelerator REach to Speak at Real Estate Connect

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Jul 9, 2013) -  Constance Freedman, the Vice President of National Association of Realtors® and Managing Director of REach, its strategic tech accelerator program -- will speak at Real Estate Connect San Francisco on Wednesday, July 10. Ms. Freedman will discuss "Raising Money to Build Your Vision" as part of a panel of distinguished venture capitalists, Angel investors and tech CEOs. Topics will include business model selection, fundraising and making startups' dreams a reality within the $1 trillion real estate market.

Ms. Freedman will speak on behalf of REach™, which was created by Second Century Ventures, NAR's strategic investment arm. REach™ is a unique strategic accelerator helping technology companies launch into the real estate vertical. Startups in REach get unparalleled access to NAR's 1 million members and the real estate market's $1 trillion in annual sales, 12 million consumers and $7 billion in annual ad spend. Second Century Ventures and NAR partnerships have been crucial to the development of solutions from companies like DocuSign and Realtor.com that are focused on real estate as well as other industries.

"There is a huge opportunity for tech companies focused on social, mobile and business applications in the real estate industry; our job is to help companies recognize the potential in this vertical so that both they and the industry can benefit from the value they create," said Constance Freedman. "Real Estate accounts for 15% of the US economy and has been the primary driver of recovery for the U.S economy in five of the past seven recessions. REach is a strategic accelerator that can add significant value to technology companies by helping them navigate the industry and deliver the solutions that consumers and real estate professionals are demanding," said Freedman.

"Raising Money To Build Your Vision" will occur from 10:00 - 11:00 am PDT in the Yosemite B/C Room at San Francisco's Hilton Union Square.

About REach
REach™ is a unique strategic accelerator created by Second Century Ventures, the investment arm of the National Association of Realtors, helping technology companies launch into the real estate vertical. REach™ is a 9 month program which provides education, mentorship and market exposure to help its portfolio companies access the trillion-dollar real estate market and leverage NAR's strategic expertise. REach™ accepts fewer than a dozen companies each year to access one of the world's largest industries.

About Second Century Ventures
Second Century Ventures is a venture capital fund focused on promoting innovation in the real estate industry and helping to enable the entrepreneurial spirit of real estate thrive. SCV has been fully capitalized by the National Association of Realtors®. NAR can provide immediate strategic value to SCV's portfolio companies by allowing them access to the vast resources of a 300-person organization with expertise, influence and power that comes only by being ingrained in an industry for over 100 years.

About National Association of Realtors®
The National Association of Realtors®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

About Real Estate Connect
Produced by Inman News^®, Real Estate Connect^® is the premier event for everyone who wants to seize opportunity from these changing times. Each year, thousands of influential real estate leaders gather at Real Estate Connect to see the future and learn how to embrace and leverage the change for your business NOW. -- See more at: http://www.inman.com/connect/real-estate-connect-sf-2013

Information about NAR is available at www.realtor.org and about REach at http://narreach.com. This and other news releases are posted in the "News, Blogs and Videos" tab on the website.