DigsConnect.com
DigsConnect.com is South Africa's largest student accommodation marketplace, connecting landlords and property practitioners with student and young-adult tenants across 120+ universities, with optional DigsManage operations software subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What DigsConnect.com does
DigsConnect.com operates a two-sided digital marketplace connecting student tenants with landlords for student and young-adult accommodation, primarily in South Africa. The platform was founded in 2018 by Alexandria Procter and Greg Keal at the University of Cape Town and has grown to become the largest student accommodation platform on the African continent, reporting 236,506+ landlords and tenants connected, 4,000+ South African landlords, 1.3M+ beds searched, and coverage across 120+ universities and 8 major South African cities. Core technology includes a web-based marketplace with mobile-optimised interface, integrated Digs Chat messaging, a multi-layer landlord verification system (ID, OTP, proof of address), auto-generated lease agreements, an auto-allocation engine for bed assignments, and a native real-time integration with the Prop Data property management system.
DigsConnect monetises through three streams: (1) a R1,950 ex-VAT placement/finder's fee charged to landlords on confirmed tenancy (free to list, no subscription); (2) DigsManage, a tiered white-label property operations subscription priced at R65–R109 per bed per month (Starter/Growth/Scale), covering applications, digital leasing, inspections, maintenance ticketing, billing, and NSFAS/bursary funding workflow; and (3) a R689/month Property Practitioner Plan for property managers distributing inventory via the Prop Data integration. Go-to-market combines self-serve landlord onboarding with sales-led acquisition for DigsManage, direct partnerships with 15+ South African universities and colleges for student acquisition, and a Student.com channel partnership enabling international expansion into approximately 30 countries and 400 cities.
The company is incorporated as DigsConnect (Pty) Ltd in South Africa, headquartered in Cape Town, GDPR and POPI compliant, and operates with 11–50 employees. Funding to date includes approximately US$830,000 in 2019, a US$200,000 grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in October 2021 for the #1000digs social impact initiative, an undisclosed round in April 2022 led by The Delta with Five35 Ventures, Goodwater Capital, and Launch Africa, and an undisclosed Series A from Intaba Capital in May 2023.
DigsConnect.com firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DigsConnect.com
- Legal name
- DigsConnect (Pty) Ltd
- Website
- https://digsconnect.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DigsConnect.com is South Africa's largest student accommodation marketplace, connecting landlords and property practitioners with student and young-adult tenants across 120+ universities, with optional DigsManage operations software subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DigsConnect.com industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Student Accommodation Marketplace
- NAICS
- Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Residential Rental Brokerage & Tenant Placement (BPAJAAAF)
Keywords
Where DigsConnect.com is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
DigsConnect.com business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Placement/Finder's Fee (Marketplace): Charges landlords a fixed R1,950 ex VAT fee upon confirmation of a tenancy (when a tenant signs a confirmed lease through the platform). No subscription, monthly fees, or charges for browsing, messaging, or applications that do not convert. Tenants use the platform for free.
- DigsManage Subscription: Tiered monthly per-bed subscription for property operations technology (Starter R109/bed/month, Growth R89/bed/month, Scale R65/bed/month). Optional overlay on top of free marketplace listing. Includes onboarding fees for white-label configuration (~R10K-R20K depending on tier, waived for portfolios over 500 beds).
- Property Practitioner Plan: Flat monthly subscription at R689/month for property practitioners with unlimited listings via Prop Data integration. First 30 days free. Annual membership billed monthly by direct debit.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Free marketplace listing — pay only on confirmed tenancy |
| Subscription | Monthly | Starter: 0-50 beds — operations stack basics |
| Subscription | Monthly | Growth: 50-300 beds — full operations stack with payment gateway |
| Subscription | Monthly | Scale: 300+ beds — portfolio and multi-building operators |
| Subscription | Monthly | Property Practitioner Plan — flat-fee unlimited listings via Prop Data |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
DigsConnect.com product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DigsConnect operates a two-sided digital marketplace connecting student tenants with landlords for accommodation discovery, booking, and tenancy confirmation across South Africa and internationally. The core marketplace charges landlords a R1,950 ex VAT placement fee only on confirmed tenancy, while an optional DigsManage subscription tier provides a white-labelled property operations stack covering applications, leases, inspections, maintenance, billing, and NSFAS/bursary funding workflows.
Product overview
DigsConnect operates a two-sided digital marketplace for student accommodation in South Africa, expanding internationally. The core DigsConnect Platform enables landlords to list properties and tenants to search and enquire, with Digs Chat facilitating direct communication. DigsManage is an optional white-labelled operations stack subscription for landlords seeking automated leasing, inspections, maintenance, and billing. The Property Practitioners Plan targets property managers via Prop Data integration. The #1000digs initiative extends the platform's social mission, connecting low-income students with supported housing. Pricing is free-to-list for landlords with placement fees on confirmed tenancy, while operational tools carry monthly subscriptions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DigsManage: A white-labelled operations stack for landlords that runs applications, leases, inspections, billing and resident communications, offered as a per-bed monthly subscription service.
Products and services
- DigsConnect Platform Two-sided digital marketplace for student accommodation in South Africa. Landlords list properties for free and pay a R1,950 ex VAT placement fee only upon confirmed tenancy. Students and young adults search listings by location (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Midrand, Pretoria, Durban North, Sandton, Gqeberha), budget, institution proximity, furnished status, WiFi, and parking availability. Includes Digs Chat integrated messaging between tenants and landlords, with assigned support agents accessible in the same chat thread.
- DigsManage
Quantifiable outcome
- 236,506+ landlords and tenants connected on the platform
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use DigsConnect.com
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
DigsConnect.com technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature6 records
DigsConnect.com partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Student.comcorePartnership with Student.com as part of DigsConnect's Series A expansion enables the platform to reach students in approximately 30 new countries and 400 cities internationally. Student.com distributes DigsConnect listings to its global student housing audience.
- CPUT (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)minorUniversity partner through which DigsConnect provides accommodation listing access to CPUT students. Partnership includes campus activations, poster/flyer distribution, and website integration.
- EmerisminorManaging Director Louise Wiseman stated: 'Our association will make for a broader, more secure and convenient platform, by which our out-of-town students can secure accommodation for the period that they are studying with us.'
- Prop DatacoreReal-time data integration partnership enabling property practitioners to auto-sync listings from Prop Data to DigsConnect. Create, edit, and deactivate operations in Prop Data automatically update DigsConnect listings in near real-time. Prop Data remains the source of truth for practitioners.
- AFDAminorEducational institution partner through brand and/or integrated partnership for student accommodation discovery.
- StadiominorEducational institution partner through brand and/or integrated partnership for student accommodation discovery.
- Varsity VibeminorRewards programme partnership offering students booking through DigsConnect access to Varsity Vibe Premium benefits and incentives, driving platform adoption and student loyalty.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DigsConnect.com competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Student.com: Global student accommodation marketplace operating in hundreds of cities. Directly comparable to DigsConnect in core product (student-tenant matching), and is also DigsConnect's channel partner for international expansion — competing and partnering simultaneously.
- Amber: Student housing marketplace with verified listings, operating across multiple geographies. Comparable in two-sided marketplace model, target customer (students), and verified-landlord positioning, though with stronger international presence.
- Uniplaces: Student accommodation marketplace serving European and Latin American markets. Directly comparable marketplace model serving international students with verified listings and direct landlord connections.
- Spotahome: Mid-to-long-term rental marketplace with verified listings across Europe and LATAM. Comparable marketplace structure serving young professionals and students with online booking and verified properties.
- Nestpick: Furnished mid-to-long-term rental marketplace focused on relocating professionals and students. Comparable two-sided rental marketplace model with verified landlord inventory targeting mobile young tenants.
Regional players
- Property24: South Africa's largest general real estate listing portal with both sales and rentals. Comparable as a South African marketplace intermediary but is a broad-incumbent serving all property types rather than specializing in student accommodation.
- Private Property: South African property portal covering residential rentals and sales. Comparable two-sided marketplace intermediating South African landlord-tenant relationships, but does not specialize in student housing or NSFAS workflows.
Emerging players
- Unilodgers: Student accommodation aggregator with a focus on UK and European university cities. Overlaps with DigsConnect's marketplace model and student-tenant target segment, with comparable verified listing features but smaller scale.
Broad incumbents
- Buildium: Established property management SaaS platform serving landlords and property managers in North America. Comparable to DigsManage on landlord operations-software functionality including lease management, maintenance ticketing, and tenant communications.
- AppFolio: Cloud-based property management software for residential and student housing operators. Directly comparable to DigsManage as a property operations stack, serving a similar landlord persona but with much broader geographic and product coverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DigsConnect.com social profiles
Digital presenceDigsConnect.com compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
DigsConnect.com financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DigsConnect.com leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
DigsConnect.com funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DigsConnect.com M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DigsConnect.com
What does DigsConnect.com do?
DigsConnect operates a two-sided digital marketplace connecting student tenants with landlords for accommodation discovery, booking, and tenancy confirmation across South Africa and internationally. The core marketplace charges landlords a R1,950 ex VAT placement fee only on confirmed tenancy, while an optional DigsManage subscription tier provides a white-labelled property operations stack covering applications, leases, inspections, maintenance, billing, and NSFAS/bursary funding workflows.
Is DigsConnect.com a public or private company?
DigsConnect.com is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was DigsConnect.com founded?
DigsConnect.com was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DigsConnect.com based?
DigsConnect.com is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does DigsConnect.com make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Placement/Finder's Fee (Marketplace) is the primary driver. The others are digsManage Subscription and property Practitioner Plan.
Who are DigsConnect.com's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Student.com, Amber, Uniplaces, Spotahome and Nestpick. Regional players are Property24 and Private Property. Unilodgers is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Buildium and AppFolio.
Does DigsConnect.com have an API?
No public API is recorded for DigsConnect.com.
What industry is DigsConnect.com in?
DigsConnect.com's product category is Student Accommodation Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAAAF, Residential Rental Brokerage & Tenant Placement. Its NAICS code is 53121 and its SIC code is 6531.