Willow Partners with DVXD to Democratize Property Investing

Toronto — Willow, a financial start-up aimed at bringing property investing to the masses, has selected DVXD to define their brand strategy and product design for their trading platform.

Launching in 2021, Willow aims to be the first fractional property investment exchange in Canada, offering shares of curated properties for as little as $25 and paying owners monthly rental income. By operating their own exchange to invest and trade shares of their properties, Willow hopes to reduce barriers such as large down payment requirements, exorbitant middlemen fees, or a lack of liquidity, which prevent many from entering the real estate investment market.

Considering the wealth gap in even G7 nations like Canada between racialized and rural communities and the wealthy, Willow's model can truly transform wealth creation for generations. As founder and CEO Logan Yergens notes, “Over 90% of millionaires built their wealth by investing in real estate. Yet, that opportunity has become increasingly out of reach for most Canadians - we made Willow so that everyone can participate and succeed.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic upending the real estate market, Willow also hopes to create more affordable long-term housing and stable communities as a property owner as a contrast to short-term rentals and ghost apartments that have reduced supply and driven up prices in many markets like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal where Willow plans to launch.

"I spoke with many agencies, both locally and internationally, but Derek and the DVXD team blew me away. They understood the transformative opportunity of our business immediately and have worked in tandem with our team ever since. Our shared values and energy to tackle this problem show in the product, and we are just getting started."

– Arsh Singh, Marketing Lead

The partnership includes an equity option, furthering DVXD's commitment to Willow's mission.

"When we first met Logan, Mike, Arsh and Ray, it was clear they were focused on building a platform that enabled as many people as possible to grow wealth while also creating better-managed housing and more resilient communities," according to DVXD founder and principal, Derek Vaz. "Given our mission of using design to create social and economic benefit, we immediately hit it off."

About Willow

Willow is a financial technology company building Canada’s first real estate exchange. The company will drastically reduce barriers to real estate investment by letting anyone invest in properties the same way they do stocks. This two-sided market brings liquidity to real estate and allows investors to buy and sell when they choose. Willow’s solution will empower investors through direct access, drastically reduced fees (including 0 down payments), and greater transparency.

Willow was founded by financial experts and technology veterans. It is advised and funded by real estate and financial mainstays such as The Harden Group, Michael Wekerle of Dragons Den and MOGO Financial, and Matthew Spoke of Moves financial and The Open Application Network. To learn more, visit: www.willow.ca

About DVXD

DVXD is a design studio for social innovation that co-creates products and brands with diverse leaders. To date, this includes work with Google’s News Initiative, Rappler News CEO and Time Magazine Person of the Year, Maria Ressa, and Canadian retailer, Indigo.

Based in Toronto, DVXD is a collective of senior, hands-on designers and technologists who have led design work for influential organizations at every scale — from local non-profits (Heart & Stroke, Matthew House) to technology ventures (Medium, Willow), to global brands (Nike, Four Seasons).

For more information, visit DVXD.co