Ralo announced it has raised $2.9 million in seed funding to build an AI-native mortgage brokerage platform that helps homebuyers find lower rates and move through the loan process online.
Buying a home is often one of the largest financial decisions consumers make, but the mortgage process remains slow, opaque, and heavily reliant on manual work. Borrowers are often required to compare lenders themselves, complete repetitive paperwork, and wait weeks for loans to close.
Founded by former Google employees Arjun Lalwani and Helly Shah, Ralo is developing what it describes as the first AI-native mortgage broker. After becoming licensed loan officers themselves, the founders built an AI loan officer designed to help borrowers compare rates, get pre-approved, and navigate the mortgage process from application through closing.
As a licensed mortgage broker, Ralo connects directly with lenders and uses AI to compare loan options and identify the lowest available rates based on a borrower’s situation. The company said customers are receiving rates that are, on average, 0.6 percentage points below the national benchmark, with some borrowers seeing savings of a full percentage point.
Ralo said its loans currently close in 15 to 17 days, which is roughly half the industry’s typical timeline. The company closed its first loans in March and is currently licensed in California, Colorado, and Texas.
The new funding will support Ralo’s plans to expand its product, grow its lender network, and launch in additional states. The company is focused on making the mortgage process faster, more transparent, and more accessible for homebuyers.
