Relata: Samudragupta Talukdar on Revolutionizing Real Estate Sales with 'Phygital' PropTech SaaS

Indian real estate is a trillion-dollar opportunity trapped in a sub-10% conversion crisis. While lead generation is booming, the journey from a project visit to final registration remains fragmented, manual, and often opaque. For most developers, the conversion rate from a walk-in lead to a registered homebuyer is stuck below 8%. But what if technology could bridge the gap between physical property visits and digital precision?

Enter Samudragupta Talukdar (known in the industry as Sam), the Founder and CEO of Relata (a brand of Cognext Private Limited). A former Solution Architect at Xerox with a deep background in digital transformation, Sam stumbled into real estate by accident while consulting for SMEs. By launching India’s first virtual reality property exhibition in Pune—which drew a staggering 1.23 lakh visitors pre-pandemic—he proved that real estate could be sold digitally. Today, Relata is an HDFC-backed "Phygital" powerhouse, enabling developers to optimize every stage of the sales funnel through immersive VR, behavioral analytics, and automated booking engines.

The Prototype: 1.23 Lakh Visitors and a VR Breakthrough

Relata's genesis was a high-stakes bet. Before the pandemic made virtual tours a necessity, Sam convinced 25 Pune developers to participate in a first-of-its-kind Virtual Reality Property Exhibition. "People were asking, 'If you're talking about an exhibition, where is this happening physically?' We had to convince them that the virtual world was the venue," Sam recalls.

With sponsorship from ICICI Bank, the results were explosive: 1.23 lakh visitors, 10,800 leads, and over 245 transactions in just six months. This validated Sam’s hypothesis that buyers were ready for digital exploration, provided the technology was immersive enough to simulate a real visit. Since its official launch on October 2, 2020, Relata has evolved from a lead generator into a comprehensive SaaS suite for the entire real estate ecosystem.

The Relata Suite: Correcting the Sales Funnel

Relata doesn't just generate leads; it optimizes the journey to Time to Revenue. The platform is built on three core pillars: Visualization, On-Site Management, and the Booking Engine.

1. Behavioral Analytics: The 'Lady and the 3BHK' Story

Traditional CRMs track phone numbers; Relata tracks behavior. Sam shares a famous case study: a lady was negotiating for a 2BHK but her digital interaction data showed she was frequently exploring 3BHK layouts. "With that insight, the sales agent realized she was eligible for a higher mortgage. By showing her she could upgrade for just ₹15,000 more in EMI, they closed a 3BHK sale. That is the power of behavioral analytics," Sam explains.

2. The Automated Booking Engine

Relata has simplified property booking to be as easy as BookMyShow. Every unit is mapped via SVGs, integrated with real-time pricing, GST formulas, and escalation clauses. The system handles everything from Expression of Interest (EOI) to eKYC for NRIs, and agreement generation upon the 10-20% payment milestone.

3. The CP App (Channel Partner App)

Recognizing that brokers drive the majority of Indian sales, Relata created a dedicated app for Channel Partners. It allows brokers to tag leads securely (locking them for 60-90 days), track site visits, and access marketing collaterals without leaking private data to other brokers.

Data Security: Solving the "Harassment Call" Problem

In a market where data leaks are rampant, Relata uses an Enterprise-First security model. Developers must authorize collaborators to see PII (Personally Identifiable Information). Lead details are masked and encrypted; every time an agent clicks to view a number, a log is created at the backend. "We use QR codes for interactions so you don't have the information by just scanning. You need the Relata system to access it," Sam notes.

The Future: Fractional Ownership and DIY Models

Sam sees three major trends shaping the next decade:

• REITs and Fractional Ownership: Transitioning from ₹2 Cr barriers to ₹10 Lakh investment products.
• The 'Launch' DIY Product: A DIY model for small-time developers to go live with their projects in less than three days.
• Smart City Migration: As India builds 100+ smart cities, the demand for better lifestyle housing will keep the reality ecosystem steadily appreciating.

Key Takeaways: The Relata Blueprint

• Phygital is the Winner: Pure digital is too cold for real estate; physical-only is too slow. Combine both for maximum conversion.
• Behavior over Biography: Don't just chase leads; analyze what they are looking at when they think no one is watching.
• Empower the Broker: If your technology doesn't help the channel partner, it won't scale in the Indian market.
• Automate the Paperwork: Turnaround time is revenue. Reduce registration friction to increase cash flow.

As Relata continues to scale from its Pune headquarters, Samudragupta Talukdar remains committed to the idea that technology shouldn't just be an "add-on"—it should be the engine of growth. In a country where an average citizen buys 2.3 homes in a lifetime, Relata is ensuring that the journey to the "third and final home" is as smooth as a digital click.

About the Guest

Samudragupta (Sam) Talukdar is the Founder and CEO of Relata. A veteran of digital transformation with a background as a Solution Architect at Xerox, he has spent years designing technologically feasible solutions for global business growth. He is a recognized pioneer in Indian PropTech, credited with launching Pune’s first virtual property exhibition and scaling Relata into a leading HDFC-backed SaaS platform for real estate developers.

Relata (Brand of Cognext Private Limited) is a Pune-based PropTech SaaS startup. It provides an end-to-end digital sales ecosystem for real estate, featuring virtual sales galleries, behavioral analytics, automated booking engines, and dedicated channel partner applications to increase lead-to-registration conversion rates.