Opening Bid Unfiltered Bilt CEO says your rent isn't building your future
Jan 20, 2026
Ankur Jain, founder and CEO of Bilt — a payments and rewards platform focused on housing and neighborhood commerce. He walks through Bilt’s expansion from rent rewards into leases, maintenance, and local merchant ties. He outlines rent-to-credit rewards, AI concierge plans for neighborhood services, mortgage partnerships, and why Bilt operates like a commerce platform rather than a bank.
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Rent As A Membership
- Rent can be reframed as a membership that unlocks rewards and services around your home.
- Bilt positioned itself as the central commerce platform connecting residents to local businesses and services.
Leaving Trendy Bets For Housing
- Ankur left Tinder and saw Silicon Valley funding frivolous ideas like NFT purses and scooters.
- That prompted him to focus on solving large, real markets like housing instead of trendy fads.
Turning Rent Into Credit History
- Rent payments historically didn't build credit despite being a major recurring expense.
- Bilt became the largest reporter of rental payments to U.S. credit bureaus to change that dynamic.