A South African startup is seeking to shake the real estate advisory space with the help of artificial intelligence.
AIRE, short for Artificial Intelligence in Real Estate, is bringing technology-driven decision-making to Africa and the Middle East, aiming to cut costs, speed up feasibility studies, and give investors localized insights often missing from traditional global firms.
Founded in 2023, the company operates across four service lines; software, consulting, valuations, and hospitality, and has already expanded into Kenya, Morocco, and Mauritius, with further growth planned in West Africa and the Middle East.
“Traditional feasibility and highest-and-best-use studies are slow and costly, often taking 4–6 weeks and delaying critical investment decisions,” AIRE CEO Simon Ardonceau maintained.
“Our software delivers in just five days, combining big data, AI, and automation to provide market-specific analyses that are faster, cheaper, and more locally relevant.”
What is AIRE?
AIRE is not just another proptech company; it is an ambitious attempt to redefine how property investment decisions are made in under-researched markets.
Founded by experienced real estate consultants and tech innovators, the startup brings together two worlds that rarely intersect in Africa and the Middle East: deep local expertise and artificial intelligence-powered insights.
Its central mission is to help developers, investors, and institutions make smarter, faster, and more profitable choices in markets where reliable property data is limited.
By embedding automation and AI into feasibility studies and valuations, AIRE hopes to become the go-to platform for navigating complex real estate landscapes across emerging economies.
What They’re Doing: Areas of Concentration
The startup operates across four main divisions that touch every stage of property development and investment.
AIRE Software is the flagship innovation, offering feasibility and “highest-and-best-use” studies, a process that identifies the most profitable way to use a piece of land or property.
What typically takes up to six weeks can now be delivered in just five days, a game-changer for developers who risk losing money or opportunities due to delays.
AIRE Consulting provides hands-on advisory services, including market research, financial modeling, and portfolio strategy. This division caters to both local investors and international firms looking for on-the-ground guidance.
AIRE Valuations produces independent, standards-compliant property valuations that are crucial for lending, transactions, and insurance. Valuations are often a sticking point in African markets, where informal assessments dominate.
AIRE Hospitality helps hotel and branded residence developers with concept creation, operator selection, and strategic planning, responding to a growing demand for quality hospitality projects across the continent and Gulf region.
Why is AIRE Different?
In many African and Middle Eastern cities, the biggest obstacle to real estate growth isn’t lack of demand but lack of reliable data.
According to UN-Habitat, more than 60% of African cities lack accurate, up-to-date real estate information, making it difficult for investors to gauge risks. Traditional feasibility studies are slow, expensive, and often based on outdated or incomplete information.
Global advisory firms, while experienced, are frequently detached from local realities, while smaller local firms may not have the technical sophistication to handle large-scale projects. AIRE’s approach is to blend global technology with local context.
By using AI and big data tailored to specific markets, the startup provides results that are both comprehensive and market-relevant.
“This means faster decisions, lower costs, and local relevance that traditional firms and global players cannot easily match,” Ardonceau said.
AIRE’s Market Expansion Capacity
AIRE has already successfully rolled out its software in Nairobi, Morocco, and Mauritius, and is now targeting Senegal, Ivory Coast, and the Middle East. Its growth model focuses on replicating software deployment in high-growth urban hubs where real estate demand is rising quickly.
According to the African Development Bank, the continent needs to invest $170 billion annually in infrastructure and housing to keep up with urbanization. Cities such as Nairobi, Abidjan, and Dakar are among the fastest-growing on the continent, providing fertile ground for AIRE’s services.
The company’s ability to secure repeat mandates from institutional investors, developers, and hospitality operators suggests it is steadily becoming a trusted partner in these ecosystems.
Ardonceau believes this momentum will allow AIRE to replicate its success across other emerging markets.
AIRE’s Money-Making Method
The startup generates revenue across four distinct streams, creating a balanced business model. Fees from AI-powered feasibility studies form the tech backbone, but the company also earns from consulting projects, independent property valuations, and hospitality advisory services.
This mix ensures stability and scalability: while the AI software is still early-stage, the other three divisions already provide a steady inflow of income.
In real estate, valuation and consulting services often account for millions of dollars in recurring contracts, giving AIRE the financial cushion to keep refining and expanding its technology platform.
“While we are early-stage on the software side, our consulting, hospitality, and valuations arms provide a strong foundation of recurring business,” Ardonceau noted.
Founding History
The idea for AIRE emerged in 2023, when its founders, a team of real estate consultants and technology entrepreneurs, realized that the property development cycle in emerging markets was too slow, too expensive, and too risky.
Traditional feasibility studies, which could take over a month to complete, often delayed critical investment decisions and were inaccessible to smaller players. At the same time, local market intelligence was inconsistent or outdated.
By merging AI, big data, and human expertise, AIRE created a platform that democratizes access to property insights while cutting down timelines from weeks to days.
Why This Matters
The stakes are enormous. Africa’s population is projected to double to 2.5 billion by 2050, with urban centers like Lagos, Nairobi, and Abidjan expanding at unprecedented rates.
The demand for housing, commercial developments, and hospitality projects is surging, yet poor data continues to undermine planning and investment. In the Middle East, booming cities like Riyadh and Dubai face similar challenges, particularly in ensuring sustainable growth.
By reducing feasibility study timelines from six weeks to five days, AIRE enables investors to seize opportunities more quickly and with greater confidence.
“The combined strength of our four service lines is helping us build long-term partnerships and expand into new high-growth markets,” Ardonceau said.
If successful, AIRE could set a new standard for how real estate intelligence is delivered in fast-growing but under-researched regions, potentially reshaping the investment landscape for decades to come.
