Barcelona PropTech startup Zazume – who digitises the entire residential rental lifecycle – has closed a funding round worth €2.5m to accelerate its growth strategy to acquire residential property management portfolios in provincial capitals.
The investment round was led by the London-based VC firm Nordstar and Spanish venture GTV Capital, a Spanish family office making its first entry into the shareholding.
The funding round included the conversion of capital previously secured from Sabadell Venture Capital and other family offices. The company has now raised a total of €7.8m in fundraising to date.
“We have identified a huge opportunity to rapidly drive the company forward and help professionalise the sector.
“This capital increase allows us to position ourselves as the best option for small real estate agencies looking to monetise their property management portfolio or even just exchange non-payment insurance premiums.”
Jeroen Merchiers, CEO and Co-Founder, Zazume
Zazume was founded in 2021 by the former Managing Director of Airbnb for EMEA Jeroen Merchiers, and Guillermo Ceballos, the Founder of companies such as GymForLess and Andjoy.
The company is set to provide a digital platform, offering streamlined rental management services for property owners, tenants and real estate agents. Key services will include guaranteed rent, tenant search, rental management software, non-payment insurance, rent advances and tools for rental optimisation.
Although the firm is situated in Barcelona, their main market is in Madrid. The company notes their model integrates proprietary technology based on AI with financial services.
Zazume also mentions that traditional real estate agencies typically prioritise buying and selling due to their higher profit margins compared to rentals. Additionally, they may lack the time, resources, and specific digital tools needed to optimise this market niche.
This leads to rental being a residual market niche for agencies operating under traditional models. Ultimately, they could risk the loss of profits from their long- and medium-term rental property portfolios.
Zazume is expected to finalise four agreements by the end of the year, to solidify its position in the country’s main markets. The strategic alliances will enable real estate agencies to monetise an asset and leave their clients with a specialist.
In April, Zazume initiated a process of forming strategic alliances by acquiring Landa Propiedades’ rental portfolio in Zaragoza. Through this, it has already guaranteed over €40m to its property owners in rental income.
Addtionally, it assumes initial expenses and provides personalised financing options to property owners, as it assists the management of repairs and renovations.
“We believe Zazume is destined to become the leader of residential rental in Southern Europe, establishing the foundations with proprietary AI technology and having proven the optimisation of residential rental management through its quality services and added value.”
Ole Ruch, Managing Partner, Nordstar
Zazume reports that it currently manages roughly 3,500 properties. The company is predicted to reach more than 5,000 real estate assets by the end of 2026 and is set to double its billing. With this strategic method, they aim to surpass 10,000 managed properties in 2027.
The firm also emphasises that they have achieved financial break-even following an intensive period focused on operational profitability. Although they could maintain operations without raising additional capital, the company has opted for an ambitious approach which sets out to expand its market share territorially without diluting existing shareholders.
Zazume also intends to allocate over 50% of this funding round to acquiring new property management portfolios in provincial capitals. The remainder of the investment round will be allocated to marketing and sales.
The previous investment round in April 2025 for €2.3m was utilised to upgrade its proprietary technology and achieve operational profitability. Additionally in 2021, Zazume secured €2.5m in a Seed funding round led by London-based Nordstar.
