Sohail Rashid: Property Network

Sohail Rashid, 28
Company: Property Network
Web: www.propertynetwork.net

How do you know whether a neighbourhood you’re looking to move to will be the nirvana you’re seeking? Sohail Rashid’s Property Network aims to give its users residents’ insights, tapping into the power of social media to allow consumers to view what people are saying about a particular neighbourhood, while accessing comprehensive metrics such as predominant work sector, relationship status, and how many families in the area have children. It effectively enables consumers to select a home that suits their lifestyle – but estate agents are also finding it an invaluable tool for highly targeted property advertising. Agency clients include major property groups such as Andrews, Venmores and Kings Group. The Facebook data pooling website now advertises 700,000 properties from approximately 7,500 estate agents across the UK. Last year the company, which now employs 30, turned over £1m and received a boost in January 2013 when it secured £2m investment from Ingenious Media. This followed a previous investment from Finance Yorkshire and a personal investor in 2012. The next step is expansion into Europe and Asia.