Nestment

Nestment helps aspiring homeowners hack the housing system.

Right now, buying a home — especially for first-time buyers — is a challenge. Increasing home prices and stagnant wages have created a housing market that feels hopeless. Yet the majority of Americans still dream of owning a home. In fact, seventy-five percent view homeownership as more important than marriage, kids, or even a career.

As of November 2024, the percentage of first-time homeowners hit a record low of twenty-four percent of all homes (down from thirty-six percent). As reported by CNBC, the average age of a homebuyer was fifty-six.

Affordability remains the biggest obstacle to homeownership. And as a result, more and more prospective buyers are turning to a strategy known as “house hacking.”

House hacking means finding ways to generate income from your home, thus making homeownership more affordable. For example, you could buy a multi-family property, rent out a room in your home, convert spaces into extra bedrooms, or market your home into a short-term rental like an Airbnb.

This is a practical solution. However, outside of forums and small, private investing clubs, there aren’t consumer tools to access house-hacking opportunities. Nestment aims to change that fact.

In a nutshell, Nestment connects users with one of its buying planners. Once goals are established, Nestment identifies market listings and assembled an agent and lender. Finally, an offer is made and the buyer can close on the deal.

Nestment isn’t an agent or a lender. It’s akin to a wedding planner, but for buying a home. The company is in the buyer’s corner to help navigate the complicated world of lending, taxes, legal, and financial analysis.

Nestment is free for buyers. The company makes money through commissions from partners like agents and lenders.

In its first year, Nestment facilitated $100 million in home transactions. And that figure is growing thirty percent month-over-month. Last September, Nestment recorded its first profitable month (six months ahead of schedule).

Nestment has been accepted into multiple startup accelerators. And notably, the company’s list of professional investors includes Vamos Ventures, Moderne Ventures, Idea Fund Partners, and Derive Ventures. Prominent angel investors include those from New York Angels and Airbnb.

Team Background

Niles Lichtenstein - Co-Founder & CEO

Niles is a three-time startup founder who has completed a successful exit.

In addition to his role with Nestment, he is a co-founder of Enwoven, a software-development company. He’s also a mentor with Techstars, a prominent startup accelerator.

Previously, he was Vice President of Velti, an IT-services company. Before that, he was a strategy consultant with Monitor Deloitte, a business-consulting company.

Niles began his career as an analyst with Deutsche Bank, a financial-services business. He studied at Harvard University.

Jonathan Chu - Chief Product Officer

In addition to his role with Nestment, Jonathan co-founded Protofund, an early-stage venture fund.

Previously, he co-founded Zoomie, a software-development company. Before that, he was Head of Product with Blockfolio, a crypto-focused financial-services company that was later acquired by FTX.

Earlier in his career, Jonathan was Director of Product with Flipagram, a social-media platform eventually acquired by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Before that, he was a product manager with Google.

He began his career as a manager with Accenture, a professional-services firm. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering and an MBA from UCLA.

Mark DeMitchell - Co-Founder & COO

Prior to Nestment, Mark was Marketing Director with Personas, a software-development company. Before that, he held the same position with Enwoven, another software-development company.

Earlier in his career, he was a data strategist with TBWA, an advertising company. Prior to that, he was a senior-marketing strategist with VMA Communications.

Mark earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara.

Co-Investors

New York Angels

A group of angel investors providing seed capital to early-stage startups.

Moderne Ventures

An early-stage venture fund investing in real-estate technology companies.

Vamos Ventures

A venture-capital firm investing in Latino-led startups.

Derive Ventures

An early-stage venture fund investing in hospitality and real-estate companies.