In recent years, Urbanitae has experienced exponential growth, establishing itself as the leading real estate co-investment platform in Europe. Behind this success is constant work in innovation, brand clarity, and closeness to investors. Leading this strategy is Diego Gallego, CMO of Urbanitae, who combines his experience in the startup ecosystem with a vision strongly focused on building trust and community.
We spoke with him about how real estate investment is communicated, how to manage a brand growing at this pace, and how marketing becomes a key tool to democratize investment.
Urbanitae has grown at high double digits in recent years. From a marketing perspective, how do you manage a brand that goes from being a startup to leading a sector in Europe?
When you are small, you need to be seen and make every euro count; when you are a leader, people need to be able to trust you. That’s the shift. We have gone from telling to showing: real cases, clear data, and processes that work. First, we organized the house—message, design, and tone—and then aligned the promise and experience at every point of the journey in a personalized way: website, registration, and project follow-up. If what you say matches what the user experiences, the brand grows on its own.
Is generating trust—a key factor when talking about investment—at odds with marketing, which is oriented toward selling?
No. What clashes with trust is selling at any cost. At Urbanitae, we prefer to say “this is not for you” rather than force a conversion. We like to explain timelines, risks, and product fit directly. Some potential investors won’t enter today; but those who do understand better, come back, and recommend us. Selling well is providing context and delivering on what you promise.
“If what you say matches what the user experiences, the brand grows on its own.”
An essential part of Urbanitae’s strategy is investor education, with projects like Urbanitae Academy. What role does marketing play in this educational mission?
We act as an editor. We start from the real questions of our investors and turn them into clear formats: articles, videos, and guides. Moreover, we do it adaptively, so each user can learn what they need at their own pace. We don’t seek clicks for clicks’ sake; we seek understanding. We measure whether the content helps make better decisions. By reducing information asymmetries, investor confidence rises and friction in support decreases. The result: both the person and the business win.
The real estate sector is not exactly known for innovation. How do you convey the idea of investing in property in a novel way?
With transparency and simplicity. Less smoke, more processes: at Urbanitae, we prioritize explaining clearly what we analyze, what we discard, and why. We provide investors with simple tools, like simulators and project timelines, as well as channel-native formats. Additionally, we step out of the bubble and bring the message to culture, sports, or entertainment without losing rigor. Novelty isn’t in the adjective; it’s in showing the backstage.
The Phantom of the Opera, illuminated signs in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, collaborations with Grupo Los40, Dazn, “Ladrillo, Matías…”—are there any campaigns or actions you remember fondly?
“Ladrillo, Matías, Ladrillo…” because it started with humor and ended as a community wink. The illuminated signs gave us brand pride, just like the street marketing campaigns, and The Phantom of the Opera combined quality and culture in a very “us” way. All these actions share coherence and real conversation, not just impact.
“We don’t seek clicks for clicks’ sake; we want investors to understand what they are doing.”
In marketing, it’s often said that “the hard part isn’t reaching the top, but staying there.” What challenges does Urbanitae face now in terms of brand and growth?
Three main fronts. First, ensuring the investor experience isn’t affected by the company’s scaling. Second, we must continue to clearly explain Urbanitae’s differences compared to new players. And, of course, we need to remain relevant without resorting to fireworks. To achieve this, we focus on useful, non-intrusive personalization, content with substance, and quality metrics—not just volume.
With international expansion underway, how is Urbanitae’s message adapted to markets like Portugal or France without losing its essence?
The essence is simple: real estate co-investment clearly explained and supported by the best real estate opportunities arising in Europe. We adapt references, language, objections, and journeys for each country with local teams while maintaining the same standard of promise and service. In other words, we are global in principles and local in execution.
You’ve been at Urbanitae for over 5 years and you admit you can’t stand still. What does Urbanitae offer that has made you not feel the need to change projects?
Challenge, purpose, and team. The challenge is big: to be the leading platform in Europe; the purpose is compelling: democratize real estate investment with quality; and the team makes you better. What drives me is building long-term trust. Here I can do it every day, from a landing page to a project like Academy, built from scratch, to a unique agreement with a major brand. If you feel you can still contribute and learn, you don’t look elsewhere—you push harder. When I stop feeling motivated or think I can contribute elsewhere, I will leave.
