Instead of taking on debt to buy a house, Point provides equity funding. The startup can find the capital needed to finance your home and in return they get partial ownership.
And now Point is getting its own funding, $8.4 million led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Bloomberg Beta and Ribbit Capital.
Inspired by the venture capital model for startups, Point aims to make it easier for homeowners to pay their bills, while also getting a stake in desirable real estate properties. The model is currently available for homes in select California regions and they are evaluating new markets in Washington state and other areas.
This is the “first financial partner that’s truly aligned with homeowners,” said Eddie Lim, co-founder and CEO at Point. It’s a “brand new asset class that we’re creating.”
Point first evaluates the finances of applicants and then makes a provisional offer. They then schedule an in-home appraisal and update their final offer.
Once the offer is accepted, Point pays within just four business days. Point makes its money back if you sell the home within ten years. (If you don’t sell your home, you can buy back Point’s stake).
Alex Rampell, investor at Andreessen Horowitz, will be joining the board at Point. The business “solves a problem for both the homeowners and also for prospective investors.” There’s “not really anything quite like this.”
Roy Bahat, investor at Bloomberg Beta, said he believes in Point because it is “applying technology to a problem you would have thought we would have solved already.” He added that “it is hard to imagine that a product like this once successful would not have enormous widespread application.”
Point has raised $15.4 million, including venture debt financing. Angel investors include former Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, Airbnb CFO Laurence Tosi and LendingHome CEO Matt Humphrey.
