Big win for Data Nerds
Accelerate Okanagan - Feb 10, 2017 - Columnists

Photo: Contributed

A Kelowna startup that’s been disrupting the real estate industry with its data-driven marketing is the first Okanagan company to be accepted into the Techstars program.

Data Nerds, which has been described as “CarFax for homes,” uses statistical data to help consumers make more informed decisions about buying a home.

The company’s CEO, Josh Fraser, will now take his technology to Techstars Boulder, where he will have the opportunity to build it even further.

Techstars is one of the world’s most renowned accelerator programs. More than 3,500 mentors support the company’s three-month, mentorship-driven accelerator programs offered in 26 cities across the globe.

Techstars Boulder, where Data Nerds is headed, boasts some big mentor names, including author and Techstars co-founder Brad Feld and Twitter’s Chris Moody.

“We believe Josh has the special capacity to build a huge business in this space as data becomes more and more important for making all decisions,” boasts Techstars’ website. “The data and insight he has will turn Data Nerds into the world’s most comprehensive and powerful database for real estate and property record information, thereby helping millions of people make better decisions with their most important asset.”

Fraser’s journey to Techstars was not an easy one, and Accelerate Okanagan is happy to have helped Fraser  along the way.

Fraser first came to Accelerate Okanagan in the early stages of Data Nerds. He had a fast-growing company and was seeking help with the growing pains. Through the RevUP program Fraser transformed Data Nerds into a data powerhouse, aggregating real estate and property data from around the U.S. and Canada to bring information transparency to the real estate market.

While Data Nerds kept growing, driven by a solid team at home in Kelowna, Fraser was on the hunt for a growth strategy. He travelled to several conferences and met several successful entrepreneurs who helped him on his way.

After some deliberation and discussion the organization’s directors Fraser committed to Techstars.

“A lifestyle business that pays for your hobbies and interests is really satisfying,” Fraser said. “But there definitely comes a point, and I guess it didn’t take myself very long — it only took a few months of being comfortable with my business where I really wanted to go push myself and start learning again, and be in that grind mode, and really striving and thriving.”

“We are very proud of Josh and the whole team at Data Nerds” said Accelerate Okanagan’s programs strategist Andrew Greer. “Techstars will no doubt help Data Nerds accelerate their growth.

“This is a win for Data Nerds, awin for the Okanagan tech community, a win for Accelerate Okanagan and a win for Techstars.”


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