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Key facts:
- Scaling is only successful if the founder himself grows with the company.
- properti breaks with traditional patterns and consistently focuses on customer benefits.
- Resilience became a decisive factor on the road to market leadership.
With remarkable clarity, properti founder and CEO Levent Künzi in the new Swisspreneur-interview about a market in transition. In the interview, interviewer Silvan Krähenbühl provides interesting insights into the tectonic shifts in the Swiss real estate industry, the challenges of scaling a technology-driven company and the personal transformation without which entrepreneurial growth would hardly be possible. Watch the entire interview online now.
The portrait portrays a founder who sees leadership, culture and consistent prioritization not as buzzwords, but as a craft discipline. And it shows why the radical simplification of real estate processes is no longer a nice-to-have, but a prerequisite for an industry that needs to reinvent itself.
Watch the entire interview now
The key findings from the interview:
The real estate industry needs true customer centricity
In the interview, Levent Künzi describes how the real estate industry in Switzerland has remained largely unchanged for many years. Despite digitalization in other sectors, processes have remained complex, fee models rigid and transparency for owners low. For many, selling a property is one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. Nevertheless, owners often experience processes that are difficult to understand and offer little guidance.
This gap gave rise to properti’s vision: a model that is not measured by effort, but by results. The customer’s success becomes the company’s success. No activation fees, no monthly costs – instead the freedom to remain flexible and only pay when an actual result is achieved.
This radical simplification requires courage, but it ensures that the interests of owners and brokers are moving in the same direction.
Personal growth as a prerequisite for scaling
One of the most impressive moments of the interview is Levent Künzi’s description of his personal development. After ten years in the traditional brokerage environment, high stress levels, a lack of fulfillment and rigid structures led to a burnout. The enforced phase of rest became the trigger for profound changes: improved sleeping habits, clear routines, a healthier lifestyle – and the realization that leadership only works if you yourself remain stable.
For the CEO, personal growth is not a “nice-to-have”, but a central building block for entrepreneurship. A company can only grow as fast as its founder is prepared to relinquish responsibility, change perspectives and push their own boundaries. This change is also reflected in his role: from day-to-day operations to strategic design, prioritization and further development.
A company is created step by step, not overnight
Today, over 180 employees work for properti. However, getting there was not a leap, but a process. The first few years were characterized by consistent bootstrapping: Each completed transaction enabled investments in technology, processes and talent. This created an ecosystem that was able to grow on its own – stable, but fast enough to remain relevant in a dynamic industry.
The three central KPIs that have accompanied properti from the outset include
- Efficiency of agents to enable more quality per hour.
- Time to transaction to measurably improve the customer experience.
- Average revenue per order to ensure sustainable growth.
These metrics create orientation and transparency – both internally and externally.
Technology, especially AI, is fundamentally changing the business
Another focus of the interview is on technology, in particular artificial intelligence. It is emphasized here that AI is not a trend, but a logical development that reduces repetitive tasks and leaves employees more room for advice, market knowledge and personal interaction.
It helps brokers to work faster, more precisely and based on data. However, the challenge lies not in the technology itself, but in getting people on board. This makes change management a key success factor: only when teams understand how AI creates added value will there be acceptance – and a real increase in performance.
Challenges as growth accelerators
The last few years have been characterized by market uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and a volatile interest rate environment. According to Levent Künzi, these phases show how important a robust culture, quick decisions and adaptability are.
Doubts are part of the process, especially during periods of upheaval. But they also offer the opportunity to sharpen one’s own business model and clearly define priorities. Every setback brings him back to the core question: What added value are we creating for owners, buyers and tenants?
This approach still characterizes properti today and is part of the company’s DNA.
Looking ahead: market leadership by 2030
properti is pursuing ambitious goals for the coming years: Market leader in Switzerland by 2030 and then category leader in Europe. An IPO is not ruled out, but is not a priority. It is more important to build a company that will last in the long term and make a tangible contribution to the further development of the industry.
Investors should not only bring capital, but also be sparring partners – people who challenge the company and take it to the next level.
