Barcelona's Zazume Raises $2.7M to Scale AI Rental Platform

Jan de Vries · 2026-06-02

Zazume, a Barcelona-based PropTech startup that digitizes the entire residential rental lifecycle, has closed an investment round worth $2.7 million (€2.5 million). The company plans to use the funds to implement its growth strategy, which involves acquiring residential property management portfolios in provincial capitals across Spain. The round was led by London-based VC firm Nordstar and Spanish venture GTV Capital, a family office making its first entry into the shareholding. It also includes the conversion of capital previously contributed by Sabadell Venture Capital and other family offices. Since its inception, Zazume has raised a total of $8.4 million (€7.8 million) in fundraising. ### Why This Funding Matters Jeroen Merchiers, CEO and co-founder of Zazume, explained the opportunity: "We have identified a huge opportunity to rapidly drive the company forward and help professionalise the sector. This capital increase allows us to position ourselves as the best option for small real estate agencies looking to monetise their property management portfolio or even just exchange non-payment insurance premiums." Zazume was founded in 2021 by Merchiers, the former managing director of Airbnb for EMEA, and Guillermo Ceballos, founder of startups like GymForLess and Andjoy. The company provides a digital platform offering comprehensive rental management services for property owners, tenants, and real estate agents.  ### What Zazume Offers Key services include: - Guaranteed rent - Tenant search - Rental management software - Non-payment insurance - Rent advances - Tools for rental optimization Although the company is based in Barcelona, its main market is in Madrid. Zazume notes that it has a model integrating proprietary AI technology with financial services. The company states that traditional real estate agencies typically prioritize buying and selling due to higher profit margins compared to rentals. They also lack the time, resources, and specific digital tools needed to optimize this market niche. This makes rental a residual market niche for agencies operating under traditional models, and they risk losing profits from their long- and medium-term rental property portfolios. ### Strategic Growth Plans Zazume expects to finalize four agreements before the end of the year to strengthen its position in Spain's main markets. These strategic alliances will allow real estate agencies to monetize an asset and leave their clients in the hands of a specialist like Zazume. In April, the PropTech initiated this process by acquiring Landa Propiedades' rental portfolio in Zaragoza. It has already guaranteed more than $43 million (€40 million) to property owners in rental income. Zazume also assumes initial expenses and provides personalized financing options for repairs and renovations. > "We believe Zazume is destined to become the leader of residential rental in Southern Europe, establishing the foundations with proprietary AI technology and having proven the optimisation of residential rental management through its quality services and added value." - Ole Ruch, Managing Partner of Nordstar ### Current Performance and Future Goals Zazume currently manages 3,500 properties. The company expects to reach more than 5,000 real estate assets by the end of this year and double its billing. With this strategy, the PropTech aims to surpass 10,000 managed properties by 2027. It has achieved financial break-even after an intensive period focused on operational profitability. Although the company could keep operating without raising additional capital, it has chosen a more ambitious approach to expand its market share territorially without diluting existing shareholders. The company plans to allocate more than 50% of this funding round to acquiring new property management portfolios in provincial capitals. The remaining share will be allocated to marketing, technology development, and team expansion.