Turning rent into roots

Bloxx: Revolutionizing Homeownership with Debt-Free Solutions and Web3 Innovation at Web Summit Lisbon 2025

At Web Summit Lisbon 2025, Mr. Chris Smith, Co-Founder & CEO of Bloxx, introduced the company as the world’s first home equity subscription service. Bloxx aims to enable millions globally to become homeowners again, driven by a singular mission: to get people into homes they own. This innovative approach seeks to transform the residential asset class.

Mr. Smith detailed three core components of Bloxx. Firstly, it allows individuals to own a home without needing debt or a mortgage. Secondly, Bloxx creates a new asset class by directly connecting institutional capital, such as pension funds and insurers, to home buyers. This offers better returns for investors while simultaneously helping people acquire homes.

The third component involves building Bloxx on Web3 infrastructure, preparing it to leverage digital contracts, NFTs, and digital currency. This infrastructure is designed to digitize the $300 trillion residential market, the largest market globally, making it work differently and enabling a massive use case for Web3 technology to facilitate homeownership for everyone.

Mr. Cliff Curtis, Actor and Chief Communications Officer for Bloxx, elaborated on the debt-free model. He explained that traditional mortgages on a $500,000 home can incur an additional $750,000 in interest over 30 years. By removing this debt, Bloxx frees up substantial capital, reducing costs for home buyers and increasing capital available for investors, making homeownership more accessible.

Mr. Smith highlighted the pressing problem Bloxx addresses: the declining ability for many to own a home. He noted that in Portugal, less than one in four people under 30 own a home, and globally, 1.2 billion people are renting, a number that is rapidly increasing. This trend, he explained, is rooted in how capital is currently diverted within financial markets.

Bloxx’s solution involves creating a new access point for institutional capital. Mr. Smith pointed out that less than 5% of the residential market currently involves institutional capital because it struggles to access the market directly, often getting stuck in the banking system. Bloxx bridges this gap, connecting capital directly to customers and homes, creating a transformative impact.

Mr. Curtis drew parallels to historical community models, such as mill owners providing capital for workers to buy homes. He explained that Bloxx scales this traditional concept using Web3 technology and Mr. Smith’s financial expertise. This allows Bloxx to help thousands in communities worldwide, moving beyond the limited scope of individual family assistance.

The timing for Bloxx is crucial, driven by technological advancements like Web3 and AI. Mr. Smith noted that AI is integrated into Bloxx to match people with desired homes based on their interactions on the platform. Mr. Curtis added that the current situation, where prosperity often correlates with unaffordable housing, is breaking a societal contract, leading to anger and a need for solutions that reconnect communities through homeownership.

Ms. Kimberley Waldron, the host, acknowledged the shared values and diverse backgrounds of Mr. Smith from the UK and Mr. Curtis from New Zealand, which fuel their mission. Bloxx, after a three-year pilot in New Zealand, is now expanding globally. They are engaging governments, including the UK, and inviting international communities, like Portugal, to embrace this innovative solution to make homeownership accessible worldwide.

Mr. Smith emphasized that achieving this change requires collective effort, not just the Bloxx team. He expressed readiness to launch in Portugal within months, provided there is backing and access to capital. The core belief driving Bloxx, as reiterated by both Mr. Smith and Mr. Curtis, is that everyone deserves a home, a powerful sentiment that underpins their global aspirations.