Ankur Jain (Bilt) on Turning Rent Into Rewards, Raising $250M, and Reinventing the Path to Homeownership

What if paying rent could actually help you own a home someday? That’s exactly the idea Ankur Jain ran with when he launched Bilt Rewards, the first loyalty program that lets renters earn points on rent—and it’s now backed by over 2 million units nationwide, plus Mastercard, Wells Fargo and more. Sammi sits down with Ankur to unpack how he built one of the most disruptive fintech startups in the housing space, why homeownership is getting harder for younger generations, and how Built is changing that. From navigating brutal regulatory red tape to raising $250 million in funding, Ankur shares what it really takes to scale a company that aims to fix real-world problems. He also opens up about his time at Tinder, his immigrant roots, the flaws of traditional venture capital, and his unbelievable wedding at the Great Pyramids of Giza. Here’s what Sammi covers with Ankur: 00:00 Ankur Jain’s Social Currency 02:04 Ankur's Time at Tinder 03:55 How Private Companies Can Solve Public Problems  14:08 COVID-19’s Unexpected Impact on Bilt 18:12 Ankur’s 18 Months in DC Tackling Regulatory Hurdles 22:42 Building a Complex Ecosystem 26:37 The Bilt Model and Connecting Renters with Merchants 31:36 Ankur’s Take on Fundraising 38:14 Surprising Gen Z and Millennial Money Habits 41:55 The Benefits of Working with Friends 44:27 The Future of Living 46:31 Social Currency Corner 47:58 The Wedding of the Century Follow Sammi on Instagram here Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter here Check out Bilt here Peruse Ankur's Wedding Photos here All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options and bonds in a self-directed account are offered by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1890144), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC.  *APY as of 6/30/25, offered by Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Rate subject to change. See terms of IRA Match Program here: public.com/disclosures/ira-match. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices