CEO Ofo Ezeugwu is scaling his Buffalo-based company WhoseYourLandlord, and after being recently featured in a docuseries from Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs, a whole lot more people know it.
The founder was featured on Founding in Color, a three-part docuseries that tells the stories of 11 Black and Latino startup founders who are navigating their personal and professional lives while building their businesses. The episode that included Ezeugwu came out mid-February.
“We need to see ourselves, know it’s possible, know that other folks are looking out for you and are willing to partner with you and work with you,” he said. “That part is extremely beautiful.”
WhoseYourLandlord, founded in 2015, is a software platform that seeks to forge meaningful communication, transparency and insights between property owners and residential renters.
The startup has expanded from Ezeugwu and four part-time employees to its current team of 14. The business has raised a total of roughly $3.5 million, including getting a $500,000 43North contest prize in 2019. He plans to start a $15 million Series A raise this fall.
Last year, the startup had about 250 units using its platform and that number has grown to about 25,000. Ezeugwu’s goal is to reach 85,000 units over the next few months and, given the business’ customer pipeline in place, he’s confident they’ll get there.
The robust pipeline has largely been built up through partnerships that boost the startup’s exposure. WhoseYourLandlord works with organizations like the Pennsylvania Apartment Association, the National Multifamily Housing Council and the Institute of Real Estate Management, as well as Berkadia, a firm that offers services to multifamily and commercial property clients.
Scaling a business is a challenge in it of itself, and building a startup like WhoseYourLandlord as a Black founder is a whole other experience.
Black founders made up 1% of the U.S. venture capital funding deals in 2022, according to TechCrunch. About 2% of C-level positions in the real estate industry are held by Black men. Both are statistics that affect startups like WhoseYourLandlord.
“I’m sitting between two industries that have struggled to amplify Black opportunities,” Ezeugwu said. “It’s like an exponential effect.”
But the challenges haven’t kept him down. In his episode, the entrepreneurs focus on scaling. Although it’s exhausting, Ezeugwu said, the confidence you gain through that process, waking up every day with the intention and mindset for growth, is unlike anything else.
And what he’ll always remember from his Founding in Color experience is that almost all, if not all, of the people involved – from storytellers to casting directors to producers – were people of color.
“They wanted to ensure that we’re having the last say on the story and narrative before it goes out into the world,” Ezeugwu said. “It’s kind of like this love story of how folks that aren’t founders view us as founders."
