Habito closes £35m Series C investment round

London, 12 August 2020: Habito, the UK’s leading digital mortgage company, has confirmed £35 million of investment as part of its Series C fundraise, bringing the total amount of investment to more than £63 million since its launch to market in 2016.

This latest round of funding will be used to further accelerate Habito’s rapid growth as it continues to transform the UK’s £1.3tn mortgage market with its proprietary sourcing technology, innovative mortgage products and groundbreaking homebuying services.

The overall investment round (comprising a Series C equity raise and Series C extension in the form of a convertible loan note) was led by international venture capital firms and new investors in Habito, Augmentum Fintech, SBI Group and mojo.capital, with participation from various existing investors including Ribbit Capital, Atomico and Mosaic Ventures.

As part of the Series C extension, Habito will also join the growing number of high-growth UK firms who’ve secured investment from the Treasury’s Future Fund, announced by the Chancellor in April 2020.

Daniel Hegarty, CEO and founder of Habito commented,

“At Habito, we’re on a mission to make mortgages easier for anyone who wants to own a home in the UK. For too long, the odds have been stacked against customers who still have to put up with poor service, uncompetitive products and punishing loyalty penalties. The tide is turning on traditional home financing and we’re here to usher in a new future of home financing that combines the very best of human expertise with the efficacy of technology and reduces cost, stress, time and friction for all.”

Habito’s latest round of investment will help the company accelerate its vision to digitise the aspects of home financing and buying which still remain a pain point for so many homeowners, buy-to-let investors and would-be first time buyers across the UK. Habito’s recently launched propositions include Habito Plus, a groundbreaking homebuying service
which brings a buyer’s mortgage application, conveyancing needs and surveys under one roof. Habito Plus has experienced monthly growth of more than 50% since its launch to market in January 2020. This product innovation was followed by the roll-out of Habito’s proprietary broker portal, giving more than 3,000 external brokers exclusive access to
Habito’s own buy-to-let mortgage products and Instant Decision technology capabilities in February 2020. The firm is now looking to bring to market a suite of innovative residential mortgage products for all types of homeowners.

Yoshitaka Kitao, SBI Group CEO said,

“Digital transformation has finally come to the UK mortgage broking and lending industry; and it’s clear Habito is leading the charge. We believe Habito’s underwriting capabilities and customer-focused mortgage product development will continue to make it a driving force of change for the benefit of homeowners across the nation. We’re delighted to play a part in Habito’s bright future.”

Perry Blacher, Partner at Augmentum Fintech, commented:

“We are delighted to have played a leading role in Habito’s series C investment round. It builds on our thesis around digitisation of the largest categories of European financial services. We are excited by what Daniel and the team are doing to reinvent the homebuying process”.

Habito recently celebrated its fourth anniversary since taking the mortgage market by storm in 2016. In the last four years, the firm has become the UK’s best-known digital mortgage broker and was voted Best Mortgage Broker in the British Bank Awards 2020. It has helped more than 330,000 people in the UK access free, whole-of-market mortgage advice and, as
a lender, has brought to market highly innovative mortgage products designed and built around customers’ needs.

Habito has also recently become a B Corp certified company meaning it has made a legal commitment to put people and planet on the same level as profit. It joins a global community of forward-looking companies including Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, WeTransfer and more than 3,000 others around the world that use the power of business to solve social and environmental challenges and make the world a better place.

Royal Parks Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Habito and its shareholders for the deal.

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For media enquiries relating to Habito, please contact Isabel Wood and Naomi Lane at [email protected].

About Habito

Habito’s mission is to make mortgages easier and to transform the UK’s £1.3tn mortgage market by taking the stress, unnecessary paperwork and arduous and confusing process out of financing a home.

Since launching in April 2016, Habito has:

• Helped more than 330,000 people better understand their mortgage needs
• Submitted more than £4.5 billion worth of mortgages
• Launched its own range of buy-to-let mortgages in July 2019 available through its brokerage, and via external broker partners Connect, Impact and Dynamo for Intermediaries
• Launched Habito Plus a groundbreaking homebuying service which brings a buyer’s mortgage application, conveyancing needs and survey under one roof on January 2020
• Built an award-winning service – British Bank Awards 2020 – Best Mortgage Broker; MoneyNet Awards – Best Online Mortgage Broker 2019 & 2020
• Created a service customers love: 5* rating on Trustpilot, from more than 4,700 reviews
• Achieved B Corp certified status and taken its place among a global movement of companies using business as a force for good and puts social and environmental responsibility over and above making a profit
• Raised more than £63 million in equity from some of the biggest names in Venture Capital – Augmentum Fintech, Atomico, Mosaic Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Regah Ventures, SBI Group and mojo.capital
• In August 2020, Habito secured investment from the UK Government’s Future Fund scheme