Rooted
Rooted is a nonprofit-backed, mobile-friendly SaaS platform that helps HUD-approved housing counseling agencies onboard, coach, and prepare individual clients for mortgage readiness, using per-seat subscription pricing and a B2B2C partner-led go-to-market model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Rooted does
Rooted is a mobile mortgage readiness platform operated as a product of Project Own, a 501c3 nonprofit. It serves HUD-approved housing counseling agencies by providing a web-based client management workspace that automates intake, document collection, credit reporting, e-signature, and HUD Form 9902 compliance reporting. The platform also extends to the end consumer: individual homebuyers are onboarded through partner agencies and receive one-on-one human coaching focused on credit score improvement, savings accumulation, and homeownership preparation.
The product is delivered as a single web application (app.rootedapp.org) with a mobile-friendly interface. Core components include seamless step-by-step client intake, soft-pull tri-merge credit reports, unlimited e-signature workflows, bank linking with categorized spending analysis, smart document collection via SMS, automated texting and reminders, and instant sync of HUD Form 9902-ready files to agency CMS systems. Rooted explicitly positions itself around human coaching rather than AI, and the platform is purpose-built for the regulatory and workflow needs of HUD-approved counseling rather than as a generic CRM.
Rooted monetizes via per-seat SaaS subscriptions to housing counseling agencies across three tiers: Starter ($149/month for 1-5 licenses), Growth ($249/month for 6-10 licenses), and Enterprise (custom pricing for 11+ licenses with white-glove onboarding). All plans include unlimited clients, full feature access, and a 3-month free trial. Go-to-market is primarily partner-led B2B2C, with agencies referring their clients onto the platform, supplemented by direct self-serve web signup and an inside-sales motion for enterprise accounts. Disclosed funding to date is limited to a $100,000 grant from the CTIA Wireless Foundation in September 2025.
Rooted firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rooted
- Legal name
- Project Own
- Website
- https://rootedapp.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Rooted is a nonprofit-backed, mobile-friendly SaaS platform that helps HUD-approved housing counseling agencies onboard, coach, and prepare individual clients for mortgage readiness, using per-seat subscription pricing and a B2B2C partner-led go-to-market model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rooted industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mortgage Readiness Software
- NAICS
- Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310)
- SIC
- Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mortgage Point-of-Sale (POS) & Borrower Intake Portals (FSALALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Purchase Mortgage Origination (Homebuyer Focused) (FSALAAAD)
Keywords
Rooted business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- SaaS Platform Subscription: Subscription-based SaaS model with per-seat pricing. Housing counseling agencies pay monthly or annual fees based on number of counselor licenses. Includes unlimited clients per plan. 3-month free trial with no penalty cancellation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Starter: 1-5 licenses at $149/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Growth: 6-10 licenses at $249/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Enterprise: 11+ licenses with custom pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Rooted product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rooted is a web-based mortgage readiness platform that enables HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to onboard, coach, and prepare prospective homebuyers for mortgage approval. The platform consolidates mobile-friendly client intake, tri-merge credit reporting, e-signatures, bank linking with spending analysis, smart document collection, automated texting, and HUD Form 9902 reporting sync into a single application sold on a per-seat subscription basis.
Product overview
Rooted is a unified mortgage readiness platform delivered as a single web application. The core Rooted App product provides housing counselors and their clients with a comprehensive toolkit that includes mobile-friendly client onboarding (Seamless Intake), soft-pull tri-merge credit reports, unlimited e-signature capabilities, bank account linking for spending analysis, smart document collection via text, and automated texting/reminder functionality. The platform also includes built-in HUD 9902 reporting sync for housing counseling agencies. Pricing is structured in three tiers (Starter, Growth, Enterprise) based on the number of counselor licenses, with unlimited clients supported across all plans.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rooted App Web-based mortgage readiness platform sold to HUD-approved housing counseling agencies on a per-seat subscription basis. Provides mobile-friendly client intake, soft-pull tri-merge credit reports, unlimited e-signatures, bank linking with spending analysis, smart document collection via SMS, automated texting and reminders, and HUD Form 9902-ready file sync. Designed for housing counselor teams and the prospective homebuyers they serve.
Quantifiable outcome
- Housing counseling agencies save 13+ hours per week on file prep, follow-up, data entry, and reporting
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Rooted
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rooted technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Rooted partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and reference customer.
- Project OwncoreProject Own is the parent 501c3 nonprofit organization that created Rooted. Rooted is a product of Project Own, aligning the platform with a nonprofit mission focused on housing and homeownership.
- NHS Baltimorereference customerNHS Baltimore (Neighborhood Housing Services) is a housing counseling agency using Rooted. Their intake specialist, Hunter Seefried, provided a testimonial about saving time and achieving higher conversion rates.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Rooted competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Blend: Blend is a digital mortgage platform offering POS, LOS, and borrower verification tools to lenders. It overlaps with Rooted's borrower intake portal functionality but serves lenders directly rather than housing counseling agencies.
- Rocket Mortgage: Rocket Mortgage is the largest US mortgage lender with a fully digital origination platform. It serves the same end-customer (prospective homebuyers) but competes at the origination stage rather than the readiness/coaching stage Rooted addresses.
- Maxwell: Maxwell provides a mortgage POS and digital lending platform to lenders and loan originators. It competes in the same mortgage-tech stack where Rooted's intake and document collection features sit, but targets lenders rather than counseling intermediaries.
- Better.com: Better.com is a digital mortgage lender offering an end-to-end online home loan experience. It is comparable to Rooted in addressing first-time homebuyers' mortgage journey, but operates as a direct lender rather than a readiness/coaching platform.
- Figure: Figure is a mortgage fintech using blockchain-enabled processes for home equity and refinance products. It is a broad incumbent in mortgage technology, overlapping with Rooted's tech-driven approach to consumer mortgage workflows.
Direct peers
- Down Payment Resource: Down Payment Resource provides a database and matching platform for down payment assistance programs for homebuyers. It addresses the same affordability/mortgage-readiness challenge as Rooted, with overlapping customer use cases for prospective first-time buyers.
- Neighborly Software (HomeKeeper): HomeKeeper by Neighborly Software is case management software built specifically for HUD-approved housing counseling agencies — the most direct competitor to Rooted in the same niche, with overlapping 9902 reporting and client management workflows.
Emerging players
- Credit Karma: Credit Karma is a consumer credit monitoring and financial readiness platform. It addresses some of the same credit-score and savings-building pain points as Rooted's consumer-facing tools, though it operates at much larger scale as a free ad-supported service.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Rooted financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rooted leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Rooted funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rooted 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 Rooted
What does Rooted do?
Rooted is a web-based mortgage readiness platform that enables HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to onboard, coach, and prepare prospective homebuyers for mortgage approval. The platform consolidates mobile-friendly client intake, tri-merge credit reporting, e-signatures, bank linking with spending analysis, smart document collection, automated texting, and HUD Form 9902 reporting sync into a single application sold on a per-seat subscription basis.
Is Rooted a public or private company?
Rooted is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Rooted founded?
Rooted was founded in -1.
How does Rooted make money?
One revenue line is on record: saaS Platform Subscription.
Who are Rooted's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Blend, Rocket Mortgage, Maxwell, Better.com and Figure. Direct peers are Down Payment Resource and Neighborly Software (HomeKeeper). Credit Karma is listed as an emerging player.
Does Rooted have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rooted.
What industry is Rooted in?
Rooted's product category is Mortgage Readiness Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSALALAD, Mortgage Point-of-Sale (POS) & Borrower Intake Portals, with a secondary code of FSALAAAD, Purchase Mortgage Origination (Homebuyer Focused). Its NAICS code is 522310 and its SIC code is 6163.