On this week's episode of the PPW Podcast, Simon Baker and Harvey Hancock discuss the complex, expensive and sometimes dangerous experience of being a publicly-listed company. From an overview to the listing and delisting process, to a few anecdotes and "zoom-out" questions, this is an excellent introduction to what being part of public company is really like. 0:00 intros 2:45 Breaking down public companies 9:21 Once you're listed... 12:20 Managing expectations (efficiently) 17:35 What is the profile of a company that is ready to go public? 20:06 Delisting 30:15 Wins and losses 33:25 A company Simon admires 34:30 The future of public vs private ownership 37:10 Final Barcelona conference pitch and goodbyes

Harvey Hancock and Simon Baker jump onto their second emergency podcast in as many weeks after Rightmove rejected a takeover bid by Australia's REA Group. Will a bidding war emerge? What premium needs to be offered to entice Rightmove shareholders to sell? Will a takeover even happen? 0:00 intros 2:52 What's happened? 10:00 Market dynamics and shareholder reactions 17:23 Will a high premium scare off bidders like CoStar? 19:00 Does Simon foresee a bidding war? 21:00 Vendor Paid Advertising 24:00 Has Rightmove's share price already hit its all time high? 27:00 next episode teaser and goodbyes

On this week's episode, Joe Hanna from Fusion 4 Ventures joins Simon Baker and Harvey Hancock to discuss all things scaling and exiting. With multiple exits under their belts, Simon and Joe get into basics, wrong turns, and pragmatism, among other topics.

Please note there are some audio issues in this episode - but the conversation was good enough to warrant publishing the conversation anyway. Apologies for any inconvenience for listeners - keep your fingers on that volume button.

00:00 Introduction and Updates

02:58 Scaling and Exiting in the Real Estate Industry

08:04 Challenges and Strategies in Scaling and Exiting

14:51 The Connection Between Scale and Exit

19:07 Top Mistakes in Scaling and Exiting

21:28 Preparing for an Exit: Growth, Profitability, and Cost Synergies

24:35 Reducing Key Person Risk and Ensuring Company Independence

26:49 The Role of Fusion 4 Ventures in the Acquisition Process

28:53 Flexible Payment Schemes for Advisory Services

40:21 The Importance of a Realistic Understanding of the Process and Valuation

Harvey and Simon jump onto an emergency podcast to discuss (gossip about) the emerging news story that Australia's REA Group is considering a $4.4 billion buyout of British real estate portal Rightmove. 0:00 intros 0:45 diving into the rumour 4:00 Why is REA Group being opportunistic? 6:27 Hostile vs Friendly takeovers 8:40 Can REA afford a deal this big? 12:07 Does this deal make sense for both groups of shareholders? 16:00 Can UK agents afford another price hike? 21:26 Why are so many big money deals happening right now? 26:10 PPW Barcelona, non-financial advice, and goodbyes

Ed and Simon and joined by Bernardo Cordero, co-founder of Clau (formerly Flat.mx).

A lot has changed since Bernardo and his co-founder Victor Noguera founded Flat.mx as a do-it-all PropTech in 2019. The company has moved away from iBuying and from being a brokerage and has rebranded as Clau looking to take on the real estate portal market.

Bernardo talks about why Flat pivoted away from iBuying despite decent margins, the scale of opportunity in Mexico and the challenges ahead as Clau looks to take on incumbent portals.

One of the most surprising acquisitions in recent years was announced last week: PropertyGuru Group, the market leading real estate portal in Singapore, is set to be taken private just two years after going public. The buyer, EQT, is a successful PE firm that has a track record of "swelling and selling" assets—so what is its play in Singapore? Join Edmund Keith, Simon Baker and Harvey Hancock for a conversation including: 0:00 intros 1:24 Details of the merger between EQT and PropertyGuru 3:30 Who leaked the rumours: sources or the market? 5:10 Is this a good deal for shareholders? 8:30 a brief history of PropertyGuru 9:35 How does EQT double its money in Singapore 16:15 Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam 23:10 Mortgages and Mergers 31:30 Data as a revenue stream 34:20 Market expectations VS actual performance 41:00 Predictions: What is the next big headline we will write about PropertyGuru?

Is it a good time to raise funds as a PropTech? Mike Plichta is Proptech professional, advisor and investment manager, which makes him one of the best people in the world to answer this question. Join Harvey Hancock and Simon Baker for a wide-ranging conversation covering today's investment landscape, the difference between the startup that fails and the one that succeeds, and Mike and Simon's new VC fund that wants to back the next generation of PropTechs in South East Asia and Australia. 0:00 Intro and Barcelona Event update 3:00 Mike's background 6:50 Today's investment landscape and observable trends 10:15 What is the new VC fund you and Simon are working on? 12:00 What is the profile of a suitable investee? 15:45 Where are the big opportunities in the industry? 18:50 Why do startups fail? 24:00 Common characteristics of a great founders 30:00 What do funds get spent on? 33:10 How do you even set up a VC fund? 39:00 Goodbyes (and the Two Ronnies)

It's the story that continues to generate the most headlines in our industry but behind all the noise, is CoStar starting to win against Zillow, Realtor.com and Rightmove?

Ed and Simon discuss some of the figures from CoStar's latest quarterly report in their broader context and ask whether there may be an ulterior motive behind the group's move into residential real estate...