Our Leg Up

Our Leg Up

Our Leg Up (OLU) is building Australia's Bank of Mum and Dad, so partner lenders can democratise access to homeownership

Company Details

Location
Melbourne, Australia
Founded
2021
Employees
4-10
Funding
USD $101k-$500k

Management Team

Michael Ragavan avatar

Michael Ragavan

Founder & CEO

David Hellier avatar

David Hellier

CTO

Ron Vidal avatar

Ron Vidal

CRO

Learn more

About Our Leg Up

The problem we're solving:

In Australia, not owning a home is the #1 driver of generational wealth inequality (ACOSS report). For most, this represents the largest asset they will purchase and most important wealth accumulation vehicle.

As the cost of living rises, many Australians are locked out of the market, risking their future financial security or being forced to move away. Saving a deposit is the largest barrier to homeownership.

Our solution:

OLU has developed new and differentiated product which pools the equity of property owners into a fund that can be pledged as additional security for a partner lenders’ home loans. This enables partner lenders to offer reduced interest rate home loans, with less risk and improved margin.

This means aspiring homeowners with a low deposit (e.g., 5%-15%) can purchase a home 5-10 years sooner and save $10’000’s in the process through lower fees and interest repayments (compared to LMI).

Our differentiator:

Through OLU’s platform, lenders can improve their margin by lowering the loan-to-value ratio (LVR) of home loans, reduce risk weighted assets, and lower common equity tier one (CET1) capital requirements - the most expensive and regulated source. This helps meet APRA’s regulatory requirements for capital adequacy more efficiently, whilst providing a sustainable pricing advantage. Our products is a world's first, with no direct competition.

Our biggest achievement:

  1. Created new product, secured legal opinion on impact for lenders.

  2. Signed agreements in-principle with two lenders to launch our product. This milestone is a strong endorsement from industry players and evaluators.

  3. Generated $40M in equity commitment interest, with $20M direct ($0 CAC), and $20M via distribution channel trial with one partner.

  4. Capacity to support $250M home loan pilot, with one partner lender’s interest rate with OLU the leading offer in the <20% deposit segment.