Tushar Garg
Tushar Garg is currently CEO and Co-Founder at Flyhomes, a startup he founded and continues to lead. His experience includes roles at Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and research internships at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Seattle Startup Desk Raises $800,000 to Automate Real Estate Contract Work with AI
Seattle startup Desk has raised $800,000 to use AI for automating real estate contract administration, helping over 500 agents streamline paperwork with high accuracy. The company leverages recent AI advancements to offer 'better-than-human' contract processing, accelerating agent workflows without replacing them.
Flyhomes Exits Brokerage Business to Focus on 'Buy Before You Sell' Financing with $15M Series D Funding
Seattle-based Flyhomes is exiting its real estate brokerage business to concentrate on its 'Buy Before You Sell' financing product, supported by a $15 million Series D round. The company is transitioning its agents to The Real Brokerage and expanding its financing offerings nationwide through a large network of loan officers.
Flyhomes Raises $15M to Pivot from Consumer Platform to Wholesale 'Buy Before You Sell' Lending Across 40 States
Seattle-area real estate startup Flyhomes raised $15 million to pivot from a consumer real estate platform to a wholesale lending model focused on its 'Buy Before You Sell' product, partnering with loan officers and agents to offer services in 40 states. The shift follows Flyhomes' previous consumer-facing brokerage and financing model, aiming to expand its reach while having raised $208 million to date.
The Real Brokerage Acquires Flyhomes’ AI Home Search Technology as Flyhomes Focuses on Wholesale Mortgage Lending
Flyhomes sold its AI-powered home search technology and related assets to The Real Brokerage to focus on growing its wholesale mortgage lending business, specifically its 'Buy Before You Sell' offering. The Real Brokerage acquired the technology with cash and made a strategic equity investment in Flyhomes to support this transformation.
Flyhomes Co-founder Stephen Lane Launches Tufa, an Affiliate Marketing Platform Supporting Caregivers After Surviving Brain Injury
Stephen Lane, co-founder of Flyhomes, survived a severe brain injury from a drunk driving accident and is now launching Tufa, a startup that enables users to donate to causes through cashback affiliate marketing. Tufa allows supporters to contribute to groups by shopping online with a browser extension that channels commissions to fundraising circles.
Seattle Startup Flyhomes Launches NeighborVote Tool Showing Neighborhoods' Political Leanings for Homebuyers
Seattle startup Flyhomes launched NeighborVote, a tool allowing homebuyers to see neighborhoods' political leanings based on voting data, aiming to aid informed housing decisions. The feature uses data from MIT Election Data & Science Lab and positions politics like Walk Scores or school ratings in home evaluations.
Flyhomes Conducts Another Round of Layoffs Amid Persistent Real Estate Market Challenges
Seattle-based real estate startup Flyhomes has conducted another round of layoffs due to persistent industry challenges, continuing a pattern of workforce reductions since 2022. The company, which raised over $200 million, cited worsening market conditions driven by high mortgage rates and economic headwinds.
Seattle Startup Flyhomes Moves from 9,000 Sq Ft Waterfront Office to Smaller Downtown Space Amid Remote Work Shift
Seattle real estate tech startup Flyhomes vacated its 9,000 sq ft waterfront office near Pier 56 on September 1, relocating to a smaller 4,000 sq ft space downtown due to a shift to remote work. The move follows Flyhomes' multiple layoffs amid a slowing market and increasing Seattle office vacancies.
Flyhomes to Acquire Home Sale Assured Brand, Founder Eric Meadow Joins as VP Amid Market Challenges
Seattle-based real estate startup Flyhomes announced plans to acquire Home Sale Assured’s brand and assets, with its founder Eric Meadow joining Flyhomes as VP of partnerships. This move complements Flyhomes' Buy Before You Sell product amid a slow market and follows their recent Loftium acquisition.
Seattle Startup Flyhomes Lays Off Staff Third Time in a Year, Workforce Shrinks from 700 to 470 Amid Housing Market Downturn
Seattle real estate startup Flyhomes, led by CEO Tushar Garg, laid off employees for the third time in a year to focus on profitability amid a challenging housing market. The company's workforce has declined from about 700 in November to roughly 470 currently, reflecting broader layoffs in the Seattle real estate tech sector amid declining home prices and sales.
Flyhomes Acquires Seattle’s Loftium to Expand Host-to-Own Real Estate Services
Flyhomes has acquired Seattle-based host-to-own real estate platform Loftium, expanding its home-buying services while retaining Loftium’s team and operations amid a challenging market. Loftium’s unique model enables buyers to use rental income from Airbnb hosting to finance down payments, a program launched a year ago.
Flyhomes Cuts Nearly 40% of Staff Amid Housing Market Recession and Cooling Demand
Seattle-based real estate startup Flyhomes has laid off nearly 40% of its workforce in a second round of cuts due to a recession in the housing sector and a cooling market. The company, led by CEO Tushar Garg, has about 700 employees and has raised over $200 million since its 2016 founding.
Startups, superheroes, and the economy at a crossroads: Voices from Seattle's tech community
After holding the GeekWire Awards virtually for the past two years, there was a feeling of real catharsis Thursday evening as hundreds of people streamed through the doors of the Showbox Sodo in Seattle for our annual celebration of the Pacific Northwest's top tech startups, leaders, and innovations. For the finalists in the 2022 GeekWire Awards, recognition at the superhero-themed show came with the added bonus of knowing that their companies made it through a period of unprecedented challenge and change. But the week also brought a new sense of uncertainty about what's to come. [Related Post: 2022 GeekWire Awards…
Real Estate Tech Firm Knock Expands to Seattle with $220M Funding, Offers Home Swap and Jumbo Loans Up to $3M
Knock, a real estate tech company founded by Trulia's creators, is expanding its home financing services to Seattle and Western Washington, offering products like Home Swap and Knock GO to help buyers compete with cash offers. The company recently secured $220 million in funding and added jumbo loans to its portfolio despite past challenges including workforce cuts and a halted SPAC.
GeekWire surveys Seattle-area VCs to name Pacific Northwest startups they predict will become unicorns in 2022
GeekWire surveyed more than a dozen Seattle-area venture capitalists for their picks of Pacific Northwest startups likely to reach unicorn status this year, compiling a list of candidate companies with reasons for each selection. The piece notes rising valuations nationwide and excludes VCs' own portfolio companies to reduce bias.
Inspectify raises $8M Series A led by Nine Four Ventures; total funding $10M to digitize home inspections
Inspectify, a two-year-old Seattle proptech startup that provides a booking marketplace and inspection software, raised $8 million in a Series A led by Nine Four Ventures to digitize home inspection reporting and aggregate inspection data.
Flyhomes launches ‘Flyhomes Guarantee for Buyers’ to let clients exit within a year with waived seller commission
Seattle-based real estate startup Flyhomes launched the Flyhomes Guarantee for Buyers, which lets clients who want to move within a year of closing have Flyhomes list the home and waive its commission (buyers still pay the buyer’s agent and selling costs). Founded in 2016, Flyhomes has helped over 3,000 families buy nearly $3 billion in homes with cash-offer short-term loans and faces competition from traditional brokerages, iBuyers like Opendoor and Offerpad, and Zillow.
Flyhomes raises $150 million to scale cash-offer homebuying and mortgage services nationwide
Seattle startup Flyhomes raised $150 million to expand its cash-offer homebuying model and integrated mortgage and selling services nationwide, positioning itself against iBuyers and Zillow. CEO Tushar Garg said the funding supports building an end-to-end home-buying experience that gives clients a competitive edge in a chaotic market.
GeekWire Awards 2020 Goes Virtual; Ally Wins Startup of the Year as Bill Gates and Celebrities Celebrate
GeekWire held a virtual GeekWire Awards livestream honoring top Pacific Northwest tech companies and leaders across 12 categories, with winners accepting via Zoom and special video messages from figures like Bill Gates. Seattle startup Ally won Startup of the Year, and the event included entertainment such as The Drunken Tenorperforming an "Opera di Zoom."
Flyhomes CEO Tushar Garg says startup closed all pandemic-era purchases as Seattle market stabilized; he’s a GeekWire Awards finalist
Flyhomes, which buys homes with cash for clients, weathered the early pandemic pause by closing all properties it had purchased and says Seattle's market has since stabilized with high buyer demand and low inventory, CEO Tushar Garg told GeekWire. Garg spoke as a finalist for GeekWire's Startup CEO of the Year and discussed leadership and the industry in a podcast tied to the awards.
Real estate in the pandemic
It should've been a banner year for FlyHomes. As 2019 drew to a close, the real estate startup had $141 million in fresh funding to fuel the expansion of its novel home-buying service beyond Seattle to Portland, Boston, and Los Angeles. Then, three weeks after announcing the expansion, the first-known U.S. coronavirus case was discovered in Flyhomes' backyard. The U.S. real estate market froze as the full scope of the coronavirus crisis came into focus, a nerve-wracking jolt for Flyhomes, which was sitting on several homes the startup purchased on behalf of clients. Flyhomes buys houses directly with cash and…
Seattle Startup Flyhomes Expands to Boston, Portland, and L.A., Raises $141M to Aid Homebuyers in Competitive Markets
Seattle-based Flyhomes is expanding its real estate home-buying services to Portland, Boston, and Los Angeles/Orange County, focusing on competitive, high-priced markets by purchasing homes with cash for clients. The startup recently raised $141 million to support growth and has helped over 1,000 clients close on more than $1 billion in homes since 2015.
Organizations
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FlyHomes Executive Officer, Director, Promoter 2018–present, CEO & Co-Founder 2015–present · current
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McKinsey & Company Summer Associate 2015 · past
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Microsoft Chief of Staff 2013–2014, Program Manager II, Core Ranking Team, Bing 2008–2013 · past
Education
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Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) · 2014–2016
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University of Minnesota Master of Science (M.S.), Computer Science · 2006–2008
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Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Computer Science · 2002–2006
