Publications
Publications
- January 2019 (Revised November 2020)
- HBS Case Collection
Ribbon Home: iBacking for Real Estate
By: Marco Di Maggio and Sarah Gulick
Abstract
In November 2018, Shaival Shah, the founder and CEO of Ribbon Home had to decide on the next steps for the company. Ribbon had introduced a program that backs consumers with cash offers without creating a loan structure in order to help them compete with iBuyers, such as Zillow Offers and Opendoor. Ribbon had experienced a successful launch in Charlotte, North Carolina which prompted urgent strategic questions. Among them was the appropriate funding model – whether Ribbon be mainly a platform for others to fund transactions, or should it buy and hold homes on its balance sheet, which it could securitize and sell using a line of credit.
Keywords
Consumers; Real Estate; Property; Finance; Digital Platforms; Business Model; Decision Making; Real Estate Industry; Technology Industry
Citation
Di Maggio, Marco, and Sarah Gulick. "Ribbon Home: iBacking for Real Estate." Harvard Business School Case 219-059, January 2019. (Revised November 2020.)