Meet Ryan Musto, COO and Founder of Cityline
Making Apartment Rental as Easy as Booking a Hotel Room
We recently interviewed Oxonian, Ryan Musto, COO and co-founder of Cityline, to learn more about Ryan’s Oxford background and his journey to starting Cityline, a property technology company.
What did you study at Oxford?
I received a MSc in Oriental Studies in 2021. I was a member of Linacre College and wrote my dissertation on the political economy of the Saudi Arabian infrastructure project market. My advisor was Dr. Adeel Malik, Global Fellow in the Economies of Muslim Societies and Associate Professor in the Department of International Development.
Did you always think you would be an entrepreneur?
I’m not sure when I determined I wanted to start a business, but one thing I knew for sure is that I’ve always loved trying to solve multivariable problems that affect a lot of people. Whether from a policy perspective or from an entrepreneurship perspective, the underlying desire is the same.
What motivated you to start Cityline?
We all know how hard it can be to rent an apartment, but behind the scenes few realize how challenging it is for operators to screen and process prospective renters. We founded Cityline to make renting a joy for both sides of the equation!
My co-founders and I grew up around New York City and, like most folks from our area, are all too familiar with how frustrating renting an apartment can be. The process is antiquated, slow, and arduous. We were motivated by our belief that we can make renting easier and more financially secure for renters, whilst simultaneously increasing operational efficiency and financial transparency for owners/operators.
How was your Oxford experience relevant to becoming an entrepreneur?
At Oxford I honed high-level quantitative and data analysis skills that have proven foundational in building a data focused business. Though I built this skillset working on developmental econ research, I was delightfully surprised by its translatability to startup life. The work I did at the Bodleian Social Science Library diving into infrastructure and real estate project data on an Eikon terminal certainly set the seeds for our current approach to multifamily rental data.
What has been your most rewarding accomplishment to date as a founder?
Our most rewarding accomplishment was our first commercial deployment with ENSAF Capital, bringing Cityline to New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee. To see our software live in-market with real users reaping real benefits was a tremendously rewarding feeling.
Why is the Oxford Angel Fund excited about this investment?
The property management and analytics market is estimated at $19.3 B with a 9.8% CAGR amounting to $30B+ by 2029. We are impressed by the founding team who have experience in NYC real estate and PropTech at firms including JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, and Keller Williams. To learn more about CItyline visit cityline.io.
Cityline.io
Proptech for long term rentals
Founders: Ryan Musto, Rohan Watumull, Ryan Jaeger
Founded: August 2020
Stage: Pre-seed, February 2023
Notable Investors: ERA (Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator)
Cityline makes renting an apartment as fast and as painless as booking a hotel room, all while introducing data science and predictive intelligence to property management. Applicants are screened and processed instantly, feeding insights to our suite of financial health and projection tools.