We are proud to share March’s Friends and Family Fund Grant Winner: LP, founder of Houstory, an app designed to give renters the information they were never given before signing a lease.
Every month, Sky’s the Limit invests up to $2,500 in early stage entrepreneurs through the Friends and Family Fund. These grants support founders building solutions rooted in real life problems that affect millions.
LP’s story begins with a question many renters have silently asked.
Why is renting one of the biggest financial decisions we make with almost no real data?
With a background in human resources and people operations, LP built a career centered around creating fair and equitable systems inside organizations. But outside of work, their own housing experience told a different story.
One apartment in Brooklyn became more than just a bad experience. It became a long term problem.
Health hazards. Broken security. Missing essentials. A living situation that revealed how little protection renters actually have once a lease is signed.
That experience stayed with LP and exposed a larger truth.
The system is not built for transparency.
So LP decided to build something that is.
80 percent of renters reported a lack of transparency before signing
The risk is real. The data is missing.
Today, renters make life changing decisions with limited information.
You take a tour. You see the amenities. You speak to a manager. But there is no verified record of what it is actually like to live there.
LP’s research across New York, DC, Maryland, and Virginia revealed a consistent pattern. Most renters are entering leases without full visibility into safety, conditions, or history.
That gap leads to costly mistakes, stress, and long term consequences.
Houstory is built to give renters what they have always needed but never had.
Real, verified insight into the actual living experience.
The app consolidates essential housing data and overlays hidden information directly onto listings. Renters can see past issues, understand risks, and make decisions with confidence instead of guesswork.
Beyond search, Houstory supports renters throughout their lease with tools like checklists and advocacy scripts to help protect their rights and deposits.
This is not about highlighting only negative experiences. It is about building a more transparent and equitable housing system where renters and landlords both benefit from trust and accountability.
44 million renting households in the United States
Renters under 35 who expect data driven decisions
Houstory is already gaining traction.
Behind the product is a growing team of 15, built through resourcefulness, collaboration, and community support.
LP has been building this while wearing multiple roles, from product to hiring to fundraising, driven by the belief that renters deserve better.
he March Friends and Family Fund Grant helps Houstory move from early product to scalable platform.
Funding will support engineering development, improve how housing data is structured and delivered, and strengthen the infrastructure needed to protect users and expand into new cities.
This is about more than building an app.
It is about creating the foundation for renter empowerment at scale.
LP was awarded the March Friends and Family Fund Grant after winning the live pitch competition.
Each month, the two most boosted pitches on the Sky’s the Limit platform, along with one wildcard, advance to compete live. LP stood out by turning a personal housing experience into a solution that addresses a nationwide gap.
Their message was clear.
Renters deserve data. Renters deserve transparency. Renters deserve better.
Winning the March Pitch Competition is just the beginning for LP and Houstory. With a mindset built on persistence and continuous improvement, LP is focused on refining the platform, applying feedback, and staying closely connected to the community that helped shape the journey. The same approach that turned multiple no’s into a winning yes will now drive the next phase of growth, proving that consistent effort and iteration are what move the business forward.
The Friends and Family Fund provides early stage capital of up to $2,500 each month to underrepresented entrepreneurs launching bold, impact driven ideas. Through Sky’s the Limit’s community powered process, more than $500,000 has been awarded to founders building solutions that improve everyday life.
Each grant helps turn lived experience into meaningful change.
Whether you are a donor, mentor, or partner, your support helps founders build tools that protect people in real, everyday decisions.
Sky’s the Limit exists so that no one has to navigate life’s biggest choices without the information they deserve.
👉 Join Sky’s the Limit and help bring transparency to every renter's journey.