Investment included participation by global professional services firm, Hatch, and existing investors across Canada including Oxford Properties, Dorsay Development Corporation, and LandSure Systems Ltd.
TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–R-LABS, the real estate venture builder dedicated to co-creating and scaling companies that address the industry’s most pressing problems, announced today it has raised $3.5M (CAD) and expanded its partnership capabilities. The raise was led by Hatch, a global engineering, project delivery, and professional services firm and was joined by existing investors Oxford Properties, Dorsay Development Corp, and LandSure Systems Ltd.
The funds will expand R-LABS’ capabilities to co-found new companies with experienced entrepreneurs addressing Canada’s most complex sector challenges, particularly in housing affordability, climate resiliency, complete communities, and building optimization.
Beyond the investment, R-LABS welcomes Hatch as a partner to its ecosystem, joining a partnership of other leading innovative corporations and institutions across the real estate sector. In joining R-LABS, Hatch brings its global network of 10,000 professionals tackling some of the world’s most complex urban systems, infrastructure, and environmental challenges to growing new ventures in the R-LABS ecosystem.
“The challenges in real estate, housing, resilience, and economic productivity are not what is defining Canada today,” said George Carras, Founder and CEO of R-LABS. “What is defining us is how we are choosing to tackle them and this investment from Hatch adds world-class engineering strength to our growing collaborative partnership, accelerating bold ideas and uniting innovators, institutions, industry leaders, and game-changing entrepreneurs who are committed to building the next generation of great Canadian companies.”
“As entrepreneurs with a technical soul, Hatch welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the success of R-LABS. This is a great platform for us to combine our strengths with wonderful partners to tackle some of Canada’s—and the world’s—biggest challenges,” said John Bianchini, Chair and CEO, Hatch. “By joining R-LABS’ ecosystem, we’re unlocking new opportunities alongside other leading and innovative real estate companies making real impacts, helping solve climate change and realizing better places and outcomes for people.”
Examples of companies co-created with R-LABS include Assembly, a modular housing company providing turnkey sustainable wood construction solutions in urban markets for both market and affordable housing, and NOAH, an advanced flood risk platform helping insurers, lenders, and property owners understand and manage flood risk with patentable physics-based flood simulations, and unmatched hyperlocal data. Today’s funding announcement will further support emerging companies and founders who are driving innovation in housing affordability, climate resiliency, and building optimization across Canada.
“Addressing the housing crisis demands a bold rethinking of how we plan, design, and deliver new communities,” said Geoffrey Grayhurst, CEO, Dorsay Development Corp. “At Dorsay, we believe that lasting solutions come from collaboration — bringing together visionary partners who prioritize both environmental responsibility and social impact. Our investment in R-LABS reflects our commitment to advancing innovative ideas that strengthen communities and shape a more resilient future for the real estate industry.”
R-LABS is a unique partnership structure designed for long-term alignment providing forward-thinking corporations and institutions the opportunity to create strategic enterprise value through venture building and investment. R-LABS’ ecosystem of industry and limited partners includes 23 corporations and institutions across the broader real estate sector and is expanding its partnership in 2025 with strategic capabilities from engineering, construction, multi-family development, banking, finance, services, and technology.
To learn more, visit https://rlabs.ca/partners/.
About R-LABS
R-LABS is The Real Estate Industry Venture Builder, established in 2018 as a partnership of innovative corporations, institutions, industry organizations and game-changing entrepreneurs to build and grow great companies that solve major problems in real estate and housing. www.rlabs.ca
About Hatch
Whatever our clients envision, our teams can design and build. With over six decades of business and technical experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, we know your business and understand that your challenges are changing rapidly. We respond quickly with solutions that are smarter, more efficient, and innovative. We draw upon our 10,000 staff with experience in over 150 countries to challenge the status quo and create positive change for our clients, our employees, and the communities we serve. Find out more on www.hatch.com.
Contacts
For more information:
Linda North
NorthPR
416-708-8012 | linda@northpr.ca