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2026 The ApartmentBuildings.com 100
Innovators of the Year
- Chris Moltke-Hansen Spearheads Tech Upgrades at Apartment Management Consultants
- Blima Ehrentreu Leads The Designers Group’s Growth Through Technology
- BRIDGE Housing and Avanath Communities Offer A New Model for Affordable Housing Management
- Cap Pointe Advisors and Greystone Break New Ground in Section 8 Financing
- Cherry Development Supports Homeowners with New Program
- Coral Charge Takes EV Charging Off the Utility Grid
- Deloitte Suggests an SaaS Approach to Multifamily
- Drake Property Management Scales Operations With Centralized Tech
- Hotelization is Redefining the Resident Experience
- Ivy Energy’s Logan Carter Encourages Solar As A Revenue-Producing Asset
- Josh Draughn With Hillpointe Turns AI into a Leasing Advantage
- LA Más Uses Community Ownership to Preserve Affordable Housing
- Michael Broder with RCKRBX Relies on Renters For Forecasts
- Model/Z Brings a Manufacturing Mindset to Multifamily Construction
- Morguard Partners with CENGN, Nokia to Create Smart-Building Living Labs
- PearlX’s Simon Herrmann Helps Turn Multifamily Properties Into Energy Assets
- Reframe Brings Robotics, Modular Designs to Residential Construction
- Sarah Segal and Katherine Radziszewski of simplydbs Make Renter Feedback Continuous
- The Oakland Fund’s Rooted Program Supports Educators in Finding Affordable Housing
- Yardi Systems Shifts Multifamily AI From Answers to Action
The Oakland Fund’s Rooted Program Supports Educators in Finding Affordable Housing
When the 33-unit Idora Apartments in Oakland’s Temsecal neighborhood sold for $12.6 million in a transaction arranged by Berkadia this past March, the buyer was the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation, with its Rooted program leading efforts to provide equitable housing solutions for educators. The program launched in 2020 as an initiative of the Oakland Mayor’s office, working in partnership with Oakland Unified School District.
The initial focus was on providing monthly housing stipends to recruit and retain Oakland teachers, particularly new and early-career teachers of color in hard-to-staff areas like STEM and Special Education. Then known as TRiO, the program supported more than 100 Oakland aspiring and new teachers over the course of four years.
TRiO went independent from the Mayor’s office in 2022 while adding programming, such as an online housing marketplace with discounted rents offered by participating landlords, and evolving into TRiO Plus. It also expanded its reach from teachers to the broader spectrum of educators. Finally, in 2025, TRiO Plus aligned with the Oakland Fund, led by CEO Kyra Mungia, and became Rooted.
These are some of the reasons why Rooted was selected to receive ApartmentBuildings.com’s AB 100 Innovators of the Year Award, which recognizes those who demonstrate creativity, skill and success in the multifamily industry.