Built by flippers, for flippers.
Before Zephyr was software, it was a spreadsheet. Before the spreadsheet, it was a whiteboard. We built this because we needed it — 30+ flips in Austin taught us that the existing tools weren’t built by people who actually do this work.
The short version
We met building a real estate startup called Homemade in Austin. Zak ran the tech, Joe ran the deals. Together we flipped 30+ houses across the Austin metro — and along the way, we got really frustrated with the tools available to independent investors.
The MLS tools were built for agents, not investors. The underwriting spreadsheets broke every time you changed an assumption. The comp data was either locked behind expensive subscriptions or too unreliable to put real money behind. And nothing talked to anything else.
So we built Zephyr. Not as a side project or a pivot — as the thing we kept wishing existed every time we sat down to underwrite a deal. Every feature comes from a real problem we hit on a real project. If it’s in the product, it’s because we needed it.
The team
Zak Allen
Co-founder
Engineer and builder. Northwestern CS grad who's spent the last decade as CTO and first engineer at startups across real estate and fintech — FlyHomes, Hearth, Homemade. Moved from Chicago to SF to Austin, building products the entire way. At Zephyr, Zak leads the product and engineering, turning hard-won flipping experience into software that actually works the way investors think.
Joe Shashaty
Co-founder
Operator and dealmaker. Joe moved from NYC to Austin and cut his teeth in the trenches of Texas real estate. Completed 30+ remodels and built and scaled operations as co-founder of Homemade, a venture-backed house flipping as a service platform. Built alongside investors, operators, and contractors across Austin. At Zephyr, Joe leads sales and real estate operations, translating battle-tested operator workflows into software built for how investors actually think and execute.
Oaken
Chief Morale Officer
Red merle Australian Shepherd. 3 months old. Has not yet underwritten a deal, but maintains an undefeated record of making every Zoom call better. Responsibilities include quality control on office snacks, monitoring the front door for suspicious delivery drivers, and ensuring nobody works too many hours without a walk break.
How we build
Real data or nothing
We use actual MLS feeds, not scraped estimates. If the data isn't reliable enough to underwrite a real deal, it doesn't go in the product.
Operators first
Every feature is tested against the question: does this help an investor make a better decision, faster? If not, we cut it.
Texas deep
We'd rather be the best platform for Texas investors than a mediocre national tool. Depth beats breadth when real money is on the line.
Ship fast, listen harder
We release updates weekly based on direct feedback from our users. Half our best features started as a text from an investor saying "can you make it do this?"
Want to work with us?
We’re building Zephyr alongside the investors who use it. If you’re flipping in Texas, we’d love to hear from you.