The View Media Group of Antony Catalano and Alex Waislitz, co-owners of media company ACM, has confirmed the acquisition of another digital real estate innovator, the apartments and developments marketing technology outfit AD Group.
The announcement follows View Media Group's acquisition last month of proptech firm The Today Business.
The fast-growing property-focused VMG venture was unveiled in August and includes Australia's third-largest listings portal realestateview.com.au, with an investment from Seven West Media positioning VMG to reach more than 90 per cent of the Australian population every month.
AD Group was established in 2014 by Jordy Catalano and Tom Hywood. Its website a-d.com.au is a property portal for off-the-plan apartment developments and house and land sales.
Mr Hywood is the son of former Fairfax Media chief Greg Hywood and Mr Catalano is the son of VMG executive chairman Antony Catalano, who is also executive chairman of ACM - the publisher of this masthead.
Their AD Group's Development ID inventory management platform for property developers and sales agents has managed more than $8 billion worth of sales since it was launched in 2017. It is now integrated into the operations of national property sales businesses including Colliers Residential and CBRE Residential.
AD Group also provides developers and project marketers with interactive sales presentation software.
VMG executive chairman Antony Catalano said AD Group listings had already been integrated onto the realestateview.com.au website via its "new developments" tab, exposing a broader potential audience to investment opportunities in new apartments and developments.
"This is a strategically important and exciting acquisition for VMG and we are thrilled to welcome not only Tom and Jordy to the team, but also their impressive stable of industry partners and clients who have supported the rapid growth of AD Group," Mr Catalano said.
"This is a perfect example of the cross-pollination opportunities that exist within the VMG ecosystem we are building."
Along with realestateview.com.au, AD Group would be the "consumer face" of VMG.
"This transaction will allow us to invest in these valuable brands, drive audiences via our partners in Seven West Media and ACM and deliver on our vision of seamlessly connecting vendors with buyers," Mr Catalano said.
AD Group managing director Jordy Catalano was 23 and studying a commerce degree majoring in entrepreneurship when he identified a gap in the market for a dedicated online portal for off-the-plan real estate.
"Our strategic plan was always to grow the business to a certain point and then explore our options to join a company to help take us to the next level," he said.
"VMG was particularly attractive given the experience in the wider team but also the media partnerships with Seven West Media and ACM and the audiences we will be able to access as part of the group. We couldn't be more excited to join forces with one of the fastest growing media and technology companies in Australia."
Co-founder and group director Tom Hywood previously worked with Antony Catalano and key people at VMG during his time at Metro Media Publishing and Domain.
"We've had quite the journey moving from a listings platform to now offering developers tools that help them manage their stock at all stages of the development process and then connect them with buyers through our market leading lead-generation programs," Mr Hywood said.
"We've built closer relationships with our clients with more touch points and as a result we've seen our revenues more than double since before COVID."
Antony Catalano said VMG's AD Group transaction was "another example of our ability to move quickly and bring the right businesses together that are going to drive real value to each other and the broader group".
