Occupi: 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Occupi is an innovative fintech company that provides an alternative payments platform and tenant screening solutions primarily aimed at the affordable and student housing sectors. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Occupi aggregates popular digital payment services such as Cash App, Venmo, Chime, and others into a single, easy-to-use platform that facilitates fast and seamless rent collection for tenants while ensuring rental payments post directly to landlords’ or property managers’ general ledgers. Additionally, it offers AI-driven tenant screening supporting international residents without Social Security numbers by using ITINs. By addressing unmet needs in rental payments and leasing processes, Occupi is gaining traction as a tool improving financial inclusion, operational efficiency, and transparency in property management. Below are ten key aspects that illuminate various interesting and important facets of Occupi and related developments.

1. Founding and Background

Occupi was founded by technology entrepreneurs Taylor Peake and Emily Hart, who recognized challenges in conventional rent collection, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Delays in physical mail, cumbersome manual processes, and lack of payment options for underbanked or cash-based tenants inspired them to create a platform that meets renters and landlords in the modern financial ecosystem. Since launching operations in 2022, Occupi has evolved from serving small personal rental portfolios to partnering with property managers across multiple U.S. states.

2. Payment Optionality with Popular Fintech Apps

The core value proposition of Occupi lies in offering tenants the ability to pay rent using their preferred digital wallets and fintech payment apps—not restricted to traditional bank transfers or checks. With more than 20 payment methods including Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, Chime, SoFi, and prepaid cards integrated, tenants can pay rent quickly and securely. Occupi then automatically posts these payments into landlords’ general ledgers in software such as Rent Manager, Yardi, or QuickBooks, simplifying reconciliation and eliminating manual data entry.

3. AI-Powered Tenant Screening

Beyond payment facilitation, Occupi integrates an AI-driven tenant screening system that expedites rental application processing. This includes comprehensive background checks and credit reports for prospective tenants. Importantly, the screening supports individuals on visas with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs), removing barriers for international renters often excluded by traditional screening requirements relying solely on Social Security Numbers.

4. Focus on Affordable and Student Housing Markets

Occupi targets affordable housing communities, multi-family housing, student housing, manufactured homes, single-family rentals, and HOAs. These markets disproportionately include residents with alternative financial service usage and limited credit history, making Occupi’s payment aggregation and screening particularly relevant for improving financial accessibility and collection reliability.

5. Seamless Integration with Property Management Systems

Occupi’s technology integrates with top property management platforms like Rent Manager, Yardi, and QuickBooks, ensuring that rent payments made via diverse digital methods map directly into accounting ledgers. This seamless integration addresses a common pain point for landlords and property managers who otherwise must manually track multiple payment sources, reducing errors and administrative burden.

6. Commitment to Financial Inclusion and Equity

By embracing payment methods widely used by unbanked or underbanked households—including many Black and Hispanic families—Occupi advances financial inclusion. The platform’s mission aligns with impact investors such as Halcyon Venture Partners and Sorenson Impact Foundation, supporting equitable access to housing through technology-enabled solutions.

7. Significant Seed Funding and Growth Prospects

As of mid-2025, Occupi closed a $3.1 million seed funding round led by Fenway Summer and Assurant Ventures, with contributions from other strategic investors nationwide. This capital injection aims to accelerate technology development, talent acquisition, and market expansion, positioning Occupi for broader adoption across diverse rental housing markets.

8. Leadership Team and Talent

The founding team includes Emily Hart as COO and Head of Product and Taylor Peake as CEO, supported by engineers, legal counsel, and real estate professionals. Their combined expertise in fintech, property management, and software development underpins Occupi’s capabilities in delivering a secure, user-friendly, and scalable platform.

9. Occupi’s Market Adoption and Community Engagement

Initially piloted through Peake’s own rental properties, Occupi continuously refines its platform based on user feedback. The company actively participates in multi-family housing conferences and collaborates with industry leaders to tailor solutions addressing on-the-ground challenges in tenant payments and screening. Its membership in the American Fintech Council reflects its commitment to advancing responsible financial innovation.

10. Related Clinical Trials and Industry Developments - EPIC-CAD Trial

In parallel healthcare innovation, the EPIC-CAD trial is a high-profile clinical study evaluating edoxaban monotherapy versus dual antithrombotic therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation and stable coronary artery disease. While unrelated to Occupi’s core fintech business, EPIC-CAD represents the type of rigorous investigation advancing therapeutic standards. Occupi’s involvement in fintech ecosystems parallels how such trials influence clinical practice guidelines, underscoring the importance of evidence-based progress in specialized domains.

Conclusion

Occupi exemplifies the transformative potential of fintech tailored to the needs of renters and property managers, particularly in the affordable and student housing sectors. By offering multiple digital payment options in one platform, leveraging AI for inclusive tenant screening, and integrating seamlessly with property management systems, Occupi addresses critical inefficiencies that affect millions of renters and landlords. Backed by significant seed funding and a mission of financial inclusion and equity, Occupi stands poised for growth as a pivotal player in modernizing rental housing transactions. The convergence of fintech innovation with social impact challenges invites ongoing exploration of how technology can make housing more accessible and manageable in an evolving economic landscape.