Homeownership was a gamechanger for the family of Alex Lofton, co-founder and CEO of Landed. Landed helps essential professionals like teachers, healthcare providers, and local government employees put a down payment on a house. Alex grew up in a loving home—his mom was a fourth-grade teacher and his dad a social worker—but even though the family lived comfortably, they couldn’t save enough to buy a house. When his grandmother passed away and left her home to his family, it changed their lives and enabled them to send Alex to college. Since then he has engaged his passion for democratizing wealth-building opportunities for folks who don’t have access to a “Bank of Mom and Dad,” who are often people of color.
As many entrepreneurs will attest, the last few years have been challenging. For a founder of color, the parallel occurrences of a global pandemic and national social upheaval was particularly tough. But Alex has a mantra: “never let a crisis go to waste.” The pandemic, which forced a shift to remote work, combined with a renewed emphasis on reducing racial disparities—spurring Landed to recruit people nationwide and drastically increase their diverse representation, practically overnight.
Ulu has a great partnership with Alex. He really understands the idea of storytelling and believes it’s impossible to address inequality without addressing the challenges of home ownership, and specifically the hurdle of a down payment. We spoke to Alex last year, and his upbeat presence makes people feel that anything is possible.
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About Alex Lofton
Alex Lofton’s entrepreneurial journey started long before he ever knew the concept of a business plan. Although he didn’t realize it at the time, his childhood experiences gave him the background and understanding of a problem (and how to solve it) that would lead him down the entrepreneurial path. Alex has since served in leadership positions at numerous social enterprises and technology startups in D.C., London, and San Francisco.
