Techvestor Makes Investing in Airbnbs Instantly Scalable

Not so long ago, investing in anything, let alone real estate, required a lot of research and even guesswork. Not anymore. Techvestor, co-founded by COO Sabrina Guler and CEO Sief Khafagi, is capitalizing on cutting-edge technology to take the uncertainty out of where to invest in short-term rentals, today’s hot asset class. Techvestor is the creator of an institutional grade, proprietary rental platform that helps the everyday investor to passively invest in “Airbnbs.” If that doesn’t seem newsworthy in today’s tech-dependent world, then consider this: Techvestor’s platform analyzes over 18MM data points each month, and it can identify what, where, how, when, and if an investment should occur. In less than 2 years, Techvestor has raised over $60MM, has 120+ properties in its portfolio, and underwrites over 100K properties monthly. Passive investments just got a whole lot more interesting for all of us.

The roots of Techvestor

The road to Techvestor redefining how STRs are identified, managed, and invested in began while Guler and Khafagi were finding their own success as independent investors in STRs. 

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 solutions and technology behind Techvestor’s new opportunities for STR 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. “Our pre-launch process has over 1000+ checkpoints organized by amenity, functionality and more.”

“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.”

The future for Techvestor and passive investors interested in real estate

“We believe that interest in short-term rentals will continue to grow,” says Guler. “It’s really a shift in our culture. More people are interested in working anywhere, not just at the office, which means longer stays are becoming increasingly common. Throughout 2023, we plan to capitalize on this and help our clients to discover the exciting potential of passively investing in STRs.”