Braustin Homes Receives $1.9 million Seed Funding from Local Tech Investors
San Antonio Manufactured Home Company Recognized for Hi-Tech Business Model in Traditional Market
(San Antonio, TX, Nov. 16, 2020)
San Antonio-based Braustin Homes, has raised a seed round investment of $1.875 million to support the manufactured housing company’s expansion of its innovative, high-tech dealerships. Founded by brothers Alberto and Jason Piña in 2017, Braustin Homes built the nation’s first virtual mobile home dealership, an innovative breakthrough in a traditional mobile home market. In May 2020, Braustin launched its first hybrid dealership, marrying the virtual, online customer experience with a physical showroom. The funding will support the company’s expansion of its hybrid dealerships across Texas and the nation.
The fundraising round, led by Geekdom Fund, also includes investment from Rackspace Technology co-founders Graham Weston and Pat Condon and angel investor Pat Matthews. Pat Condon and Geekdom Fund managing director Mike Troy will join the Braustin Homes board of directors.
“Over the last few years, we have put a lot of effort into building a scalable sales process that provided a better experience for the customer and made us more efficient as a business,” said Alberto Piña, co-founder and CEO of Braustin Homes. “Through the pandemic, we were able to really fine tune an effective model, and now this round of funding will give us the resources needed to rapidly scale the brand across Texas and beyond. The end goal is to build a company
that creates value for our communities in terms of job creation and home ownership, while also building value for our shareholders.”
Since its inception in 2017, Braustin Homes has helped more than 300 families build a place to call home. As of October 2020, the company had surpassed 2019 sales despite navigating through a global pandemic that caused Braustin Homes to lose more than $1M in sales in the early days of the shutdown. Currently, Braustin Homes has one hybrid showroom located at 16890 IH-35 South, Atascosa, TX 78002, about 10 miles south of San Antonio’s Loop 410. Braustin Homes intends to deploy an additional 10 hybrid dealerships across the state by the end of 2021.
“Braustin Homes really has everything we look for in an investment,” said Geekdom Fund’s Mike Troy. “The founders have deep domain expertise which means they are familiar with the industry, the competition and the challenges customers face in buying a home. They have an incredible strategy of leveraging online and social media to extend their reach. Braustin has a highly competitive business model that allows them to utilize technology to do more with less. Their emphasis on the customer is paying off with hundreds of delighted customers, great customer testimonials, and an industry leading NPS score. Over the next few years, we expect to see them grow rapidly to become the largest independent dealer group in Texas which makes up 20% of the overall market.”
“Today, buying a mobile home is full of friction, tons of paperwork, and lots of inefficiency. Braustin is unique in its technology-driven approach and commitment to improving the customer experience for home buyers,” said angel investor Pat Matthews.
“It was clear to me from first meeting the founders that they were not just building a different kind of mobile home dealer. They’re really playing a different type of ballgame,” said investor Pat Condon. “Their values as a company squarely put customers first. Their customer-centric approach to an industry that often doesn’t put the customer first really resonated with me. It’s what we endeavored to do at Rackspace. At Rackspace we called our approach Fanatical Support, but at our core we were a company that was totally focused on putting our customers first and making sure their outcomes were amazing.”
Graham Weston added, “I believe San Antonio is truly a city on the rise, and to achieve its potential, we will need companies to address the affordable housing issue in our city and create jobs that allow our residents to become homeowners. I’m drawn to big, transformative ideas, and I see that in Braustin Homes. They’re building a company that is both for people and profit, and I can see it ultimately having the kind of economic impact on San Antonio that Rackspace has had.”
MEDIA NOTE: To schedule an interview with Alberto Piña or for additional information, contact Mary Ullmann Japhet at 210-414-9030 or mjaphet@japhet-media.com. Media assets, including Braustin Homes logos, images and links to video b-roll are available at https://findmymobilehome.com/media-kit/. The Braustin Homes podcast, “Doublewide Dudes”, which focuses on affordable housing issues, can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/show/doublewide-dudes.
ABOUT BRAUSTIN HOMES
Founded in 2017 by brothers and San Antonio natives, Alberto and Jason Piña, Braustin Homes’ mission is to help more families become homeowners. It is the nation’s first virtual mobile home dealership, and its customer-focused approach includes upfront pricing, instant quotes and a full online home catalog that merges the web, app and in-person home-buying experience into a seamless journey. Braustin Homes’ headquarters are located at Geekdom, in the heart of San Antonio’s downtown tech district at 110 E Houston St 8th floor, San Antonio, TX 78205.
For more information, https://findmymobilehome.com/.
