Proptech startup Helium has raised Rs 5 crore, according to Tech-Economic Times. The funding round includes investment from Kunal Shah, Albinder Dhindsa, and others. Helium will use the fresh capital for product development and marketing, with its platform addressing a specific friction point in rental housing: the security deposit.
Platform model: Direct leasing with credit-linked deposits
Helium operates as a tech-led real estate rental management platform. Its model centers on how tenants access homes and how deposits are structured. Rather than only connecting renters and property owners, Helium “leases homes directly from owners” and “pays the full security deposit upfront,” enabling tenants to rent from the platform.
A key feature of Helium’s approach is that “the deposit a tenant pays is linked to their credit profile.” This means the deposit amount required from a tenant may vary based on credit-related signals, tying deposit requirements to creditworthiness assessment rather than applying a uniform fixed deposit amount.
Funding allocation and product development
The startup will direct the Rs 5 crore toward product development and marketing. From a technology perspective, this allocation addresses two areas: building and maintaining systems that determine deposit amounts and manage tenant eligibility, and scaling customer acquisition and partner onboarding.
The described model requires coordination across multiple components—owner leasing, tenant onboarding, deposit handling, and credit-profile linkage. Product development funding would support the workflows and decisioning logic needed to operationalize the deposit linkage at scale. Marketing efforts would focus on acquiring tenants and working with owners willing to lease directly to the platform.
Credit-linked deposits in rental underwriting
The core technological mechanism is that deposits are linked to credit profiles, meaning deposit payment becomes a risk-sensitive parameter rather than a fixed amount. In rental management, deposits traditionally serve as a buffer for landlords and a commitment signal for tenants. By making deposits credit-linked, the amount can adjust based on credit assessment rather than remaining uniform.
This approach reflects a broader trend in proptech: using data-driven decisioning to restructure how traditional housing transactions are organized. By connecting a financial metric (credit profile) to a contract term (deposit), Helium applies underwriting logic to a step historically managed through standardized rules.
What to watch in Helium’s rollout
Key areas to monitor include owner relationship management systems, as Helium leases homes directly from owners and will need to manage inventory and lease lifecycles. Additionally, the platform’s reliance on credit-related data and decisioning will require consistent and transparent deposit calculation processes as the tenant base expands. Finally, Helium’s marketing strategy will likely emphasize the deposit experience and rental access as core value propositions.
Source: Tech-Economic Times