John Helm

Biography: John Helm is the Founder and a Partner at RET Ventures, a leading real estate technology venture capital firm he launched in 2017. Drawing on decades of experience as an operator, entrepreneur, and investor, John leads the firm’s investment strategy, manages relationships with more than 50 strategic investors, and provides strategic guidance to RET’s portfolio companies. The firm focuses on early-stage investments in innovative technologies that are transforming the multifamily and single-family rental sectors. A recognized leader in real estate innovation, John is a strong advocate for centralized operations and AI-driven efficiency in rental housing. He champions technologies that streamline leasing, maintenance, accounting, and other operational functions—helping owners modernize and scale their businesses. He serves on the boards of several high-impact PropTech companies, including Funnel Leasing, Get Covered, Travtus, PredictAP, Revyse, and Stake, where he brings deep operational insight and a strategic, investor-focused perspective. With more than 25 years in real estate and technology, John has founded and successfully exited two pioneering PropTech companies. While serving as CFO at Marcus & Millichap, he launched AllApartments/SpringStreet—one of the earliest online apartment listing services—which was later acquired by Realtor.com/Move. He went on to found MyNewPlace, a next-generation rental marketplace with performance-based pricing; it was acquired by RealPage in 2011. Between these ventures, John served as a Venture Partner at DN Capital in Munich, where he sourced and supported early investments in companies including Purple Bricks and Auto1. Earlier in his career, John was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company and CFO at Marcus & Millichap, where his entrepreneurial journey began. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. John resides in Park City, Utah, with his wife, Catherine and his black lab, Axel. They have two children, son Jack (20), daughter Alexandra (18). Outside the office, he’s an avid skier and mountain biker who embraces the mountain lifestyle as fully as he does the world of venture capital and real estate innovation.