Loftsmart
New York, US · Founded 2015 · Delaware corporation · 2 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors
LoftSmart is a New York-based online marketplace that connects student renters with apartments and local rentals in college towns.
Also known as LoftSmart · LoftSmart, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Loftsmart was founded in 2015 by Samuel W. Bernstein.
Investors · 4
Also in the syndicate · 3
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$17.2M disclosed across 4 of 5 rounds · 2015–2018
▶$12.9MraisedJun 2018 · 19 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Chip MeakemDirector
- Sundeep KumarExecutive Officer, Director
- Samuel Weaver BernsteinExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Offering amount
- $12.9M
- Amount sold
- $12.9M
- First sale
- Jun 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2015
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$2.7MraisedJul 2017 · 9 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Chip MeakemDirector
- Sundeep KumarDirector
- Samuel Weaver BernsteinExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Offering amount
- $2.8M
- Amount sold
- $2.7M
- First sale
- Jun 2017
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2015
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.4MraisedSep 2016 · 14 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Samuel Weaver BernsteinExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Offering amount
- $1.9M
- Amount sold
- $1.4M
- First sale
- Sep 2016
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2015
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$125KraisedOct 2015 · 1 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Samuel W. BernsteinExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Bobby G. HoldenExecutive Officer
- Offering amount
- $250K
- Amount sold
- $125K
- First sale
- Oct 2015
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2015
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026LoftSmart operates an online rental marketplace focused on student housing in U.S. college towns. The platform combines a review system for local rentals with a leasing layer that lets renters find, apply for and book apartments, connecting student renters to apartment buildings seeking to fill leases.
The company positioned its early product as a "Yelp for real estate" in local college markets, then added tools for local property managers and student housing developers to process and approve rental applications more easily. By early 2018, more than 250,000 leases were listed as instantly bookable on the site, and the company reported having processed millions of dollars in lease transactions.
Founding story
LoftSmart was cofounded by Sam Bernstein and Sundeep Kumar. The concept grew out of Bernstein's experience as a renter at the University of Virginia and Kumar's experience living and working in Austin, which led them to build a review-driven marketplace for local college rentals.
Business model
LoftSmart operates a two-sided marketplace between student renters and apartment building owners, property managers and student housing developers, providing listings, reviews and an online leasing and application-approval system.
The company takes a percentage cut of each lease booked through its platform.
Traction
As of January 2018, more than 250,000 leases were available to book instantly on the site, the company had processed millions of dollars in lease transactions and had raised $5 million from investors.
Latest developments
In January 2018, Forbes profiled the company as part of its 30 Under 30 Consumer Technology list, citing more than 250,000 instantly bookable leases and $5 million raised.
▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The company sought to consolidate the fragmented U.S. college rental market, which cofounder Sam Bernstein estimated at several billion dollars, comparing its approach to what TripAdvisor did for the hotel market.
LoftSmart combined consumer-style reviews of local, independently owned college rentals with an instant online booking and application system layered on top of listings, rather than focusing solely on professionally managed new construction.
Go-to-market
The company built consumer demand through a review and search site for student renters and then approached local property managers and student housing developers directly to add its leasing and application-processing system.
Student renters in U.S. college towns, along with local property managers, apartment building owners and student housing developers seeking to fill leases.
Geography
Headquartered in New York City. As of 2016, services were available in housing markets across Texas and in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Amherst, Massachusetts; Berkeley, California; Columbia, South Carolina; Charlottesville, Virginia; and Los Angeles.
History
LoftSmart, a graduate of the AngelPad accelerator, raised $1.7 million in September 2016 in a round led by Corigin Ventures to expand its marketplace and add a leasing system for local property managers. By January 2018 it had raised $5 million in total and was profiled by Forbes in its 30 Under 30 Consumer Technology 2018 list.
Compiled by commissioned research from 3 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsLoftSmart, cofounded by Sam Bernstein and Sundeep Kumar, was profiled on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Consumer Technology 2018 list.
LoftSmart raised $1.7 million to build a review system and marketplace for students seeking local rentals in college towns, with participation from Expansion Venture Capital, Full Tilt Capital, Metaprop NYC and individual investors including Jaffray Woodriff.
$1.7M source ↗
LoftSmart is described as a graduate of the AngelPad accelerator program.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structure▸Research sources · 3
primary sources listed
- LoftSmartforbes.com · web
3 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Loftsmart do?
- LoftSmart is a New York-based online marketplace that connects student renters with apartments and local rentals in college towns.
- Who founded Loftsmart?
- Loftsmart was founded by Samuel W. Bernstein in 2015.
- Who are Loftsmart's investors?
- Loftsmart's investors include Expansion Venture Capital.
- How much funding has Loftsmart raised?
- Loftsmart has disclosed $17.2M raised across 4 of its 5 known rounds.
- Where is Loftsmart headquartered?
- Loftsmart is headquartered in New York, US.