“It’s because we are refreshingly different,” says Brooke Williams, excusing the cheesy catchphrase when explaining the name of his proptech start-up Sorbet.
Sorbet is one of six shortlisted finalists that will pitch in front of a panel of judges and a live audience at EG’s inaugural TechTalk Academy on 15 November.
It will be competing for up to £150,000 of investment from Pi Labs.
But what is Sorbet? Apart from a refreshing palate-cleanser.
“Sorbet isn’t a property management software,” says Williams. “We are a software company that complements clients’ existing software.”
It is a tool, he says, that seeks to automate communications between contractors, landlords and tenants to minimise the deluge of paperwork and administrative work in estate agency offices.
It is actually three separate tools that all talk to each other – one for the agent, one for the tenant and one for the contractor.
The tenant tool works like WhatsApp. In the case of a leak discovered one evening, a tenant could take a picture of the leak, rate it as serious, and send it to Sorbet.
Sorbet would then automatically book a contractor who would come and fix the problem overnight and then, by the time the agent gets to their office the next morning, the work has been done and a report filed.
“The headache has been taken care of while they are in bed,” says Williams.
As well as a cure for a headache, Sorbet makes sure no paperwork is left undone and cuts down the time impact on agents massively.
Williams says: “People in estate agencies who do this kind of work [property management] – do the admin and arrange the contractors – are often the newest in the business, the least qualified and they don’t necessarily understand the importance of getting gas safety certificates etc.
“I thought there needed to be a better way of doing this. An automated system ensures compliance by default. You physically cannot have an expired gas cert on our system as the system will just book it for you.”
Sorbet’s initial target customer bases is the UK’s 20,000-plus estate agents and property managers.
The software is a subscription-based product, with agents paying £99 a month for up to 300 properties, with additional properties charged at 10p each per month. Tenants and contractors get to use the app for free.
Williams and his team are currently beta-testing Sorbet with 10 local customers in Cardiff with portfolios ranging from 300-500 properties each.
One tester, James Ayris, lettings manager at Jeffrey Ross, says: “Sorbet will revolutionise the way we deal with a large portion of our business, and will be extremely beneficial in terms of client/contractor communications and recording information.
“The software is very easy to understand and navigate, however, the Sorbet team is always there for me in case help is needed.
“We are looking forward to working with the Sorbet team and to use Sorbet beyond the trial stage to help us streamline our practices.”
While beta testing is local, the Sorbet team has global ambitions and ultimately wants its application used in multiple countries.
So what could as much as £150,000 of investment from Pi Labs, mentoring from the Pi Labs team and exposure to EG’s audience mean for Sorbet?
Cash will be used to develop further machine learning within Sorbet, but, says Williams, “it’s not just the money, it is the connections and the fact it is smart money.
“It is about getting the name out there and making people aware that this solution is out there and when you have someone like Pi Labs and EG behind you helping you get that message out it is a massive help.”
Pi Labs says: “While the company is in early stages of development, its management team have a combined experience of over 50 years in the fields of software development, insurance and accountancy. The development team are also experienced in developing software and apps ranging from property management, to banking and insurance.”
Tune in to a special episode of the TechTalk Radio podcast this week to hear from all six finalists in EG’s TechTalk Academy.
Click here to find out more about how to bag your place at the event.
To send feedback, e-mail Samantha.McClary@egi.co.uk or tweet @Samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette
