Unison
Unison is a San Francisco fintech that pioneered home equity sharing agreements, enabling homeowners to access up to $500,000 of their property's value as cash with no monthly payments or interest in exchange for sharing future appreciation, while securitizing these agreements for institutional investors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Unison does
Unison (operating as Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc.) is a San Francisco-based home equity fintech founded in 2004 by Thomas Sponholtz that pioneered the equity sharing agreement model in the United States. The company's core product enables homeowners to convert up to 15–17.5% of their home's value—capped at $500,000—into upfront cash with no monthly payments, no interest, and no added debt for up to 30 years; the homeowner retains 100% ownership and shares a defined portion of future appreciation or depreciation with Unison when the agreement ends via sale, refinance, or buyout. A second product, the Equity Sharing Home Loan launched in September 2024, is a hybrid second-mortgage combining 10-year interest-only payments with equity-sharing economics, anchored by a $300 million purchase commitment from Carlyle. Supporting features include a 5% risk adjustment to appraised values, a remodeling adjustment that lets homeowners keep 100% of improvement value, and proprietary tracking systems. Unison has served over 17,000 homeowners, unlocked $1.02B in home wealth, and oversees $8.8B in total home value across its portfolio.
Unison operates a direct-to-consumer model with a self-serve prequalification platform (no credit-score impact) and inside-sales home equity specialists, licensed through subsidiary Unison Mortgage Corporation (NMLS #2574289) across 16 states including California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and Texas. The investor side of the business securitizes home equity agreements through the Unison Midgard Fund, completing seven transactions—including three with formal DBRS Morningstar ratings ($202M, $215M, and $94.2M)—and distributes securities via lead bank Barclays to institutional buyers. The company is funded by $653M+ in cumulative disclosed capital (including $40M in 2018, $210M in June 2021, and $443M in February 2022) and is led by Founder/CEO Thomas Sponholtz, President Ryan Downs, CFO Scott Case, and CIO Matthew O'Hara. Headcount is 101–250 employees and the company has received Forbes Fintech 50 and consecutive Inman Best of Proptech/Finance awards (2023–2025), though it faces active regulatory and legal scrutiny including a Ninth Circuit ruling characterizing its product as a reverse mortgage, a Colorado class action filed April 2026, and a NACA complaint in D.C.
Unison firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Unison
- Legal name
- Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc.
- Website
- https://unison.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Unison is a San Francisco fintech that pioneered home equity sharing agreements, enabling homeowners to access up to $500,000 of their property's value as cash with no monthly payments or interest in exchange for sharing future appreciation, while securitizing these agreements for institutional investors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Unison industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Home Equity Investment
- akta.pro primary industry
- Closed-End Home Equity Loans (Second Mortgages) (FSALAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Home Equity & HELOC Intermediaries (FSALABAE)
Keywords
Where Unison is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Unison business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Equity Sharing Agreements - Appreciation Share: Unison provides cash upfront to homeowners in exchange for a percentage of the home's future change in value (appreciation or depreciation) when the agreement ends. If home value increases, Unison receives original amount plus share of appreciation. If value decreases, homeowner may owe less than received.
- Equity Sharing Home Loan Interest: New hybrid product combining traditional mortgage financing with equity sharing features. Offers interest-only, below-market monthly payments for 10-year term. Unison receives portion of home's future appreciation in exchange for below-market rate.
- Securitization Revenue: Company securitizes home equity agreements to institutional investors, generating liquidity and fee income. Completed seven securitization transactions including UNSN 2026-1 ($94.2M), $215M DBRS-rated deal, $202M first DBRS-rated deal, and $165M deal.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Up to 17.5% of home value accessible as cash payment |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Up to $500,000 in home equity cash access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Below-market interest-only monthly payments for 10 years |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Unison product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Unison provides a home equity co-investment platform that allows homeowners to unlock up to 15-17.5% of their home's value as cash with no monthly payments and no interest for up to 30 years, in exchange for sharing a portion of the home's future appreciation or depreciation upon sale or buyout. The company also offers a hybrid Equity Sharing Home Loan combining traditional mortgage features with equity sharing, and securitizes portfolios of home equity agreements for institutional investors via the Unison Midgard Fund.
Product overview
Unison operates as a home co-investment company offering a single core product called the Equity Sharing Agreement, with a variant called the Equity Sharing Home Loan. The Equity Sharing Agreement enables homeowners to access up to 15% of their home's equity as cash with zero monthly payments and zero interest for up to 30 years, in exchange for sharing a portion of the home's future value change with Unison upon exit. The Equity Sharing Home Loan is a hybrid mortgage product combining traditional financing with equity sharing, featuring a 10-year interest-only term with below-market payments. For investors, Unison offers securitization products through the Unison Midgard Fund, enabling institutional investors to access residential real estate equity as an asset class. The company also provides supporting tools including planning calculators, appraisal services, and a homeowner partnership team for ongoing support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Equity Sharing Agreement A core financial product allowing homeowners to access up to 15% of their home's value in cash with no monthly payments, no interest, and no added debt for up to 30 years. The homeowner shares a portion of the home's future change in value (appreciation or depreciation) with Unison upon sale or buyout.
- Equity Sharing Home Loan A hybrid mortgage product combining traditional mortgage financing with equity sharing features. Functions as a second mortgage with a 10-year interest-only term, offering below-market monthly payments while Unison receives a portion of the home's future appreciation.
- Unison Midgard Fund An investment fund backing Unison's securitization transactions, enabling institutional investors to access residential real estate equity as an asset class through DBRS Morningstar-rated securitizations of home equity agreements.
Quantifiable outcome
- 17,000+ homeowners have unlocked home equity through Unison
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Unison
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Unison technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Unison partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- VIU by HUBminorVIU by HUB partnered with Unison to simplify personal insurance for homeowners. VIU allows users to shop, compare, purchase and manage personal insurance while receiving trusted advice, creating integrated experience for Unison customers.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Unison competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Unison social profiles
Digital presenceUnison compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Unison financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Unison leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Unison subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Unison funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Unison M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Unison
What does Unison do?
Unison provides a home equity co-investment platform that allows homeowners to unlock up to 15-17.5% of their home's value as cash with no monthly payments and no interest for up to 30 years, in exchange for sharing a portion of the home's future appreciation or depreciation upon sale or buyout. The company also offers a hybrid Equity Sharing Home Loan combining traditional mortgage features with equity sharing, and securitizes portfolios of home equity agreements for institutional investors via the Unison Midgard Fund.
Is Unison a public or private company?
Unison is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Unison founded?
Unison was founded in 2004. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Unison based?
Unison is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Unison make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Equity Sharing Agreements - Appreciation Share is the primary driver. The others are equity Sharing Home Loan Interest and securitization Revenue.
Does Unison have an API?
No public API is recorded for Unison.
What industry is Unison in?
Unison's product category is Home Equity Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSALAGAA, Closed-End Home Equity Loans (Second Mortgages), with a secondary code of FSALABAE, Home Equity & HELOC Intermediaries.