Esusu Raises $50M at $1.2B Valuation to Boost Credit Access Through Rental History

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Published by Stephen Oluwadara at December 15, 2025

How Esusu Became The Market Leader in Economic Mobility Solutions

Founded in 2018 by Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel, the fintech enables renters to build credit from on-time rent payments. Esusu is accelerating the use of rent as a tool for building credit scores across major national property owners and paving the way for renters to become homeowners.

Over 50 million Americans lack a credit history with the major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. An estimated $1.4 trillion is paid to landlords annually in the U.S., but only 20% of landlords report receiving rent. As a result, millions of reliable renters remain “credit invisible.”

“110 million people in America rent … and less than 10% of that data shows up on their credit score,” said Esusu co-founder and CEO Abbey in an interview on CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” on Thursday. “When people pay rent, we make sure it shows up in their credit score,” he said.

Esusu partners with 65% of the largest commercial real estate owners and property managers in the U.S., as well as with banks. Since launch, the platform has grown to support more than five million rental units nationwide. It has reached about 12 million renters and is processing nearly $100 billion in annual lease volume.

Some of the landlords that use its technology include major players like Bell Partners, BH Management, and Blackstone. Other notable clients are Cortland, Invitation Homes, Jonathan Rose Companies, and more.

How Esusu’s New Funding Will Be Deployed

This new capital brings the startup’s total funding to over $200 million. Esusu will use this fresh funding to scale three major growth initiatives, positioning itself as the foundational financial infrastructure for renters across the U.S.

Rent Reporting as a Service (RaaS): Esusu will scale its embedded rent-reporting API, enabling banks and fintechs to integrate rent reporting directly into their platforms. The API is gaining traction through partnerships with industry leaders like Zillow, which reaches 228 million monthly active users. “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 is also leveraging lessons from its rent relief initiative, Esusu Pay. The product enables renters to split their monthly rent into two installments aligned with their income. With more than $100 billion in annual rent volume flowing through Esusu’s landlords, the company is well-positioned to solve a significant pain point for landlords and renters.

“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.”

The third initiative is rental data for underwriting. The Federal Housing Finance Agency recently formalized the inclusion of rental data in mortgage underwriting. Esusu has advocated for this shift for more than a decade.

As the leading provider of verified rental data, the fintech has signed agreements with major score providers, positioning itself as the foundational data infrastructure supporting this change. Renters on the Esusu platform who would otherwise have been excluded due to poor credit scores can now unlock over $30 billion in mortgages by participating in rent reporting.

Esusu is combining its unique data with its recent acquisition of Celeri Labs. This move is laying the groundwork for Esusu Identity Services, a suite of AI-powered products designed to become the financial identity of the future for housing and beyond.

The Series C reinforces Esusu’s position as the platform for financial access and wealth building. As rental data becomes an industry standard, Esusu Pay creates flexibility for renters, and embedded rent reporting expands access across financial institutions. Esusu is building infrastructure that empowers every renter in America to progress with confidence.

Main Image: Esusu Co-founders, Samir Goel and Wemimo Abbey. Image Source: Esusu