OMERS Ventures; Fifth Wall; Warburg Realty; Nine Four Ventures; Samantha Lee/Business Insider This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. 2020 was proptech's arrival party, as real-estate companies had to turn to digital solutions in the face of the pandemic. The term refers to companies that provide technology and tech-enabled business models for application in the real estate industry. The biggest winners of the year were companies that were able to digitize workflows and transactions and make them more efficient. A big loser this year was the master-lease business model in flex office and short-term rental, as many companies switched to revenue-sharing models.