A relationship CRM helped real estate agents stay in touch with their networks and grew into a $10M ARR acquisition.
$28M reported sale price · $12M venture capital raised
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Contactually was a relationship-based CRM created in 2011 by Zvi Band and his co-founder. It organized contacts and helped users maintain the relationships that drive referrals and repeat business. The company first pursued individual real estate agents, who paid at least $15 per month, then expanded toward larger customers and contracts. Band says the business passed around $4 million in revenue when it raised its Series A and later reached around $10 million in annual recurring revenue. It had raised about $12 million in venture capital by the time it was acquired. Compass was already a major customer and wanted technology for its agents; after initially partnering with Contactually, it considered acquiring the product and team. Band recalls the overall price at around $28 million. He describes seven years of venture-backed growth, followed by two years working inside Compass. The story is both a software scale-up and a warning about how funding expectations can shape a founder’s operating life.
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Join the Unicorn Club — $5/moCancel anytime, in one clickData credibility: Founder Zvi Band described Contactually’s revenue, funding, pricing, and acquisition figures in an interview. He reported around $4 million in revenue at the Series A, around $10 million in annual recurring revenue before acquisition, about $12 million raised, an individual agent price of at least $15 per month, and an overall sale price around $28 million. These are founder-reported recollections; the interview does not present audited financial statements or transaction documents. The company’s founding year is stated as 2011 in the episode description and transcript.