Proptech startup Particle Space acquired by LA real estate marketing software firm

The acquisition of a Kansas City proptech startup by one of its first — and biggest — customers offers founder David Biga the opportunity to pivot back to his entrepreneurial roadmap, he said, reflecting on next steps once Particle Space’s technology is fully integrated into its new home.

“Build, give back, build, give back,” Biga said of his plans now that he’s returned to Kansas City from Japan, where he’d been splitting time to grow his real estate-as-service data platform.

Particle Space’s acquisition by Curb Hero, a Los Angeles-based real estate marketing software firm led by Ajay Pondicherry, was announced Wednesday, though terms of the deal were not disclosed. Biga’s technology will become part of the core system for Curb Hero, he said, noting he will help the company transition Particle Space into its tech stack before taking his next career steps.

“Curb Hero is used by tens of thousands of real estate agents to support their marketing, open houses, and lead generation,” said Biga. “Our platform will be critical to helping them create the next wave of solutions for lenders, brokers, agents, and more.”

David Biga, Particle Space, speaks in April 2023 during Startland News and the KU School of Business’ entrepreneurial lunch and learn series; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

Biga founded Particle Space in 2015 amid a slew of software engineering roles at companies ranging from Hallmark, Google and H&R Block, as well as such startups as EyeVerify, PMI Rate Pro and Cariloop. One of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2022, his proptech solution garnered attention from local partners and funding programs, along with far-flung accelerators.

Most recently, Particle Space was supporting hundreds of thousands of API requests a month with 300-plus technology companies leveraging its platform for their own products, Biga said, noting Curb Hero was the startup’s main customer.

“Our relationship was always good and they provided valuable feedback for improvements frequently,” he continued. “We were a core part of how they powered their technology. After a few conversations this year, it just made sense to align together.”

The move also came amid Particle Space’s struggle over the past two years to go-it-alone while also gaining sufficient traction to keep the business growing, Biga acknowledged.

“We found that proptech started to dry up due to current economic downturns,” he said. “If you were not core to the industry — like collecting payments or physical maintenance — you really had to grind to create product market fit and gain some traction.”

“Building relationships and leaning on your customers and treating them well is really what gave us the ability to move forward and lead to a successful acquisition,” Biga continued.

David Biga, Particle Space, third from left, on stage with fellow members of his Pipeline Entrepreneurs class in June 2023; Startland News photo

Lessons learned from regional entrepreneur support groups helped prepare the Kansas City founder for the decision to exit, he said, specifically calling out guidance from Omaha-based investment-for-equity accelerator NMotion and the Midwest entrepreneurial network Pipeline.

“NMotion helped give our product vision and validation for what we were building and solidify our go-to-market plan,” Biga said. “The mentorship and hands-on approach allowed us to think outside of the box and find where we struggled and where we needed to pivot.”

Pipeline added an ecosystem of excellence and support to tap into that helped Biga ask the hard questions of being a founder, he added.

“Knowing that we had a support group of what I’d call family to lean on was instrumental to walking out this journey,” he said. “Any business situation you were going through, there was someone else you could reach out to for help.”