While the pandemic significantly impacted numerous sectors, the housing market has experienced substantial growth. The shift towards remote work and altered commuting habits fueled a dramatic increase in home sales last year, and the National Association of Realtors anticipates the final tally will represent a 14-year high.

This positive trend has greatly benefited Better Mortgage, commonly known as Better.com, as the company reports currently processing $3 billion in mortgage loans each month. This growth has attracted considerable venture capital investment, most recently a $200 million funding round completed a few weeks ago, spearheaded by L Catterton and resulting in a $4 billion company valuation. Since March of last year, the company has also significantly expanded its workforce, adding over 4,000 employees.

Among the recent additions to the team is Diane Yu, who assumes the role of CTO, responsible for overseeing engineering and guiding the company’s technical direction. She brings a wealth of experience in the advertising technology space, previously serving as CTO for Comcast’s Advanced Advertising Group. Ms. Yu joined Comcast through its acquisition of FreeWheel, a startup she co-founded that specialized in advertising management and optimization solutions. Before that, she held engineering leadership positions at DoubleClick for almost ten years.

Ms. Yu’s appointment follows the recruitment of Kevin Ryan as CFO, who began his role in October of the previous year. Mr. Ryan previously spent many years as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley, where he led the initial public offering for Rocket Mortgage, a prominent example of the emerging generation of mortgage lenders.

These strategic hires likely indicate preparations for a potential initial public offering, a prospect that has been discussed for several months and gained momentum following Mr. Ryan’s arrival. With robust home sales, rapidly increasing loan underwriting, and a strengthened leadership team, Better is positioning itself for a successful entry into the public market.