Courtney Cooper has become one of Canada’s only female proptech partners. She was recently promoted to the role at Alate Partners, an early-stage venture capital fund specializing in real estate technology.
Well-known proptech leader, fostering development
Cooper has become a well-known leader in the proptech space for recognizing and fostering the development of innovative companies changing the real estate landscape. She won the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association’s Rising Woman Star Award and was recognized on the Top 10 Real Estate Reformers, part of Maclean’s Magazine’s Power List.
As well, Cooper is co-founder of Proptech Collective, the largest Canadian community that furthers collaboration between real estate professionals, entrepreneurs and proptech stakeholders.
A step towards gender balance in proptech
First launched in 2018 as a partnership between Relay Ventures and Dream, Alate welcomed Cooper shortly after as the Director of Corporate Development. She then became principal before being named partner.
“I am proud of what we have built to date, and I am honoured to take on this role as we collectively work to propel the real estate industry forward,” says Cooper. “This is a great time to be in this space because when times are tough, people tend to innovate. It’s exciting to have a front seat to witness cutting-edge technology and real estate converge to unlock a world of opportunities that will no doubt shape the future of this dynamic industry.”
Among other things, Cooper’s promotion is a step towards gender balance within the venture capital community – where female-led funds are underrepresented.
In her new role, Cooper will lead investments of Alate’s fund which has backed 17 proptech companies and is set to facilitate 10 more investments in early-stage real estate and construction technology companies.
“Courtney’s outstanding leadership and her track record of success in real estate technology investing is unparalleled,” says John Albright, co-founder and managing partner, Relay Ventures. “Her work in identifying and nurturing high-potential proptech startups has earned her the reputation as Canada’s go-to person in proptech and positioned Alate as the leading venture capital fund in this space.”
