Ownright

# High-Level Overview

Ownright is a legaltech company that automates and streamlines real estate transactions through a combination of technology infrastructure and expert legal services.[1] The company serves homebuyers, sellers, and real estate professionals across Ontario by handling property closings, mortgage refinancing, and status certificate reviews—traditionally time-consuming processes involving extensive paperwork and coordination.[1]

The core problem Ownright solves is the inefficiency and opacity of traditional real estate law. Rather than navigating endless email chains and manual document exchanges, clients upload documents remotely and Ownright's legal team handles the rest through automated workflows.[1] The company has demonstrated strong growth momentum: launched in 2023, it has processed over $1 billion in real estate transactions, grown from three to 19 full-time employees, and quadrupled its transaction volume annually.[1][4]

# Origin Story

Ownright was launched in 2023 by Robert Saunders (CEO), Joel Fox, and Benjamin Berry under the original name Doormat, positioning itself as Ontario's digital real estate law service.[1] The company rebranded to Ownright in March 2025, signaling its evolution beyond a simple document management tool toward a comprehensive, automation-driven legal platform.[1]

The founding team identified a critical gap in the real estate market: the legal closing process remained largely manual and opaque despite broader digital transformation in real estate. By combining technology infrastructure with deep legal expertise and client-focused design, the founders built a solution that resonated quickly. Within two years, the company had processed $750 million in transactions and was on track to surpass $1 billion by the end of 2025—a milestone it achieved by June 2025.[1][4]

# Core Differentiators

• Automation + Legal Expertise: Unlike traditional law firms, Ownright pairs automated workflows with qualified legal professionals, eliminating manual coordination while maintaining legal rigor.[1]

• Developer-First Infrastructure: In 2025, Ownright launched a Developer Platform—a suite of APIs and tools allowing proptech companies to embed legal closing services directly into their products.[2] This includes instant client referrals via API, real-time transaction tracking, and webhook notifications for event-driven updates.[2]

• Transparent, Client-Centric Design: The platform emphasizes real-time visibility, step-by-step process tracking, and remote document submission, removing friction from the homeownership journey.[1]

• Rapid Scaling: The company has quadrupled transaction volume annually and grown to handle nearly $1 billion in transaction value, demonstrating both product-market fit and operational scalability.[1][4]

# Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Ownright operates at the intersection of legaltech and proptech, two rapidly expanding sectors. The Canadian proptech market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 17.6% from 2023 to 2030, driven by demand for digital-first real estate solutions.[5] Ownright's timing is strategic: as proptech platforms proliferate, they need embedded legal infrastructure to complete the transaction lifecycle. By opening its APIs to developers, Ownright positions itself as foundational infrastructure rather than a standalone consumer app.

The company also addresses a broader trend toward vertical integration in real estate. Rather than forcing users to juggle separate platforms for property search, financing, and legal closing, Ownright enables seamless integration within existing proptech ecosystems. This reflects a shift in how technology companies approach regulated industries—partnering with expertise rather than replacing it.

# Quick Take & Future Outlook

Ownright has moved beyond proving product-market fit ($1 billion in transactions) to establishing itself as infrastructure for the Canadian proptech ecosystem. The Developer Platform launch signals a strategic pivot from direct-to-consumer to B2B2C, which could dramatically accelerate growth by embedding Ownright's services into dozens of partner platforms.

Key trends shaping its trajectory include continued proptech consolidation, regulatory pressure on traditional legal services to modernize, and rising consumer expectations for transparency in high-stakes transactions. The company's $4.5 million Series A (bringing total funding to $6.5 million) suggests investors see significant runway for expansion beyond Ontario and into adjacent services like title insurance or escrow management.[1]

The real test ahead: can Ownright scale its legal operations to match API adoption? Success requires maintaining quality and compliance while handling exponential transaction growth through partner platforms. If executed well, Ownright could become the backbone of Canadian real estate closings—a position that would make it a critical player in the broader fintech and proptech landscape.