The back office for the independent real estate agent. RLTYco bundles same-day commission advances, health plans, tax and legal help, and a perks program into one platform built for the 1099 economy.
Real estate runs on independent contractors. The agent who sells a $900,000 home in New York is, in tax terms, a small business of one - entitled to none of the health coverage, paid leave, or steady paychecks a salaried employee takes for granted. RLTYco was founded in 2021 to close that gap. It began with a single, concrete problem: agents wait weeks or months to collect a commission they have already earned. Its answer, RLTY Capital, buys a slice of that pending commission and wires the cash - up to 80% of it - in as little as 24 hours, with no credit check and no brokerage sign-off.
Five years on, the New York company has grown from that one service into a five-part platform - capital, tax, legal, health, and a member perks program - aimed squarely at what its founders call the 1099 agent economy. The pitch is less "disrupt real estate" than "give the people who already do the work the plumbing to run a durable career."
"The broker community is entrepreneurial by nature. They just need the infrastructure to keep up."Briggs Elwell, Co-Founder & CEO
Each vertical solves a distinct pain in an agent's year. The commission advance is the wedge; the trust it earns opens the door to everything adjacent.
Buys a portion of a pending residential or commercial commission and funds approved deals in as little as 24 hours - up to 80%, no credit check, no brokerage approval.
Since 2021Health plans for self-employed agents through partners including a UnitedHealthcare affiliate and Solo Health Collective - 250+ plan options.
Since 2023A network of CPAs for tax prep, bookkeeping, and deduction optimization built around how agents actually earn.
Since 2022Business formation and protection - LLC and entity setup through a partnership with LegalZoom.
Since 2022A corporate-grade benefits program for 1099 agents - travel, wellness, retail, and business discounts via partners like The RealReal, Priority Pass, and Blade.
Since 2025Continuing education and training resources to help agents and brokers navigate compliance and grow.
Since 2022An agent has a pending residential or commercial commission on an approved offer.
Submit the deal - no credit check, no brokerage approval required.
RLTYco purchases a portion of that pending commission at a fee.
Up to 80% of the commission is wired in as little as 24 hours.
The customers. RLTYco serves independent residential and commercial real estate agents and brokers across the United States, along with brokerages that want to offer funding and benefits to their people. The company reports thousands of deals funded, more than 1,000 clients, and a 4.9-star rating. After the 2025 Series A, its services became available nationwide.
The problem. Agents earn irregular, deal-based income and shoulder the full cost of being self-employed. They face cash-flow gaps between closings, no employer health coverage, tax complexity, and the legal overhead of running a one-person business. Existing commission-advance firms often carried high fees and aggressive collection practices.
The difference. Rather than sell a single product, RLTYco packages the whole back office and positions itself, in the CEO's words, as "the most professional and lowest fee experience in the industry." The bundle - capital, tax, legal, health, perks - is the moat: once an agent's finances run through the platform, switching costs climb.
Where it fits. RLTYco sits at the intersection of real estate finance and the broader gig economy. Its competitors include commission-advance specialists like RealCommissions (which it acquired in 2026), eCommission, and Commission Express, plus standalone 1099 benefits providers. Its stated ambition reaches further: to become infrastructure for independent contractors well beyond real estate.
"Agents using commission advances also have a need for accounting services, healthcare and legal services."Briggs Elwell, Co-Founder & CEO
An NYU real estate graduate with 15+ years in the industry. He began at The Related Companies in New York, where he managed 7,000+ luxury units, and later served as a managing partner at OPTIMAR International. He has joined the board of the American Realty Association.
An attorney with a Georgetown BA and a Santa Clara Law JD, licensed in New York, Connecticut, and Illinois. He was managing partner of the Connecticut firm Kennedy Luce LLC and specializes in real estate transactions and property-tax litigation.
Briggs Elwell and Daniel Kennedy launch RLTYco with a commission-advance service for agents.
RLTY Tax, RLTY Legal (with LegalZoom), and RLTY Edu broaden the platform beyond funding.
A partnership with a UnitedHealthcare affiliate brings health plans to independent agents.
Altriarch leads the round; all services go nationwide.
A corporate-grade perks program for 1099 agents, with partners The RealReal, Priority Pass, and Blade.
RLTYco buys the 20-year-old Atlanta firm, which had advanced $150M+ across 25,000+ transactions.
"Our relationship with the RLTYco team was born out of a shared vision to pursue massive growth opportunities."David J. Siegelman, Founder, RealCommissions