EquiFi

What EquiFi does

EquiFi Corporation, PBC is a Delaware-incorporated Public Benefit Corporation founded in 2016 and headquartered in San Jose, California, with additional offices in New York and Washington, D.C. The company builds and operates the EquiFi Funding Instrument (EFI™), a debt-free shared-equity co-investment instrument that lets homebuyers receive supplemental down payment funding and lets existing homeowners access their equity without taking on debt, monthly payments, or interest. Underlying the EFI is a proprietary platform that matches consumer housing needs with investor interests, supports AVM-based valuation and underwriting, and structures each transaction as an event-based equity participation that terminates on home sale, homeowner death, or voluntary prepayment.

The product portfolio comprises three principal offerings. Home Purchase EFI provides co-investment for down payments (up to roughly 20% additional on top of a 10% down payment, enabling a 30% total and removing the need for PMI), reducing the financed mortgage size. Equity Access EFI allows existing homeowners to receive up to roughly 45% of home value in exchange for a percentage share of future net equity at termination, with a protected-equity floor for the homeowner. The HERO Program (Home Equity Relief Option) is a COVID-19 forbearance/relief construct that provides up to 24 months of mortgage, insurance, and tax coverage with no upfront fees to the homeowner.

EquiFi monetizes through two principal revenue mechanics: (1) a transaction-based equity share of net home equity at termination (sale, prepayment, or death), which functions like a take rate on the realized future value, and (2) licensing of the EFI construct to origination partners including banks, mortgage lenders, credit unions, broker-dealers, financial advisors, and corporations that offer EFI as an employee benefit. Distribution is hybrid: direct-to-consumer via the website and a 1-800 number, plus a partner-driven ecosystem (mortgage servicers for HERO, wealth advisors for retirement-income use cases, and a Corporate Home Achiever Program for employer-sponsored housing benefits). The company raised approximately $9.5M+ across a 2018 $2.5M convertible note and roughly $7M in pre-2021 equity, and in September 2021 added a strategic capital relationship with The Palisades Group to fund EFI originations and expansion from California into Washington, Arizona, and Florida.

Name

EquiFi

Legal name

EquiFi Corporation, PBC

Website

https://equifi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EquiFi is a Public Benefit Corporation offering the EFI™, a debt-free shared-equity co-investment instrument for homebuyers and homeowners seeking to fund down payments or access home equity without monthly payments or interest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shared Equity Financing

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231)

SIC

Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Equity Loan & HELOC Intermediation (FSAEAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Home Equity & HELOC Intermediaries (FSALABAE)

Keywords

• Shared equity financing
• Home equity co-investment
• Alternative home financing
• Down payment assistance
• Residential equity solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Equity Share Revenue: EquiFi generates revenue by receiving a percentage share of the future home equity when the property is sold, the homeowner prepays, or at the death of the homeowner. The cost to the consumer is based on the home's future value rather than interest payments.
2. Licensing to Origination Partners: EquiFi licenses the EFI product to banks, mortgage lenders, credit unions, financial advisors, and other institutions who market the product to consumers
3. HERO Program Fees: The HERO program charges no upfront fees to homeowners; all upfront costs are paid through EquiFi and the HERO Investment Fund, recouped when the home is sold or homeowner prepays

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EquiFi provides the Equity Funding Instrument (EFI™), a debt-free shared-equity co-investment product for residential real estate. In exchange for providing funds to homebuyers or unlocking equity for existing homeowners, EquiFi receives a percentage share of the home's future value when the property is sold, the homeowner prepays, or upon death — with no monthly payments, no interest, and no fixed maturity. The company also offers the HERO Program for COVID-19-related mortgage relief and licenses the EFI product to banks, lenders, credit unions, financial advisors, and employers.

Product overview

EquiFi is a financial technology company offering the Equity Funding Instrument (EFI™) as a debt-free alternative to traditional home financing. The core product is the EFI™ platform, which provides two main offerings: Home Purchase EFI for homebuyers who need assistance with down payments, and Equity Access EFI for homeowners seeking to unlock equity without incurring debt. The company also offers the HERO Program as a specialized COVID-19 relief product. All products operate on a shared equity model where investors co-invest in exchange for a portion of future home value appreciation, with no monthly payments or interest charges. The EFI terminates upon home sale, homeowner death, or voluntary prepayment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EFI (Equity Funding Instrument): A debt-free equity investment product that allows homebuyers to co-invest and homeowners to access home equity without taking on debt. No monthly payment, no interest, sharing a portion of future home value.
• HERO Program (Home Equity Relief Option)

Products and services

• Equity Funding Instrument (EFI™) The Equity Funding Instrument (EFI™) is EquiFi's core debt-free equity co-investment product. It provides funds to homeowners or home buyers in exchange for a percentage share of the home's future value, with no monthly payments, no interest rates, and no predefined term — terminating upon home sale, homeowner death, or voluntary prepayment.
• Home Purchase EFI Home Purchase EFI is an equity co-investment product that helps homebuyers by matching or enhancing their down payment up to three times — reducing the financed mortgage amount and eliminating the need for private mortgage insurance. With a 10% buyer down payment, EquiFi can provide up to 20% additional co-investment (totaling 30%), with no monthly payment and no interest on the co-investment.
• Equity Access EFI Equity Access EFI allows existing homeowners to access their home equity without taking on debt. Eligible homeowners can receive a lump sum or ongoing payments in exchange for sharing a portion of future home value appreciation, with no monthly payments and no interest charges; EquiFi's share is a percentage of net home equity at termination.
• HERO Program (Home Equity Relief Option) The HERO Program is a COVID-19-era home equity relief option offering up to 24 months of income dedicated to paying mortgage, insurance, and property taxes for qualifying homeowners, including the ability to bring forbearance current. It charges no upfront fees to homeowners; upfront costs are paid through EquiFi and the HERO Investment Fund and recouped when the home is sold or the homeowner prepays.

Quantifiable outcome

• Homeowners can receive up to 45% of home value in equity access
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Fred J. MateracoreOthers · 3 October 2018Former Chief Investment Officer at Redwood Trust, joined as EVP and CIO. Brings experience from Goldman Sachs, RBS Greenwich Capital, Donaldson Lufkin Jenrette/Credit Suisse, and LendUS/RPM.
• Walt & CompanycoreOthers · 3 April 2018Award-winning Silicon Valley tech PR and social media agency selected as public relations agency of record. Provides communications strategy, product launch campaigns, media and analyst relations, industry leadership positioning, and partner/customer relations.
• Vistia Group LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2017EquiFi acquired Vistia Group LLC, a competitor in the shared equity sector. Vistia was founded in early 2016 by Steven Coulis after 9 years in hedge fund and capital markets. Coulis transitioned to senior management at EquiFi in New York. The acquisition marked the first transaction in the burgeoning shared appreciation sector.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kiavi (formerly LendingHome): Kiavi is a residential real estate investment platform providing financing to investors and homebuyers. While it focuses more on bridge and rehab lending, its technology-driven approach to residential real estate finance overlaps with EquiFi's broader category.
• Finance of America Reverse: Finance of America Reverse is a major reverse mortgage lender, the incumbent product that EquiFi's Equity Access EFI is explicitly designed to disrupt for retirees seeking to convert home equity to spendable funds without debt or compound interest.
• Figure Technologies: Figure Technologies is a broad fintech incumbent offering HELOCs and home equity products using blockchain-based infrastructure. While primarily a debt-based lender, it competes for the same 'alternative home financing' wallet share and targets similar homeowner and retiree segments.
• American Advisors Group (AAG): AAG is one of the largest reverse mortgage lenders in the U.S. It represents the incumbent debt-based approach that EquiFi's no-interest, no-monthly-payment EFI competes against for the retiree home equity access market.

Direct peers

• EasyKnock: EasyKnock provides sale-leaseback solutions enabling homeowners to sell their home, remain as tenants, and buy back later – an alternative non-debt home equity access approach that competes with EquiFi's Equity Access EFI for the same retiree and liquidity-seeking homeowner segment.
• Splitero: Splitero provides home equity sharing products primarily for California homeowners, paying a lump sum in exchange for a share of the home's future appreciation. It is a regional direct competitor with strong overlap in EquiFi's core California market.
• Hometap: Hometap is the most direct U.S. competitor to EquiFi in shared home equity, offering homeowners a lump sum in exchange for a share of future home value with no monthly payments or interest – a structurally similar Equity Funding Instrument to EquiFi's EFI.
• Truehold: Truehold offers a residential sale-leaseback program that lets homeowners unlock equity without taking on debt, providing cash now and the option to repurchase later. It addresses the same 'access home equity without monthly payments or interest' problem as EquiFi.
• Point (Point Digital Finance): Point provides home equity investment products where homeowners receive cash in exchange for a share of their home's future value. It directly competes with EquiFi's Equity Access EFI on the same target customer (homeowners seeking to unlock equity without debt).
• Unlock: Unlock offers a home equity agreement product that allows homeowners to access wealth in exchange for a share of future appreciation – directly comparable to EquiFi's shared-equity model. While primarily UK-focused, it represents the most analogous product structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/equifi
• Facebookfacebook.com/equifi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/equifi
• Instagraminstagram.com/equifi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EquiFi