Zefir raises €15M to double down on AI for real estate

Real estate marketplace Zefir has announced a €15 million fundraise bringing its funding to €50 million.

Founded in 2020, the French marketplace uses AI to simplify and speed up residential property deals. By nearly halving transaction times for sellers and boosting agent revenues, it has powered more than €600 million in annualised home sales.

I spoke to Remy Fabre, co-founder and CEO of Zefir, to learn more. 

Zefir is now extending that expertise to the buy side with the launch of Europe’s first AI-powered home-search assistant, branded ZIA. It gives buyers a true digital agent in a market that had long lacked such support. 

Simplifying a long, complex, fragmented process

Buying a home is one of life’s biggest decisions, yet in France it often means sending multiple enquiries just to secure a single viewing, sifting through irrelevant listings, and worrying about missing the right property due to slow alerts. 

According to Fabre, prospective buyers are left to navigate a fragmented landscape of over 100,000 listing agents on their own. Zefir’s new assistant fills that gap, acting as a digital buyer’s agent that helps people search, compare, and decide faster. 

“We’ve simplified what is usually a long, fragmented process. Sellers start with a single price estimate.  Our AI matches their home with qualified buyers across our partner network.

This cuts transaction times in half — from ~4 months to under 2 months — while helping agents close more deals with less friction.”

“We were the first to bring AI into the selling experience in France—cutting sale times in half and helping agents boost their revenue,” shared Fabre. 

“Now we’re doing the same for buyers.  In a market where they have no agent on their side, our AI assistant gives them clarity, speed, and confidence.” 

Zefir’s AI assistant, ZIA, acts like a personal property hunter. Unlike traditional portals, Zefir doesn't charge agents to list—so there are no paid rankings. Buyers see only the most relevant homes, right up front. 

Users gain early access to thousands of Zefir-exclusive homes, ahead of the legacy portals and can express exactly what they're looking for, the same way you’d ask ChatGPT.

Homes sell nearly twice as fast, with Agents earning up to €100K more annually.

According to Fabre, rather than displacement, real estate agents see Zefir as an ally. 

ZIA qualifies buyers before they ever reach the agent. That means fewer time-wasting enquiries and more serious prospects. For agents, this translates into faster closings, fewer dead-end visits, and smoother negotiations. According to Fabre, “it’s not just more leads — it’s the right leads at the right time.”

Further, “instead of competing with them, we generate more qualified leads and help them close faster. Many earn up to €100K more per year with us. That’s why 4,500 professionals already work with us.”

Zefir’s platform unifies competing agents, pooling listings and buyer data, while AI streamlines the matchmaking so sellers reach the right buyers faster and agents close more deals with less effort.  On average, homes sell in just 58 days — nearly twice as fast as the national median — while agents can earn up to €100,000 more per year.

Building “the connective tissue” of European real estate

Fabre sees the role of Zefir as “the connective tissue of European real estate”: a unified network where AI makes transactions faster, fairer, and more transparent. 

“Over time, we see Zefir becoming the default infrastructure layer that buyers, sellers, and agents rely on — similar to how platforms like Booking.com transformed travel. Our ambition is continental, not just national.”

FinTech Collective led the funding, with continued support from Sequoia Capital, Zigg Capital and Heartcore Capital. Joining the round are TX Ventures and FJ Labs, global leaders in marketplace investing.

Zefir has already transformed the sell-side experience in France,” said Toby Triebel, Partner at FinTech Collective.

“With ZIA™, they’re now bringing that same innovation to buyers - delivering a rare trifecta of network effects, transactional velocity, and AI-driven utility. Our conviction stems from the team’s unwavering execution and their ability to scale with precision.” 

The funding will fuel AI expansion across the platform, including ZIA and professional tools, as well as geographic growth into France’s top 15 largest cities. The company plans to double headcount by 2026, with a focus on Tech & Product.

Over the next decade, Fabre believes the biggest shift in real estate will be toward digitisation and transparency. 

“Buyers and sellers will expect the same clarity they have in sectors like travel or mobility. AI will become a standard part of decision-making— filtering, guiding, and accelerating choices.

Zefir intends to lead that shift, ensuring that people move homes with speed and confidence rather than friction and uncertainty."

But Zefir’s ambition goes even further — Fabre sees real estate transactions at the centre of a broader ecosystem — financing, insurance, renovations, and moving services. 

“Our first focus is to nail the core transaction experience, but over time, Zefir is well-positioned to be the platform where every adjacent service plugs in. That’s where the real multiplier effect will come

Lead image: Zefir. Photo: uncredited.