Arda Secures $3M to Build a Unified Digital Layer for Real Estate
The pre-seed funding, led by Lightshift, will support Arda’s efforts to digitize and automate property ownership and financial processes using AI and blockchain.
Elena Whitmore 
Aiming to Standardize the Complex World of Real Estate
Arda, a tech startup focused on transforming real estate infrastructure, has raised $3 million in a pre-seed round led by Lightshift. The company is working on building a universal operating system tailored for the global real estate market. With the sector valued at $380 trillion, Arda’s goal is to offer a digital layer that brings consistency and efficiency to how property ownership and transactions are managed.
By combining AI and blockchain technologies, Arda plans to unify asset data, payment processes, and digital records into a real-time, programmable platform. This system is designed to reduce administrative delays and improve transaction transparency, especially in a market long characterized by fragmented systems and complex paperwork.
Key Features and Technical Vision
The platform introduces several tools to simplify property-related operations. These include Digital Asset Profiles, which offer verifiable histories of properties to assist with due diligence, and Real-Time Money Movement, allowing payments to be directly tied to transactional events. Additionally, automated workflows are integrated to help manage assets with fewer manual steps, reducing inefficiencies in traditional real estate systems.
Arda’s infrastructure aims to deliver seamless data interoperability and programmable execution capabilities. This creates the potential for governments, institutions, and enterprises to process real estate transactions with more speed and reliability.
Leadership with Institutional Experience
Arda was founded by Oli Harris, previously Managing Director of Digital Assets at Goldman Sachs and Head of Crypto Assets Strategy at JPMorgan Chase. His background includes contributing to the development of Quorum, an enterprise-focused Ethereum platform, as well as holding board roles at firms such as Anchorage, BitGo, Blockdaemon, and TRM Labs.
Commenting on the motivation behind Arda, Harris stated: “Real estate remains one of the most valuable yet operationally fragmented asset classes. By creating a programmable, trust-based system, we aim to bring real estate transactions in line with modern digital financial infrastructure.”
Industry Support and Regulatory Landscape
The investment by Lightshift reflects growing confidence in digital real estate solutions. The firm’s Founding Partner, Simao Cruz, emphasized their focus on supporting early-stage infrastructure companies. “We invest in founders who are building the foundations of next-generation industries,” he said. “Arda is developing purpose-built infrastructure that could redefine how real estate is owned, transacted, and financed.”
Governments and regulatory bodies are also beginning to explore digital frameworks for property transactions. Regions such as the Gulf are advancing adoption, while U.S. policymakers are working on regulations that align digital assets with broader financial systems.
About Arda and Lightshift
Arda is developing a global real estate operating system intended for institutions, enterprises, and government use. The platform facilitates automated transactions, digital ownership management, and real-time execution capabilities.
Lightshift is a venture capital firm backing early-stage projects focused on digital infrastructure and programmable assets. The firm partners with entrepreneurs to provide capital and strategic support for scalable innovation.
