Homebase Builds Real Estate Valuation AI and Expands Tech Leadership in Vietnam

Homebase is a Ho Chi Minh City-based real estate technology company building machine learning models and tech-enabled financing structures for property buyers in Southeast Asia. Founded in 2019 and backed by Y Combinator's W21 batch, the growth-stage company has raised $30 million in equity and debt from investors including Bain Capital, Bain Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, VU Venture Partners, Partech, and Goodwater Capital, according to reports by Vietnam News.

The company is scaling its technical team to build automated real estate valuation tools and backend financial infrastructure, listing leadership and engineering positions including a Chief Technology Officer - CTO.

Alternative Real Estate Financing and Automated Valuation

In Southeast Asia, homeownership presents significant financial barriers for young buyers due to high down payment requirements and annual mortgage interest rates reaching 10% to 15%. Homebase addresses this by co-investing in residential property alongside clients. Home buyers put down a 20% deposit to move into the home immediately, paying a fixed monthly amount over time while retaining options to gradually buy out Homebase's equity share or sell the property.

To support automated underwriting and property evaluation, the company uses data science and machine learning to build an Asset Valuation Model specifically tailored for real estate across Southeast Asian cities. Speaking on The CTO Show, co-founder Phillip An noted that traditional property appraisal relies heavily on manual comparisons, which are slow and subject to human error or manipulation. Homebase's proprietary models leverage citywide transaction data to estimate current values and forecast future capital appreciation.

Engineers at Homebase build both customer-facing applications and backend systems that match consumer demand with institutional capital sources. To support these systems, the company is hiring a Full-stack Engineer to develop frontend and backend architectures, design interactive sites, and work directly on projects like building the proprietary home price prediction model. Concurrently, a Senior Backend Engineer is tasked with maintaining backend code and APIs to evolve and scale recruiting software solutions, collaborating with web developers, product design, and product development teams to enable rapid feature deployment.

Founder Backgrounds and Company History

Homebase was co-founded by CEO Jun Yuan Tan and COO Phillip An. Jun Yuan Tan studied computer science at the University of Pennsylvania and business at the University of Manchester, completed all three levels of the CFA charter, and previously served as CEO and co-founder of software firm Reprice Technologies and blockchain developer Atlantis Lab. Phillip An holds a technical background in computer science and worked in Silicon Valley and Wall Street, including roles at LinkedIn, McKinsey, and Goldman Sachs.

The founders started the company after identifying severe gaps in traditional mortgage availability while exploring home purchases in Vietnam. In an interview on Geeks Of The Valley, Phillip An explained that strict bank criteria and annual real estate price appreciation of over 20% frequently exclude entrepreneurs, freelancers, and younger buyers from securing home loans.

During its early seed fundraising, the company faced a major setback when a third initial co-founder was discovered to have a prior conviction for financial crime, causing several committed investors to pull out. The remaining founders rebuilt their cap table by pitching angel investors directly on LinkedIn before securing admission to Y Combinator's W21 batch, as recounted in a video interview on Fitcheck. Homebase subsequently closed its $30 million equity and debt funding round to scale its asset valuation platform, partner with property developers, and expand operations across Southeast Asia.

Technical Hiring and Engineering Roles

Homebase operates with an onsite presence in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, alongside remote options for general applicants. The engineering team is currently recruiting for key senior and technical leadership roles to oversee its web and mobile products and property infrastructure.

The company is seeking a Chief Technology Officer - CTO in Ho Chi Minh City, VN, offering a salary of $2,500 to $5,000 USD per year. The CTO will work closely with the CEO to develop and execute technology and product roadmaps, lead and mentor the engineering team, oversee the full life cycle of web and mobile products, and manage infrastructure and operations.

For software development, Homebase is hiring a Full-stack Engineer and a Senior Backend Engineer, both listed with onsite work modes in Anywhere / Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, VN, and salaries ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 USD per year. Candidates interested in unlisted functions can submit a general application via Don't see your dream job? Apply here anyway!, a remote full-time listing where applicants matching prospective future roles are contacted directly by the team.

See all open roles at Homebase