A fast-growing property tax appeal startup is betting that rising homeownership costs will continue to fuel demand for automated tax relief tools.
Ownwell has raised $50 million in Series B funding, positioning the Austin, Texas-based company to scale its operations and expand into additional states.
The round includes $30 million in equity, led by Alpha Edison and Mercato Partners, and $20 million in debt financing from Western Alliance Bank. The raise brings Ownwell’s total funding to approximately $74 million since its 2020 launch.
Automating a historically opaque process
Ownwell operates in the property tax appeal space, helping homeowners challenge potentially overassessed property valuations by combining data analysis with local tax expertise.
Rather than charging upfront fees, the company operates on a contingency model, typically taking about 25 percent of any tax savings it secures for customers.
Property tax bills are a growing concern for many homeowners, but complex, localized appeal processes mean relatively few homeowners take formal action.
Ownwell aims to reduce this friction by automating parts of the analytics and filing process and managing documentation and filings on behalf of clients.
“Investment firms and big real estate companies have lawyers and experts who know the ins and outs of local policies to earn large savings,” Colton Pace, CEO and founder of Ownwell, said in a statement. “We’re bringing that same expertise to the average homeowner, with the click of a button.”
The company reports having processed more than 1 million appeals and delivering average annual savings of $774 per customer. The company offers its primary product, the property tax appeal service, as well as tax bill management, mortgage, home insurance, energy savings and bill reductions.
Expansion beyond core states
Ownwell currently offers full-service appeal representation in seven core states — California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Texas and Washington — where it manages property tax appeals end-to-end.
With the new capital, the company plans to expand both geographically into additional states and through a “National Appeals Packet” product, an AI-powered tool that generates ready-to-file appeal documentation, instructions and supporting data for homeowners in jurisdictions where it does not yet operate directly.
The broader strategy reflects a growing wave of mortgage-adjacent fintech startups targeting ongoing homeownership costs. This includes tools for property taxes, insurance optimization and other recurring expenses, rather than one-off transaction revenue models.
Finding growth in housing’s structural inefficiencies
After a peak funding year in 2021, venture investment in proptech has become more disciplined and selective, with deal counts and overall early-stage activity lower than during the peak funding era.
However, investors continue to back startups that deliver tangible, recurring value, particularly those focused on homeowner cost savings and cost-optimization tools.
Companies like Ownwell, which tackle rising property tax bills and generate repeat annual engagement through tax appeal services, reflect an investor interest in tools that reduce friction and deliver measurable savings for consumers.
“We look for companies that don’t just participate in markets, but redefine them,” said Ryan Sanders, managing director at Mercato Partners. “Ownwell has turned a notoriously opaque, manual, labor-intensive process into a high-growth digital platform. By leveraging AI to solve a universal pain point for homeowners, they are scaling a category-defining business that we are proud to back.”
