[NEWS] Unmortgage, the ‘part own, part rental’ housing startup, loses founder and CEO – Loganspace

Unmortgage founder and CEO Rayhan Rafiq-Omar (centre) has departed the companny

Unmortgage, the London-primarily primarily based startupthat wants to let other folks buy as little as five percent of a home and lease the remaining, has lost its founder and CEO, TechCrunch has discovered.

Per a regulatory filing on Companies Dwelling, Unmortgage’s Rayhan Rafiq-Omar used to be terminated as a Director on 4th of May possibly possibly also just, and has been changed on the board by Unmortgage co-founder and product lead Josef Wasinski.

Nonetheless, sources negate me the board room reshuffle is the tip consequence of Rafiq-Omar leaving the startup solely, which is sure to reach as a shock to London’s fintech and property tech community. It’s no longer sure why he has departed, though one provide tells me it wasn’t of his devour volition.

Rafiq-Omar is named on Companies Dwelling as a person of “well-known decide watch over” of Unmortage, with a share possession of upper than 25% but no longer higher than 50%, and voting rights of upper than 25% but no longer higher than 50%. He used to be also the motive pressure within the support of Unmortgage and in conversations I’ve had with the departing CEO over the closing few years, I consistently got the impression he used to be no longer ideal sure to aid repair the housing market but also desired to assemble a alternate for the very long time interval.

The firm regarded to be off to a lawful commence up, too, having raised a hefty £10 million seed spherical to funds its operations. Backing the spherical used to be fintech challenge capital companies Anthemis Exponential Ventures (which lost its devour CEO closing 365 days amid accusations of detrimental behaviour), and Augmentum Fintech plc. Separately, Unmortgage had managed to court institutional investment to fund the acquisition of property, which used to be on the coronary heart of itsmortgage different mannequin. In diversified phrases, there in all fairness loads of cash at stake.

Declining to chat about the divulge causes for his departure, Rafiq-Omar gave TechCrunch the next observation:

“Unmortgage is a true zero to one story – an innovation that inspired many to affix me on a hasten to restore hope in homeownership. I’m immensely proud to devour created one thing from nothing over the closing four years. Nonetheless it surely’s the no longer easy instances that genuinely clarify us. And these spherical us.

So if there’s one part I’d admire you to cite me on, must you produce write this story, it’s my deepest attributable to my family and chums all the arrangement thru this deepest and skilled popularity-support. My of us and my wife Sofi devour genuinely stepped as much as support me emotionally. And a diversified thanks could possibly possibly well moreover aloof also plug to [Rentify’s] George Spencer, James Micklethwait and my partners at Allianz Global Merchants: Adrian Jones and Irshaad Ahmed. Their friendship at the present has been crucial to me.”

I’ve reached out to each Anthemis and Augmentum Fintech and could possibly possibly well moreover substitute this post if and after I hear support.

Meanwhile, an Unmortgage spokesperson equipped the next observation:

“As Unmortgage enters the next stage of its growth technique, it has bolstered and restructured its senior group to contemplate the needs of the alternate.

“Hugh Boyle has been appointed as CEO and could possibly possibly well moreover be main Unmortgage day-to-day as it presents a brand original route to homeownership for the thousands and thousands of other folks who are presently locked out of the market. Hugh is the Outdated International Division CFO and CEO of MBIA UK Insurance, subsidiary of MBIA Inc. He’ll be supported by Nigel Purves, COO, Conrad Holmboe, CIO and Co-founder Josef Wasinski.

“Having founded the alternate alongside Josef and Nigel, we sit down up for Ray taking half in a pivotal advisory role as Unmortgage continues its hasten to aid aspiring house owners via our modern leisurely homeownership product.”