Can you take us back to the moment that inspired you to start Zown?
Rishard Rameez: The idea for Zown came from my own experience buying my first home at 27 and selling it several months later. I was surprised by how much of the transaction disappeared into commissions and fees, while the process itself still felt fragmented, stressful and opaque.
I shared that frustration in a Reddit post, and it reached more than a million people. The response made me realize this wasn’t just my experience. An entire generation felt that the traditional real estate system wasn’t built for them. Zown started with a simple question: what if we redesigned homebuying from the buyer’s perspective and shared the economics of the transaction with the person actually buying the home?
For someone hearing about Zown for the first time, how would you describe what you do in one sentence?
Rishard Rameez: Zown is a buyer-first real estate platform that combines salaried real estate agents, mortgage and closing support, and AI-powered tools – and gives homebuyers up to $25,000 from our commission through our Down Payment Boost.
Zown’s Down Payment Boost Program was named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025. What did that recognition mean to you and the team?
Rishard Rameez: Being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 was incredibly meaningful because it validated the belief that a different real estate model could have a real impact on housing affordability.
Our Down Payment Boost takes a portion of the commission Zown earns from the seller and gives it back to the buyer – up to $25,000. It isn’t a loan, there is no repayment and Zown doesn’t take any equity in the home. For many first-time homebuyers, that money can help with the down payment, closing costs or the expenses that come immediately after buying a home.
For our team, the recognition was a reminder that innovation doesn’t always need to mean inventing a completely new financial product. Sometimes it means taking an existing system and making it work more fairly for consumers.
You conducted doctoral research in nanotechnology at the University of Waterloo. How does that engineering mindset shape the way you build a proptech company?
Rishard Rameez: My research focused on nano-optical sensors for measuring temperature inside lithium-ion batteries. It trained me to break complex problems into smaller systems, test assumptions with data and understand that the performance of the whole system depends on how its individual components work together.
That mindset has shaped how we’ve built Zown. Homebuying is not one transaction – it is a series of interconnected steps involving property search, financing, showings, negotiation, legal work and closing. Instead of applying technology to one small part of the journey, we are redesigning the entire homebuying experience as one connected system.
It also means we don’t use AI simply because it is fashionable. We use artificial intelligence where it can genuinely help buyers: understanding their needs, recommending suitable homes, analyzing properties, answering questions and helping our team deliver faster, more personalized support.
What is the biggest barrier stopping Canadians from owning a home today?
Rishard Rameez: Affordability is the obvious answer, but the problem is broader than home prices alone. Many Canadians can afford the monthly cost of owning a home but struggle to accumulate the upfront cash required for the down payment and closing costs – especially while paying high rent.
There is also an information and coordination gap. First-time homebuyers are expected to make one of the largest financial decisions of their lives while navigating real estate agents, mortgage brokers, lawyers, inspectors and lenders who often operate separately.
That is why Zown addresses both sides of the problem. Our Down Payment Boost helps reduce the upfront cash barrier, while our integrated homebuying platform gives buyers the guidance, tools and services they need in one place.
How does Zown’s model protect the buyer in a system that has traditionally favoured the seller?
Rishard Rameez: Zown is designed around buyer alignment. Our real estate agents are salaried rather than dependent entirely on commissions, so their incentive is to help the buyer make the right decision – not simply to close a transaction as quickly as possible.
We also share up to 1.25% of the purchase price from our commission with the buyer, up to $25,000. The buyer keeps full ownership of the home, and the money does not need to be repaid.
Beyond the financial benefit, we give buyers transparent information, property analysis, on-demand showings and coordinated support from search through closing. The goal is to give first-time homebuyers the level of data, representation and support that sophisticated real estate investors have traditionally had access to.
You recently expanded into California. What did you learn from the Canadian market that you’re taking into the U.S.?
Rishard Rameez: The biggest lesson was that consumers don’t want another isolated real estate tool – they want someone to take responsibility for the entire journey.
In Canada, we learned that the Down Payment Boost may be what first attracts a buyer to Zown, but the experience is what builds trust. People value fast communication, honest advice, easier showings and having one coordinated team guiding them from their first questions through closing.
California has many of the same pressures we see in Toronto and other Canadian cities: high home prices, large upfront costs and younger buyers who feel the traditional path to homeownership is moving further away. We are taking the buyer-first model, salaried-agent structure and technology we developed in Canada and adapting them to the regulations and needs of each U.S. market.
What is the long-term vision for Zown in North America?
Rishard Rameez: Our long-term vision is to build the AI-native operating system for homeownership in North America. Today, Zown helps people search for a home, arrange showings, navigate financing, negotiate an offer and receive money toward their purchase. Over time, we want to support the entire lifecycle: helping someone prepare financially while they are renting, buy their first home, manage and improve that property, and eventually sell or purchase their next one.
More than 800 Canadians have already purchased homes with Zown, representing over $500 million in home value, and we have returned more than $6 million to buyers. Our ambition is to make that buyer-first model available across North America and build the most trusted platform for first-time homebuyers.
Ultimately, we want someone asking, “What is the best way to buy my first home?” or “How can I get help with my down payment?” to think of Zown.
Zown is currently raising a funding round. What will that capital be used for, and what kind of investors are you looking to bring on board?
Rishard Rameez: The capital will primarily be used to build our end-to-end homeownership platform, expand responsibly across the United States and invest further in AI, automation and the teams supporting our customers. Real estate is local and highly regulated, so expansion requires more than launching an app in a new market. We need strong local operations, regulatory infrastructure and people who understand how to deliver a high-trust experience during one of the most important financial decisions a person will make.
We are looking for investors who share our long-term conviction that real estate will be rebuilt around the consumer. The ideal partners understand fintech, proptech, marketplaces or regulated industries and can help us build a generational North American company – not simply finance short-term growth.
What advice would you give to a Canadian founder trying to disrupt a heavily regulated industry?
Rishard Rameez: Treat regulation as part of the product architecture from the beginning, not as a problem to address after you have grown.
Spend time understanding why the rules exist, build relationships with regulators and surround yourself with experienced legal and industry experts. You can challenge an outdated business model without compromising consumer protection. I would also encourage founders to stay close to the customer. In a regulated industry, it is easy to become consumed by licensing, policy and operational complexity. The customer’s problem still needs to remain at the centre of every decision.
Finally, credibility compounds. Early on, every transaction, customer review and regulatory conversation matters. Move quickly where you can, but never sacrifice trust. In industries such as real estate and financial services, trust is not separate from growth – it is what makes sustainable growth possible.
