Published on June 11, 2024

This Babson Founder is using Linkedin to disrupt rental markets worldwide

We've all experienced the pain of shelling out thousands of dollars to a broker to find an apartment.

Even though the listings are the public, most of the times you have to pay a broker fee to secure the place.

Combining that with a deposit and first month rent, you could be paying over $10k in your first month for a 1br in a place like Manhattan.

For years, people have gravitated towards private communities like a Facebook group to avoid this. However, most young people don't actively use Facebook anymore.

In 2022, Babson graduate Eric Li ☁️ founded LinkedInHousing, the world’s first free peer to peer rental marketplace for professionals.

LinkedInHousing could become a heavy disruptor to traditional rental services like Zillow who sell your information to brokers.

By requiring member verification, LinkedInHousing increases the transparency of renter and landlord profiles, making it a safer, more trustworthy alternative to Facebook groups.

Even as cities like New York, Paris, and Berlin worldwide continue their clampdown on short-term rentals, renters need not worry.

The NYC group has now over 5k verified members and hundreds of matches have been made to help renters find their home.

What a ingenious way to solve a common pain point for professionals leveraging the biggest professional network.