AN ONLINE estate agency in Brentwood has received the backing of a former Dragons’ Den star and his protégé.

James Caan and Faisal Butt’s venture capital firm Hamilton Bradshaw Real Estate has agreed a deal to support eMoov.

It will see the entrepreneurs who set up the business to invest in property firms help raise the profile of the Brentwood company launched in 2010 by estate agent Russell Quirk.

Since starting up, eMoov has overseen the sale of £250million worth of property becoming the UK’s largest online estate agency.

Mr Quirk said the under the agreement with Caan and Butt, new ideas will be coming out to promote his business.

He said: “I want eMoov to be seen by the public as a genuine alternative to conventional estate agents whereas at the moment we’re a well-kept secret.

“This deal is less about raising new capital and more about the networks that HBRE provide.

“In the next few months we will be launching a new version of the website and spearheading a nationwide awareness campaign.”

Mr Caan, who was on the BBC show from 2007 to 2012, said he really like eMoov’s strategy and feels there is a lot of scope to work with.

“I am delighted to seal the deal with the UK’s largest online estate agency in eMoov,” he said.

“I’m confident that with the team we have put together eMoov can be a serious challenger to conventional estate agency and lead online estate agency into the mainstream.”

For more details about eMoov, visit www.emoov.co.uk.