Building a Proactive Mortgage Experience

Building a Proactive Mortgage Experience

Saroop Bharwani, CEO of Senso

Thanks to Senso for contributing to the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator’s Founder Feature series! Senso partners with community banks to accelerate mortgage origination growth by proactively engaging borrowers months before their next home purchase or refinance. To meet Senso and the other fintechs in the 2022 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator, powered by The Venture Center, click here. For questions, please email founders@venturecenter.co.

The Venture Center: Where did the idea for Senso originate?

Saroop Bharwani: The idea sparked when Senso’s founders combined their unique perspectives on the reactive nature of the mortgage workflow and how predictive engagement could make the process proactive to benefit both banks and homebuyers. 

What problem is Senso solving?

Eight times out of 10, existing bank clients acquire their next mortgage from a competing originator. This is a pain point for both homebuyers and the banks who leave millions in additional annual revenue on the table.  

Was there ever a time when you wanted to give up? If so, how did you overcome that feeling?

The path to creating a dent in the world comes with its ebbs and flows, and real change requires startups to “fail” until they succeed. 

In our early days, the time it took to convince early adopters to pilot with us was challenging, and there were times where success seemed unlikely. Overcoming these ebbs required the right team with the right mindset to support each other through difficult times. And then, finding creative solutions to solve “the hard thing about the hard things.” We are truly lucky to be collaborating with such a great group of individuals on a daily basis.    

What is your philosophical approach to finding work/life balance?

We believe that stepping away from the screen to spend time with family, work on creative projects, or discover new experiences is an essential ingredient when trying to maximize team productivity. 

Our management team is committed to ensuring that our team views their time at Senso as a life experience vs. just another line item on their resume. We strive to create new future founders. 

Who is your favorite entrepreneur and why?

At the moment, I am a big fan of Balaji Srinivasan. His viewpoints on how emerging technology S-Curves are likely to alter the political narrative in the next decade speak to both the engineer and the macroeconomist in me. He has a first-principles understanding of combining technical primitives and historical patterns likely to repeat themselves. 

What’s the best book you have ever read, and why?

The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz. It’s the one book that gets down to the realities only founders face, the tough decisions we confront, and real stories on how to overcome the difficult times. 

Why did you decide to apply for the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator, and what do you hope to gain from it?

While we do view the program as a great opportunity to meet prospective customers, what makes this truly exciting is being able to do our part in helping communities thrive. We view the ICBA ThinkTech Accelerator as a gateway to helping as many as is possible prospective home buyers enter the market via the community banks that we power.  

Thanks to Senso for contributing to the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator’s Founder Feature series! To meet Senso and the other fintechs in the 2022 ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator, powered by The Venture Center, click here. For questions, please email founders@venturecenter.co.