Hmlet redefines cohabitation with flexible rental leases and flatmate matchmaking

They have raised US$1.5m in a seed round led by Aurum Investments in November.

Imagine working in an apartment with complete strangers and ending up with a potential spouse soon after. Hmlet’s platform has made this possible for a French guy who rented one of their shared spaces, where he was matched with people who had the same interests and personality. Now engaged to a girl he met at the space, this client expressed that he will always remember how Hmlet has made co-living meaningful for him and his fiance.

Launched in 2016, Hmlet is Singapore’s first ever tech co-living space where young professionals can share rooms and apartments at an affordable price on a monthly basis. Yoan Kamalski, CEO, Hmlet, said that Hmlet is the only organised, tech-powered provider of space as a service model. The platform uses changes in technology, demography, and urbanisation to collectively drive a shift towards a more flexible, entrepreneurial and collaborative living style.

In November, this co-living rental startup Hmlet has raised a US$1.5 million in a seed round led by Aurum Investments, a sister company of co-working space Collision 8.

Kamalski said that people nowadays are looking for a curated place that can empower them and make them want to achieve more. With this trend seeing increased growth in Hong Kong and Singapore, Kamalski and his colleagues discovered a sweet spot with an unmet need.

“Urban housing was not adapted to our evolving demands for technology, services, and flexibility. Technology has been integrated into every facet of our lives, except our apartments. It was time-consuming, solitary, inflexible, and inaccessible. Hmlet solves these problems,” Kamalski said.

Together with Hmlet’s current chief technology officer Zenos Schmickrath, Kamalski first launched Opscotch, a property management startup that maintained a portfolio of share houses in Singapore and Tokyo. Opscotch then evolved into Hmlet when Kamalski and Schmickrath decided to shift the focus to co-living spaces. Since Opscotch was profitable when they started, it helped in funding the initial capital necessary to launch Hmlet.

“Hmlet is a tech co-living company that offers rooms and full apartments for rent in the heart of the city. We want to simplify housing for people from all around the world relocating or living in Singapore, Tokyo and very soon Hong Kong. Hmlet caters to international and local talent, helping them balance their lifestyles, finances and natural desire to connect. At Hmlet we want to revive communal and meaningful interactions in a way that amplifies creativity and empowers our members,” Kamalski said.

Kamalski brought immense experience in large scale real estate project management, having worked on the development of the Singapore Sports Hub stadium. Since childhood, he has had an entrepreneurial mindset which has allowed him to grow deep interest in real estate and technology. Meanwhile, Schmickrath, who is responsible for technology and sales strategies, has worked for several startups prior to Hmlet. He has been a technical founder for several companies with focus on web technology.