Having spent three decades guiding institutional capital at JPMorgan, UBS, and Fortress, Plaut is now making his inaugural personal investment in a private company — Be Belong Group.
“When you’ve been at this for thirty years, you recognize what is genuine. Be Belong is genuine — and I am proud to stand behind it with my name, my money, and my professional future.”— Peter Plaut, CFO and Board Member, Be Belong Group Corp
Be Belong Group Corp has revealed that Peter Plaut, a seasoned professional with three decades in institutional capital markets, has allocated $1 million of his personal funds to the company’s $10M Series A round and has assumed the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Board Member. Plaut’s financial pledge launches the round and represents the first instance in his career where he has personally invested in a privately held business.
Throughout his 30-year career, Plaut has scrutinized investment prospects at Bank of America, Salomon Brothers, JPMorgan Chase, UBS, Citibank, and Fortress Investment Group, reviewing tens of thousands of firms across all major asset categories, market cycles, and regions. According to Plaut, his personal dedication to Be Belong stems from a three-decade quest for a system capable of delivering a sustainable, expandable income stream for ordinary individuals — independent of conventional jobs.
The Engine Behind the Investment
Be Belong’s primary offering, RentGain.AI, functions as an Earnings-as-a-Service (EaaS) marketplace linking confirmed renters, property managers, and brands. This system directs brand advertising expenditures straight into renter income, which tenants then apply to their monthly rent. A proprietary AI-driven algorithm tracks renter engagement activity in real time, pairing each renter with brand promotions that correspond to their shown interests, unlocking varying earnings based on the level of interaction.
Since its launch on February 1, RentGain.AI has brought on over 100,000 confirmed active renters, verified by AppsFlyer [1], with an extra 200,000 renters on a waiting list across 207 property buildings. Total participants within the Be Belong ecosystem have exceeded 300,000 [2]. The business currently carries a valuation benchmark of $42 million [3].
The platform’s three-sided framework — renters earn money, property managers receive confirmed payment contributions, brands access a highly interested, verified audience — creates increasing value for every participant as the platform expands. Plaut singled out this structure as the key feature setting RentGain.AI apart from traditional advertising and property technology platforms.
“Looking back at thirty years of assessing companies across every asset class and region, hardly any present the combination that Be Belong offers: confirmed demand, a behavioral engine that becomes more effective with growth, and a financial setup where unit economics strengthen as the platform scales. Choosing to invest personal capital was an easy decision.”
— Peter Plaut, CFO and Board Member, Be Belong Group Corp
Why a Personal Investment Matters
Plaut’s $1 million personal contribution carries additional importance given his professional background. Institutional investors and capital allocators typically keep a rigid separation between their professional advisory roles and personal investment holdings. A three-decade career in institutional finance provides substantial exposure to early-stage opportunities; Plaut’s decision to select Be Belong as the vehicle for his first personal company investment is seen by many in the investment community as a strong indicator of deep conviction.
This financial commitment also kicks off Be Belong’s $10M Series A, giving the round institutional-grade validation before it is marketed to the broader investor community. The round has drawn interest from family offices, angel investors, and early-stage venture capital firms, with an anticipated closing by the end of August 2026 [4].
“At long last, after years of meeting founders from across the globe — top-tier marketing experts, brilliant technologists, operators with a true sense of purpose — a company has been identified that is creating a measurable impact on the financial well-being of actual people. That is what this investment represents.”
— Peter Plaut, CFO and Board Member, Be Belong Group Corp
Plaut’s Duties as CFO and Board Member
In his capacity as CFO and Board Member, Plaut is tasked with steering Be Belong’s financial growth, which includes managing the Series A close, engaging institutional investors, and building the financial framework necessary to support two major forthcoming product launches: a digital wallet for handling rent payments, and a virtual card aimed at college students through CollegeGain, the company’s student-focused vertical slated to bring the EaaS model to campuses across the United States.
Plaut additionally serves as Managing Director of Capital Formation at Amagis Capital, where he advises investment platforms on institutional capital strategy related to real estate, private credit, and alternative investments. He has been acknowledged by Institutional Investor as an All-American Ranked Research Analyst and was listed among the Top 20 Rising Stars of Hedge Funds by Alternative Investor. He is also a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
The Founding Team
Be Belong Group Corp was established by Gabriel Bar (CEO and CTO) and Shani Bar (President), together with Chief Revenue Officer Bella Cohen. Gabriel Bar contributes over 25 years of expertise in technology, e-commerce, and consumer behavior engineering. The AI-powered behavioral engine driving RentGain.AI’s earnings model was developed under his technical direction.
“RentGain.AI was founded on the belief that renters deserved a platform that actively helped them afford housing — not merely a place to live. Peter Plaut’s choice to open this round with his personal funds goes beyond financial validation. It is confirmation that the model is solid, the purpose is genuine, and the moment is right.”
— Gabriel Bar, Co-Founder, CEO and CTO, Be Belong Group Corp
Shani Bar, Co-Founder and President, brings over 15 years of marketing and market penetration knowledge. The platform’s growth from zero to 100,000 active renters in five months reflects the go-to-market strategy she designed and implemented. Be Belong has been deliberately careful in adding new property management partners, prioritizing service quality as demand continues to outstrip capacity.
“Peter Plaut’s investment reflects something the founding team has known from the start: this platform was built around real people with real financial needs. When a 30-year institutional veteran puts personal capital behind that mission, it carries weight beyond the dollar figure. It signals to the market that the thesis is confirmed, the execution is proven, and the next stage of growth is financeable.”
— Shani Bar, Co-Founder and President, Be Belong Group Corp
Chief Revenue Officer Bella Cohen leads brand acquisition and partnership strategy, having constructed the demand-side infrastructure that links over 100 pre-launch brand participants to the platform’s upcoming LaunchPad product — an AI-driven brand onboarding engine that moves any brand from sign-up to active campaign across all DSP channels in under 60 seconds.
Platform Expansion and Upcoming Milestones
Be Belong’s Series A round follows a phase of accelerated platform expansion. The company shifted from a $5M seed round to a $10M Series A in response to demand that surpassed initial projections on both the renter and property management sides of the marketplace [5]. LaunchPad, the company’s AI brand onboarding tool, has recorded more than 100 brand pre-registrations ahead of its official launch. CollegeGain, the student-facing vertical, is set to extend Be Belong’s EaaS model to the college student market, featuring a virtual card product that grants students access to earnings for tuition, on-campus payments, and student loan contributions.
Be Belong Group Corp is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and is incorporated in Delaware. For investor inquiries, contact info@bebelong.life. Additional platform information is available at rentgain.ai and collegegain.ai.
Source Citations
[1] Active renter count of 100,000+ verified by AppsFlyer mobile attribution platform as of the date of this release. AppsFlyer data available upon request from Be Belong Group Corp.
[2] The total ecosystem user figure of 300,000+ includes verified active renters (100,000+) and waitlisted renters across property management partners (200,000+), as reported by Be Belong Group Corp’s internal data as of this release.
[3] The $42 million valuation reference reflects the pre-money valuation used in the company’s current Series A fundraising documentation. This figure is a reference valuation and not a guarantee of future value. Additional Capital Information, Stakeholders Testimonials, and Supporting Documents can be found at https://bebelong.life/capital
[4] Series A target of $10M and expected close date of August 2026 as stated in Be Belong Group Corp investor materials. Round status subject to change.
[5] Seed round figure of $5M and Series A transition as reported by Be Belong Group Corp. Capital raise history available upon request.
Gabriel Bar
MagicSoft Group Inc
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