The Austin fintech pairs local tax experts with AI to fight overassessed homes - and only gets paid when it wins.
Property taxes are one of the largest recurring costs of owning a home, and one of the least contested. Surveys cited by Ownwell suggest roughly 74% of homeowners worry about rising property taxes, yet only about 22% ever appeal them. The gap between those two numbers is where Ownwell built a company.
Founded in Austin in 2020 by Colton Pace and Joseph Noor, Ownwell handles the entire property tax appeal on a homeowner's behalf. Its local tax experts evaluate a property against recent sales and market data, run a comparative analysis to determine whether it has been overassessed, file the necessary paperwork, assemble evidence, and represent the owner at the assessment hearing. When the appeal wins, Ownwell confirms the reduction is reflected in the final tax bill.
The company's framing is deliberate. Large investment firms have long employed lawyers and local experts to shave down their tax bills. Ownwell's pitch is that the same expertise should be available to an ordinary homeowner "with the click of a button." Noor, who holds a doctorate in computer science, treats the appeal less as paperwork and more as a data problem - matching a property against the right comparables and building the strongest possible case.
The results have compounded. Ownwell has processed more than one million appeals and says it has saved customers over $400 million in aggregate. In its core markets it reports an 86% success rate, and winning customers save an average of about $774 a year. In Texas alone, it has handled appeals for more than 200,000 properties in a single year.
Crucially, none of that costs a homeowner anything up front. Ownwell earns a contingency fee - typically 25% to 35% of the savings, depending on the state - and nothing at all if the bill does not drop. That alignment, more than any single feature, is what has driven a customer base that grew over 180% in 2025.
"We're bringing that same expertise to the average homeowner, with the click of a button."
Local experts evaluate your property against recent sales and market data to spot overassessment.
Ownwell files all required paperwork and builds an AI-assisted evidence packet for your case.
Experts stand in for you at the assessment hearing and negotiate with the county.
They verify the outcome so any reduction actually shows up on your tax bill. You pay only if it does.
Full-service protest - evaluation, filing, evidence, and hearing representation - charged only as a contingency fee on the savings won.
An AI-generated, ready-to-file DIY appeal packet for homeowners in markets Ownwell doesn't directly service - forms, instructions, and evidence included.
Real-time monitoring of assessments and bills, alerting owners when values change and an appeal is worth filing.
Identifies and files eligible exemptions, including homestead, to reduce bills further.
Tools aimed at other recurring homeownership costs, such as insurance and utility bill review.
Directly services California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Washington, with national DIY coverage beyond.
Property tax appeals have historically been fragmented, local, and intimidating - the kind of process that punishes anyone without time or specialist knowledge. That friction, not a lack of savings, is what keeps most homeowners from filing.
Ownwell sits at the intersection of proptech and fintech: software and proprietary data on one side, local tax expertise and assessor relationships on the other. It competes with long-established protest firms like O'Connor (Cut My Taxes), Five Stone Tax Advisers, and Home Tax Shield, but leans on a software-first, consumer-friendly experience and transparent, published contingency pricing.
Its discipline is notable too. Rather than sprawl, Ownwell refined its footprint to seven states in 2026 - exiting Colorado and Pennsylvania - while still more than doubling its customer base. The new National Appeals Packet is the bridge to everyone else.
| Round | Amount | When | Select Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | ~$5.75M | 2021–22 | First Round Capital, Wonder Ventures, Long Journey Ventures |
| Series A | $30M | 2023 | First Round Capital, Left Lane Capital |
| Series B | $50M $30M equity + $20M debt | Feb 2026 | Alpha Edison & Mercato Partners (co-lead), Intuit Ventures, Left Lane, First Round, Long Journey, PROOF Fund, Wonder Ventures; Western Alliance Bank (debt) |
Figures compiled from public reporting; round dates and seed totals are approximate.
Colton Pace and Joseph Noor launch Ownwell to make property tax appeals accessible to everyday homeowners.
Early capital from First Round Capital and others funds the property tax appeal and monitoring service.
Ownwell raises a Series A to expand into new states and grow its team of local tax experts.
Handles appeals for 200,000+ Texas properties and expands its exemption and bill-reduction tools.
More than doubles its customer base and surpasses one million appeals processed.
Raises a $50M Series B and launches the AI-powered National Appeals Packet for homeowners nationwide.
Leads Ownwell's mission to democratize the tools real estate experts use to build wealth. Pace argues the tax expertise that big investment firms take for granted should be one click away for any homeowner.
The technical brain behind Ownwell, with a doctorate in computer science and a background in systems architecture. He frames the property tax appeal as a data-matching problem to be solved at scale.
Ownwell helps property owners lower their property tax bills by handling the entire appeal - evaluating the property against market data, filing paperwork, building evidence, and representing owners at assessment hearings.
Nothing up front. Ownwell charges a contingency fee of roughly 25-35% of the savings it secures, depending on the state. If it doesn't lower your bill, the service is free.
As of 2026, Ownwell directly services seven states - California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Washington - and offers a National Appeals Packet for homeowners elsewhere.
Ownwell was founded in 2020 in Austin, Texas by CEO Colton Pace and CTO Joseph Noor.
Ownwell has processed more than one million appeals and saved customers over $400 million in property taxes, with winning customers saving an average of about $774 per year.