A startup aiming to reshape how renters build financial stability took top honors at the 2026 PropTech Startup Showdown during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, March 13 and 14. KeyPath, an AI-powered resident rewards platform, is designed to help landlords retain tenants while giving renters a way to build savings that could eventually support a future path toward homeownership.
The PropTech Showdown was a collaboration between Realtor.com® and the National Association of REALTORS®’ Tech & Innovation team. The event highlighted startups tackling pain points across real estate—from rental housing and transaction management to home inspection repairs and more.
Six startups pitched their concepts to a panel of judges during the live event, delivering four-minute presentations followed by rapid-fire questions on how their technology could improve residential or commercial real estate. The winning company receives $5,000 and industry exposure, such as through Realtor.com®, NAR, Second Century Ventures and other partner channels.
The home inspection, AI solution, QwikFix, was selected as the Audience Choice at SXSW through live voting by the crowd.
"Partnering with Realtor.com® to host the PropTech Startup Showdown at SXSW allowed us to spotlight founders solving real challenges in the housing ecosystem and advancing innovations that can help make homeownership more attainable,” says Dan Weisman, NAR’s director of innovation strategy. “These kinds of innovations can reduce friction in the home buying process and support the broader goal of making homeownership more attainable.”
Related: At SXSW, Realtor.com® Becomes REALTORS® Relief Foundation’s Largest Donor of 2026
KeyPath: Another Path Toward Homeownership
Founder and CEO Laurel Djoukeng created KeyPath to address a long-standing perceived imbalance in rental housing: Millions of renters pay rent consistently for years but build no financial stake in the housing economy, while landlords face costly tenant turnover.
“KeyPath aligns those incentives by allowing renters to participate in rewards programs and optional equity pathways tied to the homes they live in, while landlords gain stronger retention and improved property performance,” Djoukeng says. “The goal is not to replace traditional homeownership but to create an additional pathway that allows renters to gradually build financial participation in housing.”
The platform converts actions—such as on-time rent payments and responsible tenancy—into rewards with real cash value that can support long-term financial goals, including potential future homeownership opportunities.
“Housing affordability challenges and rising barriers to homeownership have made it harder for many renters to transition to ownership,” Djoukeng says. “At the same time, landlords and cities are looking for solutions that improve housing stability. Platforms like KeyPath help align incentives among tenants, property owners and communities in a way that can strengthen long-term housing outcomes.”
For landlords and property managers, the system aims to reduce turnover and improve net operating income. The platform integrates with existing property management systems and leases, allowing landlords to retain full title and control of their assets while residents participate through a rewards structure.
KeyPath plans to focus its platform initially on landlords of single-family homes and townhomes and build-to-rent operators in growing U.S. markets.
Djoukeng called the SXSW recognition a pivotal validation moment as the company builds out pilot partnerships.
“It helps bring attention to the idea that renting and ownership do not have to be mutually exclusive,” Djoukeng says. “Tokenized participation models allow renters to build economic participation in their home while landlords retain full control of the property and their existing financing structures. Recognition from the competition helps accelerate industry conversations around how these models can be implemented responsibly within today’s real estate framework.”
Audience Favorite QwikFix Aims to Ease Home Inspection Process
The SWSX audience selected QwikFix as the crowd favorite during the event, earning the company broader industry exposure for its home inspection tool. The platform targets one of the most stressful moments in a real estate transaction: inspection negotiations.
QwikFix converts inspection reports into fast repair pricing estimates and managed repairs, helping agents, buyers and sellers quickly understand the cost and scope of needed fixes.
Founder and CEO Jeremy Henley said the goal is to remove uncertainty from repair negotiations.
“We’re excited to show that repair pricing can be standardized at the exact moment a deal is at risk,” says Henley. “Every agent has a story about a transaction that died because no one knew what the repairs actually cost.”
QwikFix provides real pricing, managed work and verified completion. “The agent who hands their client an easy button for repairs isn’t just closing deals—they’re building a referral engine,” Henley says.
QwikFix currently operates in more than 40 states and is expanding through partnerships with home inspectors, regional and national inspection firms, MLSs and brokerages.
Other Startups in the SXSW Competition
The 2026 PropTech Startup Showdown also featured several other emerging technologies aimed at improving the real estate industry:
- BreatheEV, which provides turnkey electric-vehicle charging solutions for properties.
- Contraca, a platform that enables brokerages to build a database of deal histories without requiring agents to adopt new software.
- HouseQuest, which uses augmented reality and AI to reimagine the home shopping experience.
- The Real Time App, a transaction management platform that gives buyers and sellers real-time visibility into transaction timelines and milestones.
