Uber, Habitas founders launch luxury multifamily startup

Key Points

•  Travis Kalanick and Oliver Ripley launched Sekra, a new luxury multifamily development and management platform
• The startup quietly raised $12.5M in seed funding, co-led by Fifth Wall and 8VC
•  Sekra will target coastal U.S. cities, Riyadh, and Dubai, focusing first on acquisitions and renovations

A New Luxury Rental Platform

Sekra is positioning itself at the intersection of luxury multifamily and hospitality-driven living. Rather than jumping directly into ground-up construction, the company plans to acquire and renovate existing properties, allowing it to scale more quickly while testing its operating model. The platform will eventually expand into new development, but the initial focus is on markets where high-income renters prioritize experience, flexibility, and design over ownership. Target geographies include coastal U.S. cities as well as international markets like Riyadh and Dubai, signaling global ambitions from the outset.

Founders with Scale and Capital

The company is led by Travis Kalanick and Oliver Ripley, pairing Silicon Valley scale with hospitality branding expertise. Ripley previously founded Habitas, a lifestyle-driven hotel platform backed by Kalanick and Barry Sternlicht. Habitas has expanded to 13 hotels across the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa, and attracted a $50M investmentin 2022 from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and A&K Travel Group. That international hospitality playbook now appears to be influencing Sekra’s global site selection.

Seed Capital and Institutional Backing

Sekra raised $12.5 million in seed funding, co-led by Fifth Wall and 8VC, two firms known for backing technology driven real estate platforms. While modest by development standards, the capital signals venture-style confidence in a multifamily operating model that leans heavily on brand, technology, and resident experience rather than pure yield compression.

Targeting the Gen Z Renter

Sekra’s thesis is built around a structural shift in housing behavior. Younger renters, particularly Generation Z, are renting longer as homeownership becomes less attainable. The company plans to integrate smart-home technology, hospitality-style services, and wellness features such as sleep optimization into its properties. By controlling lighting, appliances, and other in-unit systems through technology, Sekra aims to differentiate itself from traditional luxury apartment operators competing on amenities alone.

A Familiar Playbook

Kalanick’s move into multifamily follows a similar pattern to his post-Uber investments. Through CloudKitchens, he acquired more than 40 properties across two dozen cities for roughly $30M, focusing on operational control and adaptive reuse rather than ground-up development. Sekra appears to apply that same mindset to residential real estate, prioritizing control, technology, and operational leverage.

Bottom Line

Sekra’s launch reflects growing convergence between hospitality, technology, and multifamily housing. With well-known founders, venture backing, and a focus on high-income renters, the platform is another signal that luxury apartments are evolving beyond traditional development models