Aayush Puri

Most real estate businesses compete over properties, prices and transactions. Aayush Puri, 28, has built his career around the less visible systems that determine whether those transactions happen efficiently and what happens after buyers move in. As CEO – Residential, Middle East at ANAROCK, he leads the firm’s regional residential business, working with developers, investors and HNIs on growth strategy, market expansion and residential transactions. In India, as CEO of ANAROCK Channel Partner (ACP), he is building a more technology-enabled model of broker distribution, using digital tools, market intelligence and data to improve how developers and channel partners originate and close residential business.

His approach is evident in ACP, which addresses the fragmented broker network through which much of India’s residential property is sold. Under Puri’s leadership, the platform has expanded from an initial group of brokers to more than 12,000 channel partners, with over 30,000 under-construction residential units available across major markets. It combines project discovery, CRM and AI-enabled tools with training, relationship management and faster brokerage payments, giving brokers better information and operating support while helping developers and buyers navigate the distribution process more effectively.

The results extend beyond network expansion. ACP’s gross merchandise value (GMV) more than doubled over a 12-month period, while sales grew 100 per cent, net brokerage increased 131 per cent and sales productivity improved 156 per cent.

Puri’s first major PropTech chapter addressed another challenge in residential real estate: managing communities after a property has been sold. He helped incubate and scale ANACITY Middle East from Dubai, launching the platform in 2021. ANACITY is a SaaS platform for managing gated communities, apartments and commercial properties, within an ecosystem that manages over 600,000 units across 6,000 communities. The platform achieved its target of onboarding 30,000 units in its first year before expanding into Qatar, Oman and East Africa.

ANACITY has since partnered with leading regional players, including Majid Al Futtaim, Danube Properties, Samana Developers and BnW Developments. Its integration with Dubai Land Department’s Mollak platform and its recognition as Best PropTech Startup in the UAE mark further milestones in its regional development.

The commercial performance of both businesses provides another measure of their expansion. ANACITY’s revenue reached INR 35.72 crore in FY2025–26, up from INR 27.41 crore a year earlier, while ACP’s revenue more than doubled over the same period. Their growth comes as ANAROCK prepares for a proposed INR 1,000-crore IPO and plans further investment in technology and AI.

Puri is now extending this technology-led approach to ANAROCK’s wider residential business in the Middle East. His focus is on building a more data-driven, consumer-centric platform, using technology not merely to improve backend efficiency but also to enhance how properties are discovered, evaluated, sold and ultimately experienced. His industry work has also explored data-driven decision making, cybersecurity and digital consumer experiences in real estate, reflecting his interest in bringing digitally native consumer expectations into a traditionally relationship-driven industry.

Puri’s work spans two connected stages of residential real estate: the distribution of homes and the management of communities after sale. The opportunity ahead is to extend the technology and operating models developed across these businesses to more markets, while continuing to demonstrate their commercial value.

Beyond his operating roles, Puri contributes to industry discussions through commentary in major media publications in India and the Middle East, examining Indian investment into Dubai and how geopolitical uncertainty affects property market decisions. A Harvard graduate in Real Estate Development and Finance, he served as Managing Director of the Harvard Real Estate Club and Editor of the Harvard Real Estate Review. He is also pursuing executive education at London Business School that complements his real estate background with a broader global business perspective. He also founded ANACARE, an animal welfare initiative focused on rescuing and rehabilitating street animals. In 2026 alone, the organisation treated nearly 12,000 animals, reflecting a leadership approach that effectively pairs business building with tangible community needs.