Before writing any code, founder Zach Blank went door-to-door in his Portland neighborhood asking homeowners one question: “Any home maintenance tasks you’ve been putting off?” When his neighbors inevitably said yes, Zach scoped out the work and offered to handle everything for one haggle-free price – roughly 90% of them purchased immediately, and when offered Zach’s ongoing house manager service, 95% stayed active.
Homeowners today spend ~350 hours a year coordinating repairs in a fragmented ~$650B market. Affording a home manager to handle it for you was something previously reserved for the wealthy. Which means most people are left finding, vetting, and managing contractors on their own. (Hence all the deferred maintenance work!)
Enter Jack. Starting at $49/mo, Jack offers owners an AI home manager that, through a FaceTime-like video experience, uses multimodal AI to identify maintenance tasks and produce instant, accurate estimates. Every new Jack member also gets a comprehensive home inspection done by a professional and access to Jack’s vetted contractor network.
On average, Jack uncovers nearly $30K of deferred maintenance. Which, as you might imagine, could seem overwhelming. So Jack gives homeowners a simple, affordable path to start tackling what’s most important, plus a monthly plan to keep their home in check going forward – windows, gutters, power washing, landscaping, and more – all bundled into a single point of contact, powered by technology.
At Begin, we look for: (a) consumer technology that can improve people’s daily life in a post-AI world – home, health, food, transportation, relationships, and money, and (b) seasoned operators taking a big swing at the future – doubling down on the expertise, taste, and leadership skills honed through the first 7+ years of their career.
We participated in Jack’s pre-seed round. To read our full research memo on Jack plus access other investment opportunities, join our investor community below.
This newsletter is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security. It is written for the broader Begin Ventures community and is not directed to any particular investor or intended to imply that any recipient is already an investor in Begin Ventures. Any specific opportunity to invest in Begin Ventures Fund I is available only to verified accredited investors and only pursuant to Fund I's confidential offering documents, in reliance on Rule 506(c) of Regulation D. Begin Ventures Fund I is a 506(c) fund and may market to the general public. Begin Ventures also sponsors select special purpose vehicles ("SPVs") offered under Rule 506(b) of Regulation D to accredited investors with whom Begin Ventures has a pre-existing, substantive relationship established prior to any such offering; nothing in this letter should be construed as an offer or solicitation with respect to any SPV. Private investments are speculative, illiquid, and involve a high degree of risk, including risk of total loss. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This letter contains forward-looking statements that are inherently uncertain. Recipients should consult their own legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decision.