The Market Seen From the Street: “Laplace Capital Markets”

The first quarter of 2025 was tough.

We faced delayed real estate development processes, complex construction challenges (with many sleepless nights), few new client acquisitions, personal difficulties within the team, an unstable global economy, and a... strange market.

Despite all that, we took risks, tested new client acquisition processes, completed the first phase of our report automation (and are heading into the second), and—most importantly—strengthened our belief in the value we bring to our clients. And we’ve started to show that value more clearly.

Building a team is never easy. We’re people—with good days and bad days. With different experiences, knowledge, ideas, and goals. And that’s perfectly fine. If it weren’t like that, we’d be robots. And we genuinely believe that today—more than ever, even with all the technological advances and artificial intelligence—the market needs emotional intelligence.

Even though we didn’t meet the goals we had set for Q1, I’m deeply proud of our ability and resilience to believe that the process is more important than the outcome—the outcome is merely a consequence.

We’re living through a challenging global economic moment, full of risks and dependencies. But there’s no point in overcomplicating things. We truly believe that simplicity is the key. And that’s exactly what we did. April’s results proved that consistency and well-defined processes are fundamental to achieving results—and they showed up.

Today, May 3rd, 2025, we’ve already matched the contracted revenue volume of the entire year of 2024. And our pipeline is becoming increasingly solid and focused.

Despite all the challenges, mistakes, and setbacks we face every day, one thing is certain: I’m proud of our team. We’re heading in the right direction, and we’re going to grow. Doubts and fears still creep into our thoughts now and then—but when we trust one another, everything becomes easier.

As I mentioned in the last quarter of 2024, we launched a new business unit: a strategic real estate asset advisory service. We could give it the fancy name “Capital Markets,” but at its core, it’s a brokerage service dedicated to the strategic sale of Real Estate Development Projects, Land, and Buildings.

Although I’ve never personally been a fan of traditional real estate brokerage, some of our clients and partners specifically asked for our support in this type of process.

We listened, reflected, defined the procedures, and decided to move forward. With clear criteria and staying true to our identity, we launched this new business unit. The goal isn’t to do “more of the same,” but to bring practical knowledge and a differentiated approach to the table.

It’s a new challenge, but one that aligns perfectly with our DNA: building value with intelligence, dedication, courage, and long-term vision.

Last but not least, we’ve also decided to change our identity.

The André Casaca brand is now evolving into Laplace – Real Estate Intelligence.

André will, of course, remain a fundamental part of the team. But Laplace stands for something greater: it’s André, Pedro, Gonçalo, Miguel, and all the partners who build this vision with us every day.

Yes, it’s a name change — but more than that, it’s a reflection of our evolving purpose and the strength of our team.

We’re just getting started. And while the road ahead won’t always be easy, we know exactly where we’re going. Together.

Thank you to everyone who believes in us.

See you soon,
André Casaca