Published on 17, Feb 2023

Techvestor Announces Second Round of Funding as STR Market Skyrockets

Real estate investment has always been one of the top investment options when it comes to passive income - but the single family real estate market isn’t an easy one to scale. However, when it comes to short term rentals (STRs), the market is healthier than ever for one institutional operator.

Techvestor is the first data driven short term rental fund for accredited investors. It provides an easy way to passively invest in this new asset class. Co-founded by COO Sabrina Guler and CEO Sief Khafagi, Techvestor provides passive investment in short-term rentals, aka Airbnbs, and pioneers this asset class through an institutional grade proprietary rental platform. This allows savvy investors the opportunity to skip all the legwork - finding, renovating, and operating properties - and go straight to passive income.

“Our platform has the ability to analyze over 18 million data points every month,” says Guler. “Our team and our platform can identify prime investment properties. We’ve raised over $37 million and have the capability to underwrite over 100,000 properties monthly since the company’s inception, and we have over 75+ properties in our current portfolio.” She adds that Techvestor does it all, end to end. 

Techvestor’s Novel Concept

Guler was investing in short-term rentals for her own personal portfolio while working as an Engineering Project Manager at Apple. While she experienced success with Apple - growing the AirPods product line into a multi-billion-dollar revenue stream - her “hobby” in real estate was growing more and more lucrative. She was individually investing in single family homes and turning them into Airbnb rental properties. The process from identifying a property to designing the home, furnishing the space, and then generating revenue was lucrative but extremely complicated and overwhelming.

The team today, which comes from the likes of Apple, Facebook, Vacasa and Dr. Horton, have created proprietary technology based on their combined experience. They have been investing in real estate since 2009, doing everything from private lending and flipping to long-term hold. “We built a better mousetrap,” says Khafagi. “One that was simple, passive, and partnership driven with aligned incentives from day one. Cash flow from day one. Transparency from day one. And a focus on a great experience for investors being the ultimate goal.”

Techvestor is focused on helping others accomplish what Guler and Khafagi have: break free from their 9-5, create generational wealth, experience financial freedom, and make lasting memories in what they think is the next great asset class. 

Using Algorithms AND Humans for the Perfect Mix

Guler says that the key to Techvestor’s success lies in two factors: its people and its software platform. 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 are identified, managed, and can profitably exit. “Do the things that others don’t, to scale,” says Khafagi.

“We got really specific and designed a 16-point strategy for analyzing the potential of both a property and its location,” Khafagi states. “We think about 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.”

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.”

Techvestor Grows with the Market

Techvestor has the capability to help investors snag parts of prime, cash flowing properties all over the world. Imagine owning a villa in Italy or a cottage in Wales, or a cabin in the woods, collecting passive revenue from starry-eyed tourists and having the ability to personally utilize the ever-growing portfolio of Techvestor properties.

Techvestor has successfully exited properties 8 times profitably and drives 52% more revenue than its competitors across its portfolio as well as a 38% higher occupancy rate for its properties. “We’re poised to become one  the largest institutional STR operators in the world,” Khafagi shares. “We see reaching a $1 billion aggregate fund with over 1,500 properties for passive investors. This is such an exciting time for short-term rentals, and we’re growing along with the market.”

Starting at just $25,000, investors can take advantage of instant diversification and start utilizing Techvestor’s properties for once-in-a-lifetime personal vacations. “Success is not purely driven by the end result,” says Guler. “It’s driven by the how, the creativity, the resiliency, and the effort it took to get there. We’re writing a great story.”