Esusu (see Pulse 2.0 profile here) announced it has raised $50 million in Series C financing at a $1.2 billion valuation as it expands its platform for credit building and economic mobility, with a focus on scaling rent reporting and using verified rental data more broadly across financial services. The New York-based fintech said the financing brings its total capital raised to more than $200 million.
The Series C round was led by Westbound Equity Partners, with participation from Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Blue Meridian Partners, and strategic family offices. Esusu said the new capital supports its next phase of growth as rental payment history increasingly becomes part of the financial system’s decision-making, including mortgage underwriting.
Esusu said it is now available in more than 5 million rental units, encompassing 12 million people and $100 billion in annual gross lease volume nationwide. The company said it partners with 65% of the largest real estate owners and operators in the country, citing relationships with firms including Bell Partners, BH Management, Blackstone, Cortland, Invitation Homes, Jonathan Rose Companies, Kayne Anderson, Morgan Properties, Nuveen Real Estate, Pretium, Related Companies, TruAmerica, and WinnCompanies.
The company is positioning itself to benefit from the federal government’s recent decision to include rental data in mortgage underwriting, describing itself as one of the largest verified rental data aggregators in the United States. Esusu said that rental reporting on its platform has helped renters who would otherwise be excluded due to poor credit scores unlock more than $30 billion in mortgages after participating in rent reporting.
Esusu said it will use the Series C proceeds to scale three growth initiatives aimed at making its platform a foundational layer for renters. One initiative is Rent Reporting as a Service, where Esusu plans to expand an embedded rent reporting API that banks, fintechs, and credit unions can integrate directly into their products. Esusu said the API is seeing adoption through partnerships such as Zillow, which it said reaches 228 million monthly active users.
A second initiative is Esusu Pay, a product the company said will allow renters to split monthly rent into two installments aligned with income timing. Esusu said it is applying learnings from its rent relief initiative to address a recurring budgeting challenge for renters while also helping landlords manage collections with more predictability. Esusu said the scale of rent volume flowing through its landlord network positions it to address the operational and consumer experience pain points tied to rent payment timing.
The third focus area is rental data for underwriting. Esusu said the Federal Housing Finance Agency recently formalized the inclusion of rental data in mortgage underwriting, a shift the company said it has advocated for more than a decade. Esusu said it has signed commercial agreements with major score providers and is building toward a broader identity offering. The company said it is combining its rental data with its recent acquisition of Celeri Labs to lay the groundwork for Esusu Identity Services, a suite of AI-powered products designed to become a financial identity layer for housing and beyond.
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“Esusu is fundamentally reshaping how the financial system can work for everyone,” noted Sean Mendy, Partner at Westbound Equity Partners. “Their progress reflects something we see time and again: when people are given the tools to rise, they do. We are proud to support Esusu as they scale this important work.”
Sean Mendy, Partner, Westbound Equity Partners
“Blue Meridian invests in scalable solutions that advance economic thriving and mobility in the United States,” said Kelly Campbell, Managing Director at Blue Meridian Partners. “We are excited to support Esusu as it continues to scale its innovative tools that help renters establish and strengthen their credit scores, empowering millions of individuals and families to achieve lasting economic stability and build assets.”
Kelly Campbell, Managing Director, Blue Meridian Partners
“Esusu was built on a simple principle: economic mobility should be accessible to all,” said Esusu Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel. “This Series C reflects the market’s conviction that rental data is core infrastructure for the financial system. With our partners behind us, we are scaling solutions that serve as the bedrock of the American Dream. Together, we are empowering renters to build credit, unlock capital, and participate fully in the economy.”
Wemimo Abbey And Samir Goel, Co-Founders And Co-CEOs, Esusu
“Zillow and Esusu share a commitment to helping renters build credit and long-term financial stability,” said Michael Sherman, senior vice president, Zillow Rentals. “Esusu’s leadership in rent reporting makes them a natural partner for Zillow, and this collaboration brings us closer to our mission to help more people get home by improving the rental experience and strengthening renters’ path to homeownership.”
Michael Sherman, Senior Vice President, Zillow Rentals
“Esusu has been a tremendous partner for Kayne Anderson over the years, empowering tens of thousands of our renters to pursue their financial aspirations,” shares Amanda Nunnink, Senior Managing Director at Kayne Anderson. “We are thrilled that Esusu continues to innovate with groundbreaking solutions like Pay Over Time, which offers residents flexible and transparent solutions for their biggest monthly expense.”
Amanda Nunnink, Senior Managing Director, Kayne Anderson
“Esusu Pay gives our residents meaningful flexibility by allowing them to split rent into manageable installments. It reduces financial strain and supports real stability. Esusu continues to deliver innovations that genuinely improve residents’ lives, and we’re proud to partner with them,” states Karen Esparza, Senior Vice President, Asset Management, BLDG Partners.
Karen Esparza, Senior Vice President, Asset Management, BLDG Partners
“We have been working with Esusu since 2020 and have seen what their rent reporting platform can do for Related Affordable residents,” said Jeff Brodsky, Vice Chairman of Related Companies. “Esusu has proven that this program can help residents with their financial health by offering the capacity to have on-time rent payments reported at no cost to them.”
Jeff Brodsky, Vice Chairman, Related Companies
