In this exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Oren Singer, Co-Founder and CEO of Sparrow, shares his journey in revolutionizing Canada’s housing market. With a bold mission to unlock 100,000 empty bedrooms by 2030, Sparrow is tackling the country’s housing crisis by helping homeowners and renters find compatible long-term housing matches. Backed by Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Accenture, Sparrow empowers homeowners to generate passive income while providing renters with affordable living options. Through a platform that prioritizes safety, compatibility, and community-building, Oren is proving that innovative solutions can emerge from optimizing existing resources to address the housing affordability crisis.
Oren Singer is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sparrow, an innovative homesharing platform addressing Canada’s housing crisis by unlocking the country’s 12 million empty bedrooms. Since founding Sparrow, Oren has led the company to help thousands of homeowners and renters find compatible long-term housing matches, with a bold mission to unlock 100,000 bedrooms by 2030.
Backed by the Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Accenture, Sparrow is transforming the housing landscape by creating a win-win solution: empowering homeowners and landlords to generate passive income from unused space while providing renters with affordable living options. The platform emphasizes safety, compatibility, and community-building through verified profiles, background checks, and compatibility-based matching.
Before launching Sparrow, Oren built a strong foundation in business strategy at Accenture, where he spent over four years in progressively senior roles. As Business Strategy Manager in Accenture’s growth-focused venturing and incubation group, Bloom, he helped major corporations navigate disruption by creating innovative products and services at startup speed.
Oren holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering with a Finance Minor from McGill University.
A passionate entrepreneur, Oren is committed to addressing Canada’s housing affordability crisis through technological innovation and community-centered solutions.
Through Sparrow, he is not only creating a sustainable business but also driving meaningful social impact by making better use of existing housing resources—proving that better housing solutions can come from optimizing what we already have.
Sparrow tackles housing affordability and social isolation using Canada’s 12 million empty bedrooms. How does your platform balance economic and social outcomes for hosts and renters, especially for small-scale homeowners and vulnerable renters?
At Sparrow, we believe that shared living is a powerful solution to Canada’s housing crisis, offering both economic benefits and meaningful social connections. Our platform is designed to support small-scale homeowners—many of whom rely on rental income to help with mortgage payments, property taxes, and rising living costs—while also providing affordable and secure housing for renters who may face barriers in the traditional rental market.
For homeowners, Sparrow simplifies the process of renting out a spare room by handling tenant screening, rent collection, and compatibility-based matching. This reduces the risks and challenges of renting independently while ensuring a steady, reliable income stream. Many of our hosts are older adults, single parents, or first-time landlords who appreciate the financial stability and peace of mind our platform provides.
For renters, particularly students, newcomers, and individuals seeking affordable housing, Sparrow offers a stress-free and cost-effective alternative to traditional rentals. Our model promotes compatibility-based matching, ensuring that housemates are aligned on lifestyle preferences and expectations. By prioritizing safety and transparency—through ID verification, rent reporting, and clear rental agreements—we create a housing experience that is both secure and community-driven.
Ultimately, Sparrow is more than just a rental platform; it’s a bridge between affordability and social connection. By unlocking underutilized housing, we’re not only addressing economic challenges but also fostering a sense of belonging, reducing loneliness, and creating positive shared living experiences across Canada.
Safety is central to Sparrow’s model, with features like identity verification and compatibility matching. How do these tools build trust in shared living arrangements, and what feedback have you received from SMBs (e.g., property owners) using your platform to generate supplemental income?
At Sparrow, trust and safety are the foundation of our shared living model. We understand that inviting someone into your home—or moving into a shared space—requires confidence in the process. That’s why we’ve integrated key safety measures like identity verification, background screening, and compatibility-based matching to ensure both hosts and renters feel secure.
- Identity Verification & Screening: Every housemate goes through an ID verification process to confirm their legitimacy. Additionally, we facilitate rent reporting, which incentivizes responsible payments and builds a financial track record for renters.
- Compatibility Matching: Beyond financial and security checks, we focus on lifestyle compatibility—ensuring that hosts and renters are aligned on factors like cleanliness, schedules, and household rules. This reduces conflicts and fosters long-term, stable shared living arrangements.
- Secure Payments & Support: We handle rent collection and dispute resolution, reducing the administrative burden on homeowners and ensuring a reliable income stream.
Many of our hosts—ranging from empty nesters and single parents to first-time landlords—have shared that these features give them the confidence to rent out their spare rooms without worry. The ability to earn passive income while maintaining control over their home environment is a game-changer.
For small-scale homeowners, especially those unfamiliar with the rental market, Sparrow provides an easy and low-risk way to generate supplemental income without the hassle of managing listings, screening tenants, or chasing payments.
To date, our hosts have collectively earned over $5 million through Sparrow, with the average host supplementing their income by $900+ per month per bedroom rented. This additional income has helped homeowners offset mortgage payments, cover rising living costs, and increase their financial security—all while filling underutilized spaces in their homes.
With partnerships like CMHC and Accenture, how is Sparrow scaling its impact across provinces? What challenges have you faced in adapting homesharing solutions for diverse Canadian markets, from urban centers to smaller communities?
Sparrow is scaling homesharing nationwide by leveraging technology, policy support, and local partnerships. With Accenture, we use data-driven insights and automation to streamline matching, while CMHC helps us navigate housing regulations and position homesharing as a key affordability solution. We also collaborate with universities, newcomer organizations, and municipalities to grow adoption across diverse communities.
Challenges in Adapting Homesharing Across Canada
- Urban vs. Small Communities: Cities like Toronto and Surrey have high demand but affordability barriers, while smaller towns require more localized outreach to build supply and demand.
- Regulatory Differences: Varying municipal rules mean navigating different legal landscapes and educating stakeholders.
- Cultural & Demographic Needs: Preferences for shared living differ across communities, requiring ongoing adaptation of our matching and onboarding processes.
- Building Trust & Awareness: Many homeowners are unfamiliar with homesharing, so education and partnerships are key to growing adoption.
By refining our approach and working closely with communities, Sparrow is making homesharing a trusted and scalable housing solution across Canada.
Your case study with Precious Kamanga highlights rent savings of up to 40% compared to traditional housing. Can you share another example of how Sparrow has empowered Canadian SMBs, such as seniors or entrepreneurs, to monetize underutilized space while fostering community connections?
A great example of Sparrow’s impact is Tammy, a senior in Toronto, who turned her spare bedroom into a steady source of income while finding companionship and security. After losing her husband, Tammy lived alone for years, facing both financial strain and loneliness. Through Sparrow, she connected with Gabriella, an international student from Peru, creating a mutually beneficial living arrangement.
From a financial perspective, Tammy now earns an average of $900 per month by renting her extra bedroom, which helps cover essential living costs and home expenses. Like many seniors, she found that homesharing provided much-needed financial relief without the stress of managing a full rental property.
Beyond the income, Tammy shared that having a housemate improved her overall well-being, offering social interaction and a sense of safety in her home. With Sparrow’s secure matching, ID verification, and ongoing support, she felt confident welcoming a tenant while maintaining control over her space.
Tammy’s story reflects a growing trend—many seniors and retirees are leveraging Sparrow to unlock new income streams, ease financial pressure, and create meaningful connections in their homes. By monetizing underutilized space in a secure, structured way, Sparrow is helping small-scale homeowners and seniors build financial stability while addressing Canada’s housing shortage.
As a purpose-driven startup, what advice would you give other Canadian SMBs aiming to tackle systemic issues like housing affordability through collaborative or tech-enabled models?
Tackling systemic challenges like housing affordability requires innovation, collaboration, and a user-centric approach. At Sparrow, we’ve learned that technology alone isn’t enough—success comes from building trust, designing for real-world needs, and forging strategic partnerships. Here’s our advice for SMBs looking to make an impact:
- Solve a Real Problem with a Scalable Model: Focus on a pain point that deeply affects communities and design a solution that can scale without compromising user experience. In our case, homesharing was an underutilized yet highly scalable solution to affordability and social isolation.
- Leverage Technology to Simplify and Build Trust: Automation and data-driven insights can streamline processes, but trust is key—especially in housing. We integrated ID verification, compatibility matching, and secure payments to give both hosts and renters confidence in our platform.
- Partner with Stakeholders Who Share Your Mission: Collaborating with governments and industry leaders will open many doors. Partnerships can amplify impact and open doors to funding, resources, and growth opportunities.
- Prioritize Education and Community Engagement: Many people are unfamiliar with new models like homesharing, so education and storytelling are crucial. Sharing success stories from hosts and renters helped reduce skepticism and drive adoption.
- Balance Mission and Sustainability: A purpose-driven business still needs a sustainable revenue model. Finding the right balance between affordability and financial viability ensures long-term impact and growth.
Ultimately, tackling complex, systemic challenges requires a combination of technology, trust, and collaboration. By focusing on real community needs, leveraging partnerships, and staying adaptable, SMBs can drive meaningful change while building scalable, impactful businesses.
