What the 2026 REACH cohort says about the major pain points of real estate

Second Century Ventures, the investment arm of the National Association of Realtors, announced its 2026 REACH cohort on May 28, naming the startups it will push into the industry over the coming year through NAR’s membership network, mentoring relationships and market access.

Since 2019, REACH has expanded far beyond its original U.S. residential area into commercial and global programs, with a total portfolio that now includes 375 companies worldwide.

The class of 2026 is Ai.realestate, Association Online, BrokerBot, LotRoll, MaxHome.ai and StackWrap.

This year’s cohort stands out less because of a single name and more because of what the cohort, taken together, says about where real estate agents think real estate’s real problems still exist: compliance burdens, fragmented data, delays in HOA transactions, and a manufactured housing industry that has been largely left offline.

From HOA data to manufactured homes

The clearest thread running through the class of 2026 is the broker infrastructure.

BrokerBot is an enterprise AI platform that provides administration, compliance, training and guidance for brokers. MaxHome.ai is a transaction intelligence game aimed at automating compliance workflows and reducing manual operational lift.

StackWrap combines existing broker technology (tools that brokers already pay for) into one dashboard with insight into agent adoption rates.

That’s three out of six companies that are essentially betting that the back office is still broken enough to build a business around it.

The other three are a little more targeted. Ai.real estatewhich markets itself as AiRE, centralizes unstructured internal data and links it to real estate, mortgage and customer information. The pitch is a living database for sales teams, not a point solution.

Association Online focuses on a narrower issue: HOA data and transparency at the closing table, a notoriously delayed step in many housing transactions.

LotRoll is perhaps the most niche of the group, bringing data and infrastructure to the manufactured home market, which REACH describes as “one of the most overlooked segments of home construction.”

“Whether aimed at streamlining complex workflows and notoriously fragmented data sets, building and improving infrastructure, or creating transparency and access, each of these six solutions leverages the power of modern technology to increase the level of service and connection between clients and the real estate professionals who serve them,” said Ashley Stinton, managing partner of NAR’s REACH, in a statement.

‘The real problems that AI solves’

It would be easy to read the 2026 cohort as an AI class. Several companies rely heavily on the label in their marketing. Stinton’s wording deliberately avoids that, and it’s worth noting that she means it.

“REACH has accelerated the growth of countless AI solutions for industry, and we will continue to focus on AI,” she said Inman. “We also want to cut through the buzz and highlight the real problems that AI solves.”

The REACH program has previously supported AI-native companies. Stinton pointed to it Courted.iothat pitches AI-powered recruiting and performance tools to real estate agents, and QwikFixwhich uses AI to generate real-time repair quotes from inspection reports, as an example of previous portfolio companies that delivered ‘tangible returns’ rather than just AI positioning.

What it takes to make the cut

The number of applications was consistent with previous years, according to Stinton, although a larger share this year was AI-focused. She noted significant volume in consumer communications and transparency tools, as well as real estate media and visualization products, categories she attributed to the industry’s ongoing regulatory and policy shifts.

According to Stinton, over a hundred applicants submitted applications during the formal application period, and REACH assessed hundreds of companies throughout the year prior to the application cycle.

What doesn’t get selected, she said, is typically pre-product companies. The standard specified by REACH is to demonstrate product-market fit and initial traction. The reasoning is simple. A program designed to accelerate growth at scale doesn’t offer much to a company that hasn’t yet launched.

“We want to ensure that products, their teams and their organizational structure are ready for the significant scale we can deliver,” Stinton said. “It is not just about a rapid increase in turnover, but also about a sustainable acceleration of their activities during the program and well beyond.”

Stinton added that pre-product companies are typically not selected “not because we are not interested in concepts, but because the resources provided by the REACH program will have the greatest impact on companies post-launch.”

“Many of the companies not selected have very strong potential, and we will consider them for future cycles,” she said.

An ecosystem of collaboration

When asked about past REACH companies, Stinton said some of the most pleasant surprises are when founders build strong relationships within the REACH portfolio early on.

“Fundraising is tough, selling is a grind and competition is fierce, so it’s important that we create an ecosystem of collaboration and empathy where founders support each other and the industry, just as we support them,” said Stinton. “The companies that have tapped into our portfolio community and our extensive community of mentors and industry partners are among the most resilient and capable in all market conditions.”

Stinton pointed to it Real Grader as an example.

“Alex Montalentifounder and CEO of Real Grader, leans into every event and every connection,” she said.He has quickly become a thought leader in helping real estate professionals optimize their digital presence, which is critical as consumers increasingly turn to social media and AI search to connect with an agent.”

Stinton added that Real Grader is also now uniquely available to hundreds of thousands of real estate agents through brokerage, association and MLS partnerships.

What needs disruption and what doesn’t

REACH has set unique goals with each company, but Stinton said the overarching success for this cohort would be an improved experience during the real estate transaction for consumers and agents, as well as for the supporting ecosystem for real estate, mortgage, title and home services.

“We believe this group of technologies will deliver more transparent transactions, better access and better interactions, ultimately creating better outcomes for every relationship,” Stinton said.

Success also means clarifying the role of AI and the tangible results it brings to real estate.

“If everything is labeled AI, it distracts from identifying meaningful value,” Stinton says. “Let’s challenge the status quo, and let’s do it fast. But let’s do it right. That means being clear about what really needs disruption and what’s already working well. The industry could use dynamic stability right now.”

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