ImpactAlpha, December 10 – Portland, Ore.-based housing startup OneApp was launched by Tyrone Poole after being homeless and experiencing a difficult and costly search for housing. The startup has raised $2.5 million for its online housing search and application site.
OneApp aims to make it easier for people to find rental housing without having to pay costly fees, which cost as much as $75 per property. The site lists available units from hundreds of property managers in Portland. Prospective renters can search and apply through the site for free. The site will run applicants’ credit and background check, and send back a list of properties for which they meet the requirements.
More than 5,000 families in Portland have used the OneApp site, the Portland Business Journal reports. OneApp earns revenue through premium services, like helping renters address issues that property managers have with their applications, and through a data contract with the city of Portland.
OneApp’s new funding was provided by a number of angel investors. Poole told the Business Journal that accessing institutional capital as a black entrepreneur was challenging.
The capital will be used to help OneApp expand to new markets.
