Obligo

Obligo was founded in 2018 by brothers Roey Dor and Omri Dor. Operating at the intersection of financial technology and real estate (proptech), the company maintains its business headquarters in New York City and its research and development center in Tel Aviv. Obligo is a privately held company that closed a $35M Series C funding round in late 2023, co-led by 83North and True Ventures.

The company's core product eliminates the requirement for traditional cash security deposits in US residential real estate. Instead of locking up a large cash sum upfront, renters provide a pre-authorized billing commitment, functioning similarly to a hotel credit hold. Obligo utilizes Open Banking technology via integrations with platforms like Plaid to access read-only bank account data, assess the renter's financial health, and perform automated underwriting. If damages or unpaid rent occur at move-out, the property manager charges the pre-authorized account, and Obligo guarantees the funds up to the deposit amount.

Obligo competes directly with other deposit-replacement startups in the US market, such as Rhino and Jetty. While many competitors rely on an insurance-based surety bond model—where renters pay a non-refundable monthly premium—Obligo differentiates itself through a credit-backed authorization model that acts purely as a payment method without requiring a distinct insurance policy. The platform integrates via API directly into major property management software systems including Yardi, RealPage, Buildium, and AppFolio.

Obligo's R&D operations are concentrated in its Tel Aviv office. While the New York headquarters manages sales, marketing, and operational functions targeting the American rental market, the Israeli team primarily focuses on software engineering, product management, and data science. Hiring in Israel typically targets backend engineers, full-stack developers, and product designers.