PropTech Without Borders | Facilio

Expanding into international markets is a key ambition for many PropTech businesses, but building a successful global presence requires more than identifying the right opportunity. Understanding new markets, establishing credibility and building trusted relationships are all essential for sustainable growth.

For our third webinar as part of our Lunch & Learn series, 'PropTech Without Borders', we heard from Prabhu Ramachandran, Co-Founder & CEO at Facilio.

Prabhu shares practical lessons from Facilio's international growth journey, explaining why successful global expansion is built on earning local trust rather than simply having a great product. Drawing on Facilio's experience scaling across the US, UK, Middle East and Australia, he explores how founders can identify the right markets, build credibility, localise their go-to-market strategy, and create repeatable growth in new regions.

Key Takeaways: 

1. Expand where the problem is greatest

Rather than targeting the biggest market first, identify where your solution addresses the strongest customer pain point. Facilio chose to launch in the UAE because of its dense commercial real estate market, openness to innovation and accessibility for the founding team.

2. Focus on a city or niche before scaling

Real estate is a relationship-driven industry. Instead of trying to cover an entire country, Prabhu recommends focusing on one city or a specific customer segment to build recognition and generate word-of-mouth.Facilio adopted this approach in New York before concentrating on the US food retail sector, creating trusted reference customers that helped drive wider growth.

3. Let Founders build the market first

One of Prabhu's strongest messages was that founders should lead expansion into new markets. Early customer conversations, local market understanding and relationship building are difficult to delegate. Once a repeatable commercial model is established, local teams can then scale it effectively.

4. Adapt your go-to-market, not just your product

While software can often be deployed globally with relatively minor changes, buying processes differ from market to market. Understanding who makes purchasing decisions, how services are delivered and how organisations operate locally is often more important than extensive product localisation.

5. Build trust through local proof

Customers want evidence that your solution works for businesses like theirs. Securing recognised customers within a particular city, sector or market creates the credibility needed to win similar organisations. Industry events, trade missions and associations also play an important role by helping companies become visible within new markets and build relationships over time.

Whether you're preparing for your first international expansion or looking to strengthen your presence overseas, Prabhu's insights provide a practical framework for building sustainable growth in new markets.

Watch the full Lunch & Learn session to hear more about Facilio's international expansion journey.