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§ Private Profile · New York City, NY, USA
A residential sale-leaseback platform offering U.S. homeowners access to home equity by selling and leasing back their properties.
EasyKnock has raised $501.7M across 9 funding rounds.
Key people at EasyKnock.
EasyKnock has raised $501.7M in total across 9 funding rounds.
Based in New York City, EasyKnock operated as a residential sale-leaseback platform that allowed American homeowners to sell their properties and lease them back to access home equity without traditional loans. Before shutting down in late 2025 amid regulatory scrutiny and legal settlements across multiple jurisdictions, the prop-tech company expanded its operations across 25 states and became the 15th largest owner of single-family homes in the United States. The business financed its extensive real estate acquisitions by raising over $120 million in equity funding alongside $600 million in debt facilities. EasyKnock secured financial backing from prominent venture capital firms including Blumberg Capital, 500 Startups, and QED Investors, while also acquiring the Seattle-based home maintenance startup Onder to expand its services. The enterprise was originally founded in 2016 by co-founders Jarred Kessler and Ben Black.
EasyKnock has raised $501.7M across 9 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $28.0M Series D in February 2024.
EasyKnock was a New York City-based real estate technology company founded in 2016 that operated a residential sale-leaseback platform, enabling homeowners to unlock home equity by selling their property to the company while retaining the right to lease it back as tenants, with an option to repurchase later.[1][3][4] It served homeowners facing liquidity needs—such as debt reduction, new home purchases, or business funding—without traditional mortgage qualifications like credit scores, using data-driven automation across 55+ data points for personalized deals via its MoveAbility platform.[3][4][6] The company targeted single-family homes (median price $245,000, built ~1983) in Southeastern states, metros, and suburbs, generating $10M-$50M in revenue with ~120 employees before abruptly closing on December 6, 2024, after raising over $400M in equity/debt, including a $28M Series D in February 2024.[1][2][3]
EasyKnock launched in 2016 as a proptech innovator positioning sale-leasebacks as non-loan real estate transactions to bypass mortgage regulations, founded amid rising homeowner equity trapped by tight lending.[1][3] Key early funding included a $3.5M seed in 2018 with $100M debt from Montage Ventures, Crestar Partners, and Blumberg Capital, scaling to ~$110M-$400M total by 2024, with recent backing from Northwestern Mutual's venture arm.[1][2][3] Growth accelerated through tech like Google Cloud and Azure for scalable operations, earning accolades like 2024 PropTech Breakthrough Alternative Financing Platform of the Year, but faced mounting legal hurdles including lawsuits in multiple states and cease-and-desist orders, culminating in its 2024 shutdown.[1][2]
EasyKnock rode the proptech wave of alternative home financing amid hostile mortgage markets, high interest rates, and "trapped equity" for millions—counter-cyclical as demand rose when traditional loans faltered.[1][3] Its timing capitalized on post-2016 data analytics advances and VC influx into real estate tech, influencing the ecosystem by pioneering scalable sale-leasebacks that pressured regulators and inspired competitors in flexible ownership models.[1][2][3] Market forces like suburban growth and Southeastern demand favored its footprint, but legal/regulatory backlash highlighted risks in skirting lending oversight, shaping stricter proptech compliance.[1]
EasyKnock's sudden 2024 closure amid lawsuits underscores regulatory perils in proptech innovation, leaving thousands of homes and tenants in limbo while validating demand for equity-access tools.[1] Survivors or copycats may thrive with compliant models as rates stabilize and equity builds, influenced by AI-driven personalization trends; its legacy pushes the ecosystem toward hybrid finance blending real estate tech with consumer protections. This tech pioneer's arc—from $400M-funded disruptor to cautionary tale—highlights proptech's high-stakes pivot on timing and oversight.
Key people at EasyKnock.
EasyKnock has raised $501.7M in total across 9 funding rounds.
EasyKnock's investors include Cream City Venture Capital, The General Partnership, Ayo Omojola, Spencer Rascoff, Blumberg Capital, Gaingels, Moderne Ventures, QED Investors, Viola Fintech, 75 & Sunny, Banana Capital, Fifth Wall.
