RetailMLS
RetailMLS is a company.
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Financial History
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Leadership Team
Key people at RetailMLS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded RetailMLS?
RetailMLS was founded by Ben Zises (Founder).
RetailMLS is a company.
Key people at RetailMLS.
RetailMLS was founded by Ben Zises (Founder).
Key people at RetailMLS.
RetailMLS was founded by Ben Zises (Founder).
RetailMLS is a defunct real estate technology startup founded by Ben Zises that built the first multiple listing service (MLS) platform specifically for searching and advertising vacant retail space, targeting brokers, landlords, mall owners, and tenants frustrated with inefficient manual processes.[4][6] It served commercial real estate professionals seeking storefronts, much like Zillow does for residential properties, solving the problem of fragmented retail space discovery by enabling nationwide listings and user traction.[4] The company gained early momentum from 2010-2014, attracting users across the U.S., angel investors, seed funds, and high-profile advisors like Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff, before Zises pivoted to angel investing.[4][6]
Ben Zises, a New York City entrepreneur and Boston University graduate, launched RetailMLS after early real estate experience leasing stores for clients like Verizon Wireless.[4][6] Frustrated by skating around Manhattan on rollerblades at night to scout vacant retail spaces—an inefficient model compared to residential search tools like Zillow or StreetEasy—he conceived RetailMLS as the first MLS for retail in 2010.[4] As a non-technical founder, Zises raised angel and seed funding, recruited a CTO, invested in custom software over four years, and launched the platform, achieving strong early traction with brokers, landlords, and mall owners nationwide.[4]
RetailMLS rode the early 2010s proptech wave, digitizing commercial real estate search amid Zillow's residential dominance, addressing a key market inefficiency in retail leasing during post-recession recovery.[4][6] Timing was ideal as mobile tech and marketplaces disrupted siloed industries, with retail vacancy rates high and tenants like Verizon expanding footprints.[4] It influenced proptech by proving MLS viability for non-residential spaces, paving the way for modern platforms in commercial brokerage, though its 2014 shutdown highlighted challenges like data standardization and competition from general CRE tools.[4][6]
RetailMLS marked Ben Zises' foundational startup journey, evolving him into a top angel investor via SuperAngel fund, backing D2C hits like quip (first investor) and CPG/eCommerce plays amid rising proptech and future-of-work trends.[6] While the company itself ended around 2014, its legacy endures in Zises' portfolio approach—targeting day-zero startups with strong unit economics—and underscores persistent retail MLS gaps in a post-pandemic world of hybrid retail and eCommerce.[4][6] As proptech matures with AI-driven listings, expect Zises' network to amplify similar innovations, potentially reviving retail-specific marketplaces tailored to experiential retail booms. This early pivot exemplifies how founder grit in niche marketplaces fuels broader ecosystem impact.
