Stake has raised USD $8 million in a mix of debt and equity and acquired Texas apartment-locating platform UMoveFree, expanding further into rental search, leasing, and rewards.
The Dallas-based fintech said the funding follows fourfold revenue growth in 2025. It did not disclose revenue, valuation, or the split between debt and equity.
LAGO led the financing. Other equity investors included RET Ventures, Bluefield Capital, Hamilton Ventures, Gaingels, Hub Angels, and Second Century Ventures, an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors.
Stake also acquired Lighthouse and its subsidiary UMoveFree. Lighthouse bought UMoveFree in 2023. Stake plans to integrate Lighthouse's technology into its search and onboarding experience.
Search and savings
UMoveFree runs an apartment search service with a cash-back model in Texas. Stake said it is the state's largest apartment-locating platform, has served more than 5 million renters, and has paid out more than USD $35 million in cash back.
Stake is positioning the combined operation as a renter network that starts with property discovery and extends through lease signing and rent payments. It also includes a credit-building feature that reports positive rent payments to major credit bureaus, according to Stake.
The acquisition adds an apartment search product at the top of Stake's funnel. Stake already offers cash back on rent payments through a deposit account branded as Stake Checking. Stake says the account has no monthly fees and offers early pay access. Banking services are provided through TransPecos Banks, according to Stake.
Stake also sells services to property owners and managers, including a dashboard product called Loyalty Cloud and an incentives product called Stake+ for promotions such as concessions.
Property network
Stake said its property network represents more than 550,000 homes nationwide. It said UMoveFree's team and technology will sit within its demand-generation services, which cover renter acquisition, campaign strategy, and market growth across property partners.
The company said the combined product direction will use AI-driven matching in rental search, showing renters savings and cash-back offers while they compare homes rather than after they sign a lease.
Proceeds from the financing will fund the integration and expansion of UMoveFree's search and demand engine, Stake said. It also plans to expand deal-based rental discovery into new markets, invest in product development, and pursue additional acquisitions.
"You can search for a deal on a hotel. You can search for a deal on a flight. But until now, you couldn't reliably search for a deal on rent," said Rowland Hobbs, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Stake. "With UMoveFree powered by Stake Cash Back, we're making affordability visible at the start. Now renters can find Cash Back offers when they're deciding where to live, not after they've already signed."
UMoveFree's leadership team will join Stake as part of the deal. Stake said the business brings multifamily experience and a proprietary leasing platform, and is known for combining high-intent search with a concierge approach delivered by an in-house team.
Stake said Mark Finney, a Co-founder of UMoveFree, will serve as General Manager of Texas at Stake.
"Since 2004, UMoveFree has empowered renters by combining its online apartment marketplace with a hands-on, concierge approach provided by its in-house team of apartment experts," said Finney. "Now, with Stake, UMoveFree will expand its offerings into a full deal network-from search to savings."
Stake said Matt See, Chief Executive of Lighthouse, will be part of the transition as Lighthouse is integrated.
"We founded Lighthouse with a mission to empower renters, and we've found that same mission with Stake," said Matt See, Chief Executive Officer, Lighthouse. "Now we can expand that mission beyond search to paying, renewing, and even banking with Stake."
The financing and acquisition mark Stake's next step in building a combined marketplace and financial services model around renting. The company signalled more market launches and additional M&A as it integrates UMoveFree and Lighthouse.