Keystone Impact

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BMC

Guidance To Viewers

The prototype (website) is best viewed on Safari. Chrome does not support our graphic animation.

Inspiration

Our research and interviews with mid-size real estate developers showed that the relatively higher up-front cost of shifting to sustainable real estate was the key factor inhibiting them in this process. And this is the main reason that the growth pace and players in this sector were very low.

At the same time, a survey on individuals showed that there was a big chunk of the population that wanted to invest their money in a tangible asset and not only gain financially but also to make a moral impact. But they did not have enough money to invest in a full property, which is often very expensive.

This led us to develop a platform that bridges the gap and forms a link between both parties, and empower developers to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals 9, 11 and 12.

What It Does

Through a convenient platform, we display to potential investors, various projects that are looking for funding, along with some detailed and transparent metrics regarding the financial returns as well as the ESG impact. The user can then select one to invest in and complete the transaction. They can further monitor and track their investments through a personalised portfolio management dashboard that gives clear metrics and data on how the asset is performing.

How We Built It

To develop the solution itself, we talked to various real estate developers and investors to understand in detail, the hurdles to a smooth development in sustainable real estate. This formed the foundation of our business plan and the set of requirements we aimed to fulfil.

Since the key technology in this business was the platform itself, we built a website that has a mobile/tablet version as well to cater to all users. We customised it further based on customer requirements, which we elicited through a survey of 50 users. It is also very robust and can be easily scaled up for the business expansion requirement.

Challenges We Ran Into

The main challenge was to understand and design a model that overcame financial regulations. There was an evident need for a bigger team to develop a business model and prototype in a short time-frame while adapting to the customers’ demand.

Our animation graphic does not seem to work on Chrome, but works on Safari and Apple devices.

Our Accomplishments

We are proud to have a functioning prototype, customised based on 50+ feedback from potential customers. In the survey, 98% validated the business idea and 60% felt safe to invest and found the business trust-worthy, which is a strong number for a financial product. Additionally, 50% were ready to invest more than $10,000 through our platform.

What We Learned

We learnt to prioritise our product features into an MVP and to use that prototype to ask for feedback from the users. Many users gave us great insight into developing the prototype as well as the business model. Using these insights, we could adapt to a better and more practical structure growth in each stage.

Also, teamwork and workflow management are crucial to getting the task done in time. This starts with choosing the right people with the right skill sets and keeping each other engaged during the process.

What's Next For Keystone Impact

Keystone Impact has a clear roadmap ahead. As a next step, we hope to provide investors with equity investment into real estate buildings. This way they can own a part of the asset and be a part of the appreciation and other advantages that sustainable real estate offers.

And eventually, we hope to launch a trading platform that enables trading in debt as well as equity for investors.