H.A. Hang: Chris Rosenbaum

The coolest part of our business has always been our clients. We’re amazed by all they do: CEOs, world travelers, authors, inventors, entrepreneurs, newscasters, artists, pro athletes, musicians, caretakers, and philanthropists.

We launched this series to share the stories of our clients and form connections within the H.A. community. Enjoy!

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Home Appétit: Love the name, but what does Birdwatch do?
Chris Rosenbaum: We help homeowners take care of their home. It takes a lot of work to manage everything—there’s maintenance and an endless to-do list. It's hard to find good, reliable help. We make it easy by assigning you a team to help with all of your needs. That could be an emergency, preventative and regular maintenance or one-off enhancement project. 

That sounds incredibly helpful. When did the company start?
Three years ago.

Did you launch in Philly?
Half of our founding team is based out of DC. They were running a traditional property management company for rentals and we both saw an opportunity to provide that kind of service for homeowners. We wanted to marry technology, people and process together in a new hospitality-focused way. We've been operational in DC since 2022 and launched in Philadelphia in 2023.

How does it all work? You vet subcontractors?
We’re the anti-Angie’s List. We actually hire technicians as employees. The predominant tech play in this space has been the marketplace model: jobs are posted, ratings are checked, and people are hired. But that often hasn't been great for the homeowners or the tradespeople. Workers don't want every job to be a gig. The Uberization of everything is something we're pushing back on. Our technicians have guaranteed hours, get medical benefits, and get paid time off. It’s the right way to do business and, in return, they can focus on the quality of their service. 

Is it a membership model?
Yes. We have three different membership plans, which run the gamut from folks who want to use us once in a while and have peace of mind that there’s a team on their side—all the way up to our autopilot plan. That’s full service, in that we’ll take care of preventive maintenance visits and the seasonal things. We match different types of budgets in that regard.

What's onboarding like?
Every membership kicks off with a home walkthrough and getting a dedicated home manager. That person is your coordinator and advocate. They get on site, scan all the equipment and systems so that they can remote triage when the dishwasher breaks on a Friday night. We already know the details of what’s been installed so we can work on it immediately. They discuss projects, get quotes and schedule work when you’re ready.

What are some examples of things people use Birdwatch for?
If people want to do a $50,000 kitchen renovation, there are a lot of people that will come talk to you. But if you have a leaky faucet? Good luck. We’re the solution for those small things. There are projects like power washing your back deck, installing new lights, painting the kids bedroom. We focus on the practical, livable things so that a house isn’t a constant burden. 

What about emergencies?
We do have 24/7 urgent calls. I mean, if it’s a fire or flood, call 911. But if it is urgent, we're there on your behalf. It’s nice to have that peace of mind. 

Birdwatch talks about preventative and deferred maintenance. What’s that?
It’s the things we never get around to doing. People don’t have time for DIY anymore. There’s work, travel, kids going in five different directions. That’s where we really create value for people. We make recommendations for practical maintenance—and then do it for you!—to keep everything in tip top shape. That way, you reduce the number of emergency repairs. And, when you go to sell the home, everything's in great condition. 

What kind of technicians do you employ?
We have plumbing, electrical and carpentry. When there’s something bigger, like you need a new roof, a new driveway, have asbestos issues, or need a tree taken down, we work with third party specialists and project manage on your behalf. We make sure it's the right scope, the right price, the right schedule, the right logistics. 

How do customers get in touch with their point person?
We have a lot of technology, including an app. We call it the “easy button” for your home. You can manage your to-dos and move items into service. The technology makes it easy to communicate, but there are real people behind the scenes orchestrating it all on your behalf. 

Who are your members?
They are busy homeowners. It's folks who care about their property but don't have time—or energy—to keep up with it. Obviously, that’s families with kids in the house. We also have a lot of millennial first-time homeowners who don’t really know how to do all of this stuff. And then older adults who don’t want to spend their golden years dealing with maintaining a home. Our largest concentration of members is in the urban core—in condos and townhouses—and in homes on the Main Line and in Delaware County. 

What does it mean that Birdwatch is a public benefit company?
It’s important that we do right by people. We have a sister foundation called BirdSEED, which we put one percent of our revenue into. BirdSEED provides first-time home buyers with down payment grants so they can get into homes and start to create generational wealth. The housing justice gap in Philadelphia and DC is tremendous; helping to close that is an important part of our mission and in our DNA.

Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?
Well, growing up I hoped I’d be playing third base for the Phillies. It turns out, I wasn’t that good! When I was in college I owned my own painting franchise, which lit my entrepreneurial fire and taught me a lot about the service business and hard work. But, I actually spent a lot of my early career in education, running business units for Kaplan, then I shifted into the technology world, leaning into innovation more broadly the last decade.

Are you originally from the Philly area? Have you always lived here?
Yes, born and raised in Montgomery County. I went to Upper Moreland High School and college at Penn State. After college I lived all over—New York, Chicago for grad school, Germany, Brazil, San Francisco. But once I had kids I boomeranged back home. 

Do you use Birdwatch services yourself? Do you have the most well-kept house in Philly?
I try not to bug my guys too much, but sometimes when we need to test out new technicians we’ll give them some tasks around the house. We also have facilities where we can test skills. 

We ask everyone what some of their favorite places to eat are, besides Home Appétit, of course. Any recommendations?
Well, I have a one and four year old, so my going out has been a little curtailed the last few years. I also love to cook. But I’m more than happy to stand in line for a cheesesteak at Dalessandro's.

So good. Love it there.
We also love Suraya. I’ll never forget the first time we went there. I ate so much food that I actually had to step outside in the middle of the meal to get some air. It was all so good! This is such a great food city. I lived in New York and they have a great range of food—but it’s twice the price of what you can get in Philly. 

Learn more about Chris' company Birdwatch!