Tech Nest: The Proptech Podcast A Fresh Approach to Fractional Homeownership with Frank Rohde, Founder and CEO of Ownify
Here's a fun one for y'all. Frank Rohde, Founder and CEO of Ownify, a company working to revolutionize homeownership through fractional ownership joins the show.
Frank shares insights into Ownify's innovative model that helps first-time homebuyers with good income and credit but limited savings gradually build equity in their homes. You'll hear about Frank's diverse background, including his roles at FICO and Nomis, and how these experiences helped shape Ownify. He explains the dual nature of Ownify's operations, balancing PropCo and OpCo dynamics to benefit both consumers and investors.
We get practical, outlining steps for using Ownify, the challenges and opportunities in the current real estate market, and Frank's predictions for the future of homeownership and proptech. Listen in!
More about Frank and Ownify
Ownify is rebuilding the path to homeownership to make it achievable for the next generation of homebuyers. Our fractional ownership platform partners savvy investors with qualified first-time homebuyers to buy their home "brick by brick" - zero debt & no surprises. With Ownify, homebuyers and investors together reap the collective benefits of building equity, creating stability, and investing in the health of local communities for years to come. For our "Ownis", Ownify offers a low down payment of 2%, a powerful cash offer to compete against corporate buyers, no unforeseen costs & surprises, and evergreen equity in their home. For our investors, Ownify offers fractional ownership in a single family home generating income and real estate returns, shared equity & shared purpose with the Owni, and positive community impact by helping first-time homebuyers.
Frank originally hails from Germany. Early attempts at becoming a child prodigy violinist were unsuccessful which forced his parents to abandon any hope or supervision. Left to his own, Frank quickly became famous for wrestling rattlesnakes and kayaking. His sister meanwhile became the child prodigy violinist. Looking for a brighter future, Frank moved to California where his first job was a choice between watering marijuana plants in the Northern California mountains or building a neural network-based prediction engine for horse racing results. Ever focused on doing the right thing, he built the neural network for horse racing. Several other lucky turns led him to stay in the US and eventually graduate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics. Since then, he’s been a consultant at Oliver Wyman, started an online insurance company, spent 4 years at FICO, and grew Nomis from <$2M to $25M+ in ARR before selling it. His most recent challenge is building Ownify - a new path to ownership for the ~2M first-time homebuyers each year.