Episode 77

How To Actually Get Into Home Ownership With Just 1% Down (No Mortgage Required) | Chris Smith, Founder and CEO at Bloxxs

What if home ownership could start with just 1% down and you could build equity without taking on any debt? This revolutionary approach is transforming how people achieve the dream of owning their own home.

In this episode, I speak with Chris Smith, Founder and CEO at Bloxxs. We explore an alternative to traditional mortgages that's opening doors for people who thought home ownership was out of reach. Chris shares his powerful journey from banking executive to unpaid startup founder, building a solution that directly connects capital to aspiring homeowners.

We dive into the innovative “subscription” model that's making home ownership accessible, how indigenous values are reshaping our approach to property and community, and why Chris and his team of 20 executives have worked unpaid for years to bring this mission-driven vision to life. This conversation reveals how one bold idea is creating pathways to happier, healthier lives through the stability and security of home ownership.

Follow for more discussions on building FinTech products and teams with customer and commercial impact and to stay updated on the latest episodes.

👉 Follow Chris: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealchris-smith/

Website: https://www.bloxxhome.com/


👉Follow Monica: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamillares/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moni_millares 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moni_millares


We cover:

[00:00:00] The mission: Making home ownership accessible to everyone

[00:03:00] Why home ownership creates happier and healthier societies

[00:05:00] From banking executive to unpaid founder: The inspiring journey

[00:08:00] Lessons from 2008: Understanding what needs to change

[00:10:00] Building a values-driven company with 20 unpaid executives

[00:13:00] The power of sacrifice: Protecting the mission over profits

[00:16:00] How capital really flows in the housing market

[00:18:00] The Blocks breakthrough: Subscription to home ownership explained

[00:20:00] Starting with 1% deposit instead of 20%: Opening new doors

[00:23:00] Built-in flexibility: Supporting homeowners through life's challenges

[00:27:00] Indigenous values: Community-driven approach to home ownership

[00:30:00] The vision: Taking Blocks global and helping millions

[00:32:00] From social housing to solutions: Why this mission is personal

[00:34:00] Creating pathways to stability, security, and intergenerational wealth


SEARCH QUESTIONS

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What is the future of affordable housing?


#HomeOwnership #FinTechInnovation #AffordableHousing #PurposeDrivenTech #FutureOfHousing


Disclaimer: This episode does not constitute professional nor financial advice and does not represent the opinion nor views of my current, past or future employers. The guest has agreed to record and release our conversation for the use of this podcast and promotion in social media.


About the Podcast

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Purpose Driven FinTech
Building & Growing FinTech Products With Customer & Commercial Impact

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About your host

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Monica Millares

Monica advocates for financial safety for all. She is the Product Principal at BigPay, where she leads Product and Design. As part of the founding team, Monica led building BigPay’s product from zero to one, to multi product line, and international expansion. Her leadership shaped the culture and ways of working to grow from startup to scaleup. BigPay has over 1.4 million customers, and has presence in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Monica has almost 20 years’ experience in Financial Services. Prior to BigPay, she was one of the first joiners in UK’s challenger Tandem Bank, where she focused on building credit cards from scratch. Previously she worked in leading Financial Services brands like Visa, Barclays, and a Mexican Development Bank.

She sits on the Board of PayEd, and is recognised as Singapore’s #Fintech65 Product Leaders and Women in FinTech. She’s been multiple times speaker at the prestigious conference Money2020 and shared stage with JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Bank, Konsentus, and Money2020’s Rise Up. Her commitment to innovation and financial inclusion resonates in her podcast “Purpose Driven FinTech” where she explores how FinTech’s can have 10x more impact.

Monica has a background in Engineering and a Master’s Degree on Analysis, Design, and Management of Information Systems from the London School of Economics.