Compass Is Said to Raise Funds at $4.4 Billion Valuation

(Bloomberg) -- Compass, a real-estate marketplace startup, raised $400 million in an investment round that will bring the company closer to an eventual initial public offering.

After the investment, the New York-based company will have a $4.4 billion valuation, a person familiar with the matter said. The financing will help Compass expand its real-estate technology into more cities, including outside the U.S., the firm said in a statement.

The Softbank Vision Fund and Qatar Investment Authority are leading the round, Compass said.  The company expects growth in 2018 to double to almost $1 billion in revenue, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential. Compass makes its money by taking a small cut of each transaction coordinated by its real-estate agents. The company said it’s on track to post more than $34 billion in sales volume this year.

“We will continue to capitalize on our momentum nationally and internationally,” said Ori Allon, the company’s co-founder and executive chairman.

The latest funding brings the total raised by Compass to $1.2 billion. Besides international expansion, Compass is seeking to enter related businesses beyond property listings, such as mortgage title transfer and moving, CEO Robert Reffkin said in a June interview.

“What books were for Amazon, the brokerage model is for us,” Reffkin said at the time.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Stevenson at rstevenson15@bloomberg.net

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