Mission-Aligned Startups Partner to Help Renters Build Credit towards Ownership

Nestment and Esusu partner to offer free homebuying support, closing cost credits, positive rent reporting and personalized guidance to help renters become homeowners. 

SAN FRANCISCO, May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Buying a home is one of the most powerful ways to build long-term wealth, but it feels just out of reach for too many renters -- especially those building credit scores that match American mortgage lenders' expectations. That's why Nestment and Esusu are teaming up to help renters become homeowners through personalized support, trusted real estate connections, positive rent reporting, and even a financial incentive.

Esusu users looking to move from renting to ownership now have free access to Nestment—a real estate platform built to help first-time buyers navigate the homebuying process with confidence. Nestment combines personalized support with tech-powered tools to make homeownership more accessible, offering features like a dedicated homebuying planner, trusted agent and lender referrals, and up to $500 toward closing costs. With a focus on education and equity, Nestment is reimagining how the next generation builds wealth through real estate.

Nestment users looking to build their credit before buying a home will also benefit from positive rent reporting from Esusu. Users will have access to myEsusu, a credit-building membership that reports positive rent payments to all three major credit bureaus, transforming monthly rental costs into a pathway for increased mortgage eligibility. On average, Esusu users see a positive credit score increase of 45 points, providing them access to better quality financial products and lower interest rates.

"Nestment was built to meet first-time buyers where they are—with guidance, strategy, and access to the right programs," said Niles Lichtenstein, CEO and co-founder of Nestment. "We're excited to partner with Esusu to make the path to homeownership more achievable for renters working toward their financial goals."

"Too many people are locked out of the U.S. financial system, especially when it comes to the benefits of homeownership," noted Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel, co-CEOs of Esusu. "This partnership helps us achieve our mission to dismantle barriers to housing for working families. Together we can bring more people the support they need to navigate their journey to buying a home."

With Nestment, what starts with a simple conversation often ends with keys in hand.

"For a long time, owning a home felt like a distant goal," said Timi A., a Nestment user who purchased a condo in Washington, D.C. "Now I was like… wait, I could actually do this."

Nestment helped Timi discover she didn't need to co-buy with her sisters to achieve her dreams—she could afford to buy a place on her own. Now, she's a proud solo homeowner with plans to co-purchase another property with her family in the future.

Similarly, Dan L., a Los Angeles-based buyer, used Nestment to map out a strategy that let him buy a 4-bedroom home with an ADU. He lives in the ADU and rents out the main house to help offset his mortgage.

"Don't wait until everything's perfect," said Dan. "Nestment connected me to the right people and gave me the confidence to move forward—even when I wasn't sure how it would all work."

Together, Nestment and Esusu are working to reshape the traditional homebuying system, especially for first-generation Americans and those from underserved communities who have been left out or pushed behind by low or lacking credit.

Learn more and get started at nestment.com.

About Esusu
Esusu is the leading financial technology platform that leverages data solutions to empower residents and improve property performance. Esusu's rent reporting platform captures on-time rental payment data and reports it to credit bureaus to boost credit scores. This allows renters to build and establish their credit scores while helping property owners mitigate against initiating evictions, powered by differentiated data and insights. Founded in 2018, Esusu reaches over 5 million rental units across all 50 states in the United States. Learn more at www.esusu.com and follow us on Instagram @myesusu and on X @getesusu.

About Nestment
Nestment is a real estate platform helping the next generation of Americans achieve homeownership through accessible, creative pathways and wealth-building strategies. Their platform and dedicated one-on-one guidance make it easy for first-time buyers to purchase real estate, and a thoughtful partner ecosystem augmented by extensive educational resources supports them along the way. Nestment was founded in 2021 by Niles Lichtenstein, Mark DeMitchell and Rob Zimmerman. Nestment is backed by leading venture investors, including Protofund, Derive Ventures, The MBA Fund, and mission-aligned funds such as Vamos Ventures, Westbound Equity, and IDEA Fund Partners. Read more about how Nestment is revolutionizing the future of homeownership at https://www.nestment.com/.

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SOURCE Nestment