By Riley Kaminer
In Miami, it’s no secret that ‘truth’ can be in the eyes of the beholder. Yet in a sea of exaggerations and white lies, there’s one area where uncovering the truth is particularly important: real estate.
A house title is crucial as it legally proves ownership, allowing the owner to sell, transfer, or use the property as they wish. It also safeguards against potential claims or disputes from others who might falsely assert ownership rights.
The problem: understanding ownership is trickier than you might expect, often requiring the costly assistance of legal professionals.
It is within this context that AI-powered homeownership verification platform Dono was born. The West Palm Beach-based startup just emerged out of stealth mode this month to announce that it has raised $3.7 million in seed funding. lool Ventures led the round, with additional participation from Link Ventures, at.inc/, Recursive Ventures, and a smattering of angels including the founders of Lemonade, Melio, and Empathy.
“The United States real estate sector has been plagued with ambiguity and lacks the modern tools and technology to support those dependent on property data,” Dono co-founder and CEO Tali Gross said in a statement.
“The U.S. land registration system’s inconsistencies and data accessibility poses a direct risk to the largest asset pool in the U.S., valued at over $70 trillion,” he continued. “In fact, the annual expenditure on ownership verification is close to $30 billion and is on a growth trajectory. By leveraging advanced AI, Dono not only enhances accuracy and efficiency in real estate transactions but also significantly reduces costs for all parties involved.”
Dono ingests data from a wide variety of public records and uses artificial intelligence to collate and analyze all this information. The goal: to save real estate professionals time and increase their accuracy when it comes to understanding titles. And make it as simple as typing in an address and getting an answer.
Maya Szutan Azoulay, a partner at lool Ventures, asserted that “Dono addresses one of the most significant challenges in the American real estate market: the question of property ownership.”
“Dono’s product leverages advanced AI technology to provide precise answers to this critical issue in real-time, streamlining the entire real estate transaction process,” she continued.
Gross founded Dono in 2023 alongside CTO Ron Likvornik and COO Eyal Stern. The company now has 14 employees globally, with part of its footprint in Tel Aviv.
South Florida’s real estate market is one of the most dynamic in the U.S. Our region is arguably immune to a commercial real estate correction; major players continue to acquire large tracts of land; and our luxury housing market is one of the most active globally, despite challenges. Miami technologists are also building solutions for this industry, including lien search tool Lien Library, digital closing service Propy, new build aggregator DASH, and commercial real estate platform nxtCRE, just to name a few.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.
