Published on 17, Feb 2023

Splashing onto the scene, Techvestor is the easiest way to invest in “Airbnbs”

Is the real estate investment boom over for investors? Not necessarily - if you are looking in the right direction. A new market is emerging that may hold significant potential for the everyday investor: short-term rentals. Techvestor, co-founded by COO Sabrina Guler and CEO Sief Khafagi, is pioneering this asset class through its institutional grade, proprietary rental platform that allows busy professionals to passively invest in “Airbnbs.” Through its ability to analyze over 18MM data points each month, Techvestor identifies what, where, how, when, and if an investment should occur. With over 100k properties underwritten every month, over $37MM raised, and 75+ properties in its portfolio, Techvestor serves as an investment platform, property sourcer, interior designer, and asset manager all in one. It’s an incredibly remarkable end-to-end solution. 

The background of Techvestor

Techvestor’s story started when Guler and Khafagi were independently investing in assets like short-term rentals for their own portfolios, all while building their engineering and leadership careers at Apple and Facebook.

Prior to Techvestor, Guler developed her business and technology acumen as an Engineering Project Manager at Apple, where she grew its AirPods product line into a multibillion-dollar revenue stream. Khafagi was scaling teams and infrastructure at Facebook. Both had stayed in poorly operated short-term rentals in their past and noticed the opportunity for the business. 

The strategies and technology behind Techvestor’s new opportunities for real estate investors

Guler says that the key to Techvestor’s success lies in two factors: its people and its infrastructure. The process of acquiring a home, designing and operating it is hard to do at scale, so she sat down with Khafagi and created a plan for how short-term rental properties can scale and do just that. 

“We got really specific and designed a 16-point strategy for analyzing the potential of both a property and its location,” Khafagi states. “We included uniqueness, seasonality, tax benefits, diversification, and STR-friendly states as well as other crucial factors. All in all, we look at millions of data points and 250+ markets monthly.”

“We really started with the end user in mind, our investor community,” he says. “They receive 100% of tax benefits, have zero liability for loans and lending, and enjoy instant diversification with over 75+ properties. During the first five years that we hold a property, they receive quarterly reporting and dividends, and we target an above average cash on cash. After the projected hold period, we look to sell the portfolio. We sell properties based on revenue or value, whichever is higher, resulting in some great equity growth”

Guler adds that Techvestor also offers a little perk for investors: Owner Stays. “If you are an owner, we believe that you should stay like one,” she says. “As an investor, you can stay at any property, at any time, for 10-30% off normal rates. We appreciate our investors and want them to have fun at our properties around the United States.”

The takeaway for passive investors interested in real estate

“Now is an exciting time to be in short-term rentals,” Guler believes. “People want to work from anywhere and have more privacy and longer stays are growing in popularity. That is manifesting in seven and eight figures in commitments and LOIs for Techvestor’s portfolio. We are now focused on 2023 and on helping more individuals to discover passive investments in STRs.”