Turboappeal Services

TurboAppeal Services was a financial technology company specializing in residential and commercial property tax appeals, founded in 2014 by Badal Shah and John Guidos. Shah, a multiple-exit entrepreneur and Kellogg School of Management graduate, was inspired to start the company after a personally frustrating and inaccurate property tax appeal experience with a law firm. This led him to team up with Guidos, a licensed attorney, to create a technology-driven solution.

The company's core offering was an online platform that utilized machine-learning algorithms and big data analytics to automate the generation of evidence for property tax appeals. This data-driven approach aimed to ensure the most accurate comparable property data was used, increasing the likelihood of a successful appeal for homeowners. The service was designed for simplicity, requiring users to provide basic information online, after which the platform would compile the necessary paperwork for the homeowner to file. The business model was success-based; for some services, TurboAppeal charged a fee only if the appeal resulted in savings for the property owner. For its self-service residential product, it charged a flat fee of $29 per appeal.

Headquartered in Chicago and incubated at the 1871 tech hub, TurboAppeal demonstrated rapid growth, securing over $7.2 million in funding from investors including Hyde Park Angels, KGC Capital, and Guaranteed Rate. The company expanded its services from Cook County, Illinois, to counties in 18 states. A significant milestone was a strategic partnership with Paradigm Tax Group in 2016, which led to the development of a commercial property tax solution. This partnership culminated in May 2017, when Paradigm Tax Group acquired TurboAppeal for an undisclosed amount, integrating its technology to become a national provider of tech-enabled property tax appeal services for both residential and commercial clients. Following the acquisition, Shah became the Chief Marketing Officer of Paradigm.

Keywords: property tax appeal, proptech, real estate technology, tax technology, data-driven appeals, machine learning, residential property tax, commercial property tax, automated tax appeal, Badal Shah, John Guidos, Paradigm Tax Group, Chicago startup, 1871, Hyde Park Angels, property tax reduction, assessment appeal, fintech, legal tech, big data analytics