Why PropTech and MortgageTech Are the Future of Fintech

Why PropTech and MortgageTech Are the Future of Fintech

If this is the first time you’ve heard the term proptech, it won’t be the last. Proptech (also known as real estate tech or REtech) and its subset mortgagetech have been around since 2014. Here’s why 2017 is poised to place proptech among the ranks of wealthtech, insurtech, regtech.

This year has already been favorable to mortgagetech and proptech companies. SoFi, for example, is about to close a massive, $500 million round, its competitor LendingHome topped $1 billion in mortgage loan originations last year, and RealtyShares has seen over $300 million raised on its platform. According to CB Insights, since 2012 the real estate technology sector has closed 817 deals worth $6.4 billion. Of that amount, $2.6 billion closed in 2016 alone, which represents a 40% increase from that sector’s funding in 2015.

In the U.S., there are a handful of reasons 2017 will be favorable to real estate. Interest rates are projected to rise for the second time, millennials are starting to buy their first homes, and investors are looking to diversify out of the volatile stock market. On top of all of this, regulations are slated to loosen under the Trump administration, and changing in regulation brings opportunities for innovation.

Players

The broader category of proptech can be broken down into four basic segments.

1- Mortgagetech
These are mostly B2B companies specifically focused on facilitating part of all of the mortgage application process. They do not lend or service the loan.

2- Digital mortgage lending companies
These online lenders facilitate the mortgage application process and service the loan.

3- Real estate investment tech
Companies in this category are focused on the investment aspect of commercial and residential real estate.

4- Pure property plays
These don’t have a fintech angle but play a role in the broader proptech industry. Since this category is out of scope for this blog, this list only encompasses a fraction of companies in this category. Check out CB Insights’ coverage of commercial real estate technology for more.

What’s ahead in 2017

  • Expect to see more mortgagetech-bank partnerships along the lines of Roostify’s recent deal with JP Morgan Chase. As banks try to gain a competitive edge for market share, more established banks will need to leverage mortgagetech offerings.
  • We’ll see more niche alt-lending solutions such as SoFi that facilitate the application process and save borrowers on closing costs.
  • Expect to see more players offering real estate investment technology, coupled with some consolidation in real estate crowdfunding companies.
  • Outside of fintech, we’ll see more platforms aimed at cutting out the middle person, the realtor; and more business models such as Knock and GoldenKey that make the selling process easier.

You don’t have to take my word for it

We posed the question, How do you see proptech/ mortgagetech growing in 2017? to these Finovate alums working in the space. Here’s how they responded:

BhatRajesh Bhat, CEO and cofounder of Roostify:

“We expect to see further widescale adoption of digital mortgage solutions – to the point where one should expect it to be table stakes in 2018. We should also expect to see more players emerge in the space as investors see larger market adoption and validation.”

 

Screen Shot 2017-02-23 at 9.52.53 AMLinda Schicktanz, Chief Advisor of CK Mack*:

“If there is one area ripe for fintech innovation, it’s real estate investing. Why put 30% down just to gain massive management headaches when you can now invest in rental cashflow online with very similar returns? Fintech and Real Estate are like peanut butter and jelly, they just go together!”

Screen Shot 2017-02-23 at 8.30.31 AMNima Ghamsari, cofounder and CEO at Blend:

“There is going to be an explosion in the use of data driving the mortgage process in 2017. Both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have announced their data initiatives toward the end of 2016, and lenders are starting to push consumer financial data aggregation into the core components of their customer experiences. This ties in nicely to the industry-wide push forward to a more digital, end-to-end process that started in 2016.”

Screen Shot 2017-02-24 at 4.07.54 PMJilliene Helman, CEO at RealtyMogul

“The impact of digital technology on the real estate industry and mortgage technology is still in its infancy, but I see both less experienced and more sophisticated investors, alike, moving toward a process that takes place entirely online. With over $250 million of capital invested and 100,000 registered investors on the platform, RealtyMogul.com is a testament to this change. The more that technology can offer real estate borrowers and lenders transparency, as well as the efficiency of process and convenience, the faster both sides will adapt.”


*Full disclosure: I’m related to Linda Schicktanz. Yup– she’s my mom.

Finovate Debuts: Sindeo Revamps the Mortgage Application Process

Finovate Debuts: Sindeo Revamps the Mortgage Application Process

screen-shot-2016-12-16-at-3-00-32-pm

Home financing startup Sindeo offers customers access to a marketplace of over 1,000 loan programs to help them find the best mortgage. Its platform streamlines the mortgage application process and offers borrowers guidance from Mortgage Advisors.

Kicking off the company’s demo at FinovateFall 2016, Sindeo’s co-founder Ori Zohar described a home purchase as “the largest financial decision that most people are going to make in their lives” and added that getting a mortgage is a “difficult and confusing process.” Explaining his company’s proposed solution, Zohar said, “Sindeo is creating a streamlined online mortgage experience. We can get you a loan with any of the lenders in our growing marketplace which currently has over 45 lenders and over 1,000 loan products. We have technology integrated all the way from quotes to close.”

On the Finovate stage, the Sindeo team launched QuickStart, a CFPB compliant mortgage pre-qualification tool that helps borrowers find a home loan, complete the application and underwriting process, and generate a pre-qualification letter, all in less than 10 minutes.

Company facts

  • 100+ employees
  • Originating loans in eleven states
  • $20+ million in funding to-date
  • 60+ NPS
  • Saved customers $17 million
29100750683_4d371ff788_kAimeelene Gaspar (SVP, Product) and Ori Zohar (Co-Founder) demo Sindeo at FinovateFall 2016 in New York

We interviewed Ori Zohar (pictured right), Sindeo’s co-founder, to get a deeper look into Sindeo’s background and future plans.screen-shot-2016-12-19-at-10-31-08-am

Finovate: What problem does Sindeo solve?

Ori Zohar: Getting a mortgage today is a stressful, confusing, low-tech process. It’s rife with unnecessary delays and unexpected costs. It’s the biggest financial decision most people make in their lifetimes, yet there isn’t a good partner to guide customers in a high tech, friendly way.

Finovate: Who are your primary customers?

Zohar: Homeowners and future homeowners.

Finovate: How does Sindeo solve the problem better?

Zohar: We’ve created a mortgage marketplace where customers can shop one thousand loan products, apply in minutes by filling out just one application, and close with speed and transparency. Sindeo not only saves our customers time, but also tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

screen-shot-2016-12-19-at-11-28-20-am(above) A screenshot from Sindeo’s loan marketplace

 

Finovate: Tell us about your favorite implementation of your solution.

Zohar: After a couple of years of some really hard work, it’s fantastic to see us delivering on our vision – especially with the technology. From the start, Sindeo has been about rebuilding the home financing experience from the ground up by providing customers with access to a broad marketplace of loan programs, expert and unbiased guidance from Mortgage Advisors that are compensated based on customer satisfaction, and innovative technology that streamlines the entire mortgage process.

Finovate: What in your background gave you the confidence to tackle this challenge?

Zohar: I’m a serial entrepreneur, having started my first business when I was 15. After graduating from college, I began working with global ad agencies on solving complex problems for clients in the luxury clothing, automotive, and financial services industries. Eventually, I started looking for my next entrepreneurial opportunity. After I met Nick Stamos, my co-founder, we knew we found a huge opportunity to create a new path to bring home financing into the modern era.

Finovate: What are some upcoming initiatives from Sindeo that we can look forward to over the next few months?

Zohar: Sindeo is an end-to-end solution, and SindeoOne is just the beginning! We’re going to continue to add features to SindeoOne like verification of assets, income and employment directly into the application. We’re also streamlining and automating our back-end processes, so that our mortgage advisors can spend more time helping our customers.

Finovate: Where do you see Sindeo a year or two from now?

Zohar: I expect that not only will Sindeo be available to consumers in every state, but we will have introduced a fully digital mortgage that will allow consumers to find the right loan at the right price and close as quickly as possible.


Watch Sindeo’s demo from FinovateFall 2016 in New York with Aimeelene Gaspar (SVP, Product) and Ori Zohar (Co-Founder)

FinDEVr APIntelligence

FDNY17_EventLogo_v1(wdate)FinDEVr Silicon Valley was a success! Tickets for upcoming FinDEVr London and FinDEVr New York are at their lowest prices now. Register today for London or New York to save your spot!

On FinDEVr.com

  • Avalara Adds New CMO Jeremy Korst.

The latest from FinDEVr Silicon Valley presenters

  • Finovate Debuts: Sindeo Revamps the Mortgage Application Process.

Alumni updates

  • Flybits CEO Hossein Rahnama interviewed in TechRepublic feature on IoT trends in 2017.
  • ScientiaMobile recognized by CIOReview as one of the most promising CDN solution providers of 2016.
  • AFK Insider lists Craft Silicon’s Uber-challenging app, Little, in its look at major technology developments in Africa in 2016.
  • FinDEVr alum Streamdata.io joins Google Technological Partner program.
  • Inc. lists Xero and PayPal among 8 business apps that will crush it in 2017.
  • LTP: Trulioo CEO Stephen Ufford writes about the problem of gift card fraud.

Stay current on daily news from the fintech developer community! Follow FinDEVr on Twitter.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Finovate Debuts: Sindeo Revamps the Mortgage Application Process.
  • NetGuardians Brings Real-Time Fraud Protection to Nigeria’s Keystone Bank.

Around the web

  • Flybits CEO Hossein Rahnama interviewed in TechRepublic feature on IoT trends in 2017.
  • AFK Insider lists Craft Silicon’s Uber-challenging app, Little, in its look at major technology developments in Africa in 2016.
  • FinDEVr alum Streamdata.io joins Google Technological Partner program.
  • ScientiaMobile recognized by CIOReview as one of the most promising CDN solution providers of 2016.
  • PYMNTS: BBVA Buys Openpay To Boost Digital Business Portfolio.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

 

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Sindeo

FinovateFall Sneak Peek: Sindeo

Screen Shot 2016-08-29 at 4.24.28 PM

FF2016-Logo-wdate-largeA look at the companies demoing live to 1,500+ fintech professionals on September 8 & 9, 2016. Register today.

Sindeo’s self-driven rate quote and prequalification tool provides consumers with a quick, straightforward and streamlined start to the home financing process.

  •  In less than 10 minutes, consumers can:
    • check rates across Sindeo’s network of lenders and loan programs
    • get free credit scores
    • generate a prequalification letter

Why it’s great 
Sindeo offers a better mortgage experience by providing access to an extensive mortgage marketplace and a streamlined digital loan experience.Screen Shot 2016-08-30 at 12.43.08 PM

Presenters

Ori Zohar, Co-founder
With a background in entrepreneurship and marketing, Zohar joined forces with co-founder Nick Stamos to create Sindeo, a consumer-friendly alternative to home financing.
LinkedInScreen Shot 2016-08-30 at 12.43.54 PM

Aimeelene Gaspar, Vice President of Product Management
An experienced leader in FinTech product development, Gaspar is involved with every aspect of the Sindeo product life cycle, from concept to design to launch.
LinkedIn

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Behalf Raises $27 Million in New Funding
  • Backbase Partners with Entersekt to Deliver Authentication Technology
  • EyeVerify Teams Up with BioConnect to Boost Payment Security.

Around the web

  • PittsburghPost-Gazette feature on local fintech incubator SteelBridge Laboratories quotes Om Kundu, CEO of InSpirAVE. See InSpirAVE at FinovateFall in New York next week.
  • Massachusetts-based Randolph Savings Bank re-ups with Fiserv for front- and back-office technology.
  • Wipro announces partnership with Stibo Systems to offer Master Data Management (MDM) solutions.
  • PYMNTS.com looks at TransferWise and its growing independence from bank partners.
  • Jack Henry & Associates Awarded by Aite Group for Core Processing.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Ready for a Sneak Peek? How to Best Prepare for FinovateFall

Ready for a Sneak Peek? How to Best Prepare for FinovateFall

StageIMG

To give you a sense of the many new ideas at the upcoming FinovateFall conference in New York, we’ve launched our Sneak Peek series. Eight companies are featured each week leading up to the 8/9 September event (tickets now available).

In the meantime, here is a quick summary of the 66 announced companies (six more are in stealth mode). It’s a lot to take in; pace yourself!

  • Agreement Express offers an an end-to-end platform that helps traditional financial institutions automate labor-intensive parts of the customer onboarding process to remain compliant while quickly opening customer accounts.
  • Aleo’s marketplace uses e-procurement, e-commerce and supplier financing bundled in a single open platform to offer small and medium enterprises an online procure-to-pay solution.
  • AutoGravity’s mobile-first digital marketplace helps digitally minded customers, looking to buy and finance a vehicle, circumvent the inefficiencies of the auto-financing process by leveraging the full potential of their smartphone.
  • Avoka’s customer-acquisition platform integrates multiple fintech services to help banks, wealth managers and insurers use mobile and digital channels to onboard customers.
  • Backbase offers 60-second onboarding for financial services companies to accelerate customer acquisition with a simple, fast, and seamless omnichannel onboarding journey.
  • Bankjoy offers developers a banking API for a modern, real-time, holistic interface for credit unions and community banks.
  • Bitbond’s automated, international credit-scoring mechanism compares small business-loan applicants from different countries by using machine learning and data from the applicant’s business accounts.
  • Bluescape offers large financial services companies a highly interactive, visually collaborative platform that uses real-time, cloud-based architecture that’s ultra-scalable, all-capturing, and accessible anytime from any device.
  • BondIT offers financial advisers and portfolio managers a data-driven solution that uses machine learning advanced algorithms to manage fixed-income portfolios and solve optimization challenges.
  • brandCrowder has developed an alternative investment platform focusing on branded franchises. It leverages 45+ years of franchise-operations experience to help retail investors finance franchises, helping to bring them to market quicker.
  • Clinc’s mobile, voice-activated personal financial adviser uses artificial intelligence to help consumers get answers to financial questions and tasks.
  • Consdata offers banks and financial institutions a comprehensive platform for e-form management and customer-communication complexities.
  • Currencycloud’s dedicated API services use intelligent APIs to help businesses with the cost, limitations, and boundaries of existing payment infrastructure.
  • Daon bridges convenience and security by offering financial services companies a mobile biometric authentication platform that turns a smartphone into a mobile capture device.
  • Divy’s app and social investing community uses an approachable interface and engaging content to help first-time and emerging investors access direct marketing and financial literacy material.
  • Dynamics offers issuers and their cardholders interactive payment cards and an authorization-based, real-time loyalty processing system.
  • ebankIT’s platform offers financial institution clients an omnichannel experience.
  • Econiq’s Conversation Hub uses color-coded conversations to help bank and insurer frontline staff, and operational management and executives avoid disconnected customer conversations in branches and contact centers.
  • Envestnet | Yodlee offers millennials a solution for measuring financial health and promoting a healthy financial lifestyle.
  • Experian CrossCore is a single platform that helps manage customer identities, fraud-prevention tools, workflows and decision strategies in an easy-to-use and scalable format.
  • EyeVerify’s Eyeprint ID offers banks and other financial services companies eye biometrics via smartphone cameras for convenient, secure and private authentication.
  • Featurespace’s ARIC Engine helps financial services clients spot and prevent fraud attacks in real time using adaptive behavioral analytics.
  • Finicity offers an API for companies to build financial apps.
  • Fiserv helps financial institutions enable social finance by providing customers access to a safe, collaborative bank-secured social funding product.
  • Full Profile uses the blockchain and smart contracts for real-time settlement and reporting of physical agri-commodities to help farmers, buyers, banks and government counter party and credit-risk exposures.
  • FutureVault’s cloud-based filing cabinet helps financial service providers and their clients organize asset documents and accounts using a secure, structured and collaborative B2B2C cloud environment.
  • GainX’s SaaS platform uses decades of market research and leading-edge technology to help large financial institutions overcome innovation and adaption failures.
  • GoodData helps large banks, credit-card processing and insurance companies commercialize and monetize their data using a scalable, manageable and secure platform that is exclusively designed for data products and embedded analytics.
  • iBank Marketing offers millennials a multifunction digital wallet to help them achieve personal goals around life events by using its local eco-system that bridges consumers and small- to medium-sized enterprises.
  • identitii uses tokens and blockchain to help financial institutions with KYC, CTF and AML compliance using an information layer over legacy systems.
  • InSpirAVE’s social e-commerce platform curates advice and financial support from the user’s friends and family, financial institutions, and merchants. It helps multiply savings, for big-ticket purchases for customers who otherwise may not be able to afford them, by placing important goals for life’s special moments within reach, without the crushing burden of debt.
  • KORE’s platform transforms enterprise applications, online banking and mobile apps into personalized, conversational engagements to help financial institutions meet customer-experience expectations using the power of bots and simplicity of messaging.
  • LendingFront’s lending platform leverages a cloud-based system that furnishes small businesses with capital using their cashflow data.
  • Lidya offers African small- to medium-sized enterprises access to finance using online receivables-based lending and proprietary credit scoring.
  • Liferay’s Digital Experience offers banks a richer understanding of customers by orchestrating personalized customer experiences.
  • M1 Finance places assets held in low-yielding cash accounts into an asset-linked bank account and intuitive investment platform.
  • MapD’s Immerse helps quantitative hedge fund and asset managers query datasets with billions of rows in real-time by applying the parallel processing power of GPUs to the challenges of databases, visualization and analytics.
  • MarketX’s cross-border investment platform helps international investors with the lack of liquidity for U.S. startup shares and limited access to U.S. pre-IPO investment opportunities.
  • ModoPayments offers financial companies a digital payments hub to connect disparate sources of value to diverse destinations using Modo’s COIN technology.
  • Moonraft Innovation Labs helps banks innovate and evolve by rapidly adapting to changing market needs using Catamera, its unique customer experience delivery framework.
  • Moven’s growing platform reaches the millennial, mobile first, digital native audience by bringing banking (specifically savings) into the moment.
  • MX helps financial institutions become true advocates for their account holders by using analytics to power a revolutionary category of data-driven money management.
  • nanoPay offers a payments and loyalty solution for merchants.
  • Overbond’s digital platform offers transparency, efficiency, and liquidity in the fixed income market for corporate issuers, investors, and dealers.
  • Personetics offers financial services providers a digital personalization platform that uses real-time, ultra-scalable predictive analytics to keep customers engaged in the digital age.
  • ProActive FinTech uses a phone app and debit card featuring unlimited mini bank accounts and pre-purchase categorization to help millennial moms with cash-flow management.
  • QE Data offers commercial banking systems a real-time predictive model for net cash-flows that uses machine learning, rich visualization, speedy deployment and real-world banking experience.
  • Qumram uses 100% real-time, video-like recording of every mouse movement, keystroke and button click to help financial services organizations with compliance and transparency issues relating to digital business.
  • RightCapital’s financial and tax-planning platform helps advisers deliver unbundled, quality financial planning and tax-planning services. It works to efficiently and digitally help consumers with the lack of viable business and technology solutions.
  • SaleMove offers financial institutions a live engagement platform to help sell and service complex financial services products online. The platform uses instant video chat and guided browsing with no downloads or installations.
  • Sindeo’s self-directed consumer rate quote and prequalification tool simplifies home financing and refinancing using an integrated platform that offers consumer, real estate partner, and adviser tools that conform to CFPB regulation and ensure a simple and easy consumer experience.
  • SpeechPro’s customer onboarding solution offers multichannel access to help CTOs, developers and other technologists focus on KYC, identity and verification.
  • Swych’s mobile gifting platform offers gift-card recipients a better way to buy, gift, and manage gift cards.
  • Tango Card’s RaaS API 2.0 uses simple-yet-complete delivery technology and domain expertise to help enterprises deliver incentives efficiently and effectively.
  • TokBox’s Financial Services Accelerator Pack offers banks and financial organizations secure and easy-to-embed, real-time communications technology.
  • TransUnion’s interactive data-visualization solution uses big data and analytics to connect and interpret consumer financial data for lenders.
  • Trulioo’s GlobalGateway uses traditional and cyber ID data sources to offer banks, financial services providers, and online marketplaces secure access to reliable, global data sources for instant ID-verification.
  • Trusona’s anti-replay and TruToken technology offers an insured identity platform for sensitive assets.
  • Unbill’s API enables companies to offer bill pay in their app or technology platform without complicated integration or high costs.
  • Uniken’s REL-ID, a card-not-present approval solution, uses mobile API tool kits and DMZ software appliances to help enterprises secure mobile communications.
  • Urban FT’s enhanced, white-label digital banking platform gives financial services organizations, wireless carriers, and other consumer-facing organizations a long-term, competitive advantage that makes their brand integral to customers’ daily financial and online social activities, financial tools, and social features.
  • Xentral Station’s supply-chain funding app helps vendors of all sizes receive cash for trade financing within 24 hours.
  • Zenmonics uses a single, common platform to help banks and their customers minimize friction in customer engagement with channelUNITED.
  • Zooz offers an agnostic, cross-border payments platform to help merchants act on payment processes and save money to maintain their client base.

Stay tuned on the blog for more detailed descriptions. And don’t forget to register now to reserve your spot.