Openroom Noticed on CP24 and CTV

👩🏻 Top insight to share from me, Co-Founder Weiting

Many people told us that building a community is a waste of time.

Back in the day, I read Peter Thiel’s book: Zero to One. He had many great quotes about entrepreneurship that rings through my mind every day since I quit corporate to build Openroom last year March 2024.

Co-Founder Vishal (who is also my life-partner) and I bet on fostering a community that helps each other.

We’re here to build more than just a software company. We’re here to lead a movement - one towards transparency in the rental ecosystem. We’re here to give as much as we can to you (in time, resources, education) because we wish someone had shared with us when we needed help the most.

On your side, you’ve showed up for us again, and again, and again.

Most recently this week, you put us on prime time news - again! We saw Openroom on CTV and I learned that CP24 had us on loop repeat Wednesday morning.

Our friends told us we were on trending in a post on Reddit.

Naturally, I had to go take a look.

I saw a comment stating that the above was a press release.

The real behind-the-scenes story is that Vishal and I didn’t even know we were going to be in the news. We didn’t get asked to interview, we didn’t pay for media attention, and we sure didn’t put out any press releases.

A couple people messaged in on Tuesday night saying they saw us on the news. We thought: “Great, they must have read a past news article!”

While we were frantically putting the kids to bed, we didn’t check our phone notifications. We fell asleep alongside the kids and snored away.

Openroom SuperFans began messaging and tagging us on social media.

My body naturally wakes up at 5AM now (…young toddlers…). I started browsing my phone and that’s when I realized Openroom ended up in the news again.

How? Because the community told Reporter Pat Foran at CTV about us.

You see the future of a transparent and connected rental ecosystem - just like us.

News media outlets know that the grassroots movement we’ve built together is too real to ignore.

Over the past couple of years, you’ve also showed us the generosity of humanity by inviting us to your cottages or boats, buying us 559 cups of coffee that’s keeping us caffeinated, inviting us on your podcasts and to keynotes to meet your community, recording radio ads or printing banners to promote us, proof-reading newsletters, sitting on our advisory boards, testing our early product versions, subscribing to this 19K-reader newsletter, and most importantly sharing Openroom with your family and friends.

You got us here and you’re pushing us forward. We won’t forget that!

📚 Let’s continue learning my friends!

Introducing 5 educational mini-courses that you can read free of charge on Openroom University or watch on Openroom’s Youtube.

Being informed is always a good idea.

For Housing Providers

For both Housing Providers and Renters

💜 Small Business highlight

A hidden gem tucked away in Vaughan-Woodbridge is Frank’s Place Bistro-Restaurant. My team spent a day working out of Owner and Chef Frank’s. I drank a whole week’s worth of coffee in a day because of the unlimited refills.

Frank told us that every single menu item is carefully curated and only exists on there if he deeply loves the dish. His restaurant is like his living room where he’s inviting each of us to enjoy.

If you stop by for breakfast solo, lunch with a colleague, or dinner date in the future; say that Weiting told you about Frank’s. I’m sure he’s got a surprise treat for you!

Vishal and I love supporting small businesses - whether you’re in food, retail, or real estate. We know the power of a community that supports one another. If you know a hidden gem 💎, PLEASE share it with us by replying back!

📊 Community Polling

We conduct research in our newsletters. You get to see results!

There is talk at every level of government to help with the housing crisis.

Reply back and say hi! I read every email.

Weiting Bollu
Mom, Rental Housing Provider, Rental Housing Advocate, Educator, and Openroom Co-Founder & CEO

What does my team at Openroom do?

At Openroom, we aggregate tenancy court orders across Canada, extract information from them, and put it to public use (e.g. search registry, report rental debt, impact credit history).

We also educate about rental housing, and we advocate for a more transparent and connected rental ecosystem - working with government and industry groups to support both responsible housing providers and residents.