Last June, U.K.-based mortgage broker Habito made an unusual move: It hired a new CEO who simultaneously became the startup’s biggest shareholder. Ying Tan, an entrepreneur who previously led mortgage advice startup Dynamo, invested his own money in Habito as he took the reins. At the time, 7-year-old Habito was struggling to turn a profit despite its focus on frustrated and overwhelmed first-time homebuyers—a population that is growing in the U.K., as in the United States. Habito offers them advice and online mortgage applications for free; users can also step up to Habito Plus, which includes appraisal and legal fees, starting at £2,000 (approximately $2,500). By September 2023, Habito had turned its first profit. In November, the company announced a new product, developed in partnership with AI startup Propflo, that helps homebuyers make their properties more energy efficient.
Explore the full 2024 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 606 organizations that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the firms making the biggest impact across 58 categories, including advertising, artificial intelligence, design, sustainability, and more.
Login to add comment
Other posts in this group
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Biden administration regulation on the nearly impossible-to-trace weapons called
Before the advent of GPS, especially at sea, navigation meant finding your position by looking up at the stars. Today, when the Global Positioning System isn’t working—or gets jammed by elec
China protested Wednesday after the U.S. added dozens of companies to its
After artificial intelligence made waves in content creation
A recent group chat between high-ranking Trump officials may not exactly have b
People with a healthy limit on their screen time probably haven’t noticed—but there’s been a meme shortage this March. On TikTok, some have declared a full-blown “Meme Drought,” dubbin
