Daniel Dorfman

In 2021, my co-founders and I launched Roots Investment Community with a big idea: what if renting could actually help people build wealth? With over a decade of real estate investing experience, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges—and opportunities—within housing. The average renting family has less than $650 in savings and often spends over 40% of their income on rent. We knew there had to be a better way. Roots was built to deliver returns for investors while helping our renters save money and grow their financial futures. Through our proprietary “Live in it Like You Own it®” program, renters can earn rebates for taking care of their homes and can invest in the Roots REIT to build wealth while they rent and grow their wealth by up to $7,500+ in five years. We’ve also created Bloom, our resident engagement and wealth building platform, which aligns resident goals with property performance—boosting net operating income for operators and financial mobility for families. To date, over 16,500 investors have joined Roots, with $76M+ invested and we continue to target annual returns of 12-15%. More importantly, Roots renters have saved more than $1 Million and counting. But as we scaled, we knew savings alone weren’t enough. Too many families are one unexpected event away from losing their home. That’s why we launched FreeRent.org, our nonprofit affiliate providing rental assistance and wraparound support to create long-term stability. Honored to be recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 and proud to see Roots named a Pacesetter company. The work continues and we’re just getting started.