Cubby: Creating a New Self-Storage Technology Ecosystem

Before creating their AI-powered, all-in-one software platform for the self-storage industry, the cofounders of New York City-based Cubby engaged in extensive onsite research to fully grasp the day-to-day challenges of facility operators. They conducted property walk-throughs. They installed overlocks. They even shoveled snow.

This hands-on experience informed the way they built their product, which streamlines self-storage management, modernizes e-commerce for unit rentals, optimizes revenue with smart pricing, manages customer communications, collects data and provides reporting, all with a goal to automate operations and improve tenant experiences.

“What sets Cubby apart from competitors is our integrated, modern approach,” says Matt Engfer, cofounder and CEO. “While legacy systems often require operators to cobble together multiple point solutions, we’ve built a unified platform from the ground up. We prioritize speed, intuitive design and continuous evolution based on operators’ direct feedback.”

Born From User Experience

Several years back, Engfer was working full time at commercial real estate technology firm VTS while also managing a side hustle in art sales. Needing a temporary home for his art, he decided to rent three self-storage units. He was stunned by the old-school nature of the rental process.

“I had to call to book my unit,” he says. “Coming from the world of real estate technology, I knew this had to be improved.”

Engfer began attending self-storage conferences and tradeshows, where he asked operators about their business challenges. The more discussions he had, the more he realized that many were:

Dealing with clunky, outdated software
Coping with disjointed tech stacks
Struggling with poor digital-checkout experiences
Getting by with limited data visibility and reporting
Paying high prices for technology whose value failed to match the cost

It was then that Engfer teamed up with Adam Fleming, now Cubby’s chief technology officer, who previously worked for Goldman Sachs and Meta Platforms. The duo launched the company in 2022. Since then, they’ve raised $7 million in funding from venture-capital firms Fractal Software and Third Prime.

Starting at Square One

Before building their software, Engfer and Fleming worked at self-storage facilities to get an inside view of day-to-day challenges and fortify their industry knowledge. “It was truly learning the business from the ground up,” Engfer says.

Equipped with this hands-on information, the pair set about creating something fundamentally different: a platform that would simplify the growth of an operation rather than complicate it. They wanted to bring the same level of sophistication and user experience that had transformed other industries to self-storage, which has been underserved by technology innovation, Fleming says. He and Engfer sought to offer software that operators would enjoy using and could evolve based on their feedback.

A Suite of Tools for Modern Management

Today, Cubby software is used by more than 400 self-storage operators with 500,000-plus units across Canada and the U.S. The suite of products includes:

Facility-management software that handles all day-to-day operations
E-commerce software that can be used to create new storefront or folded into an existing self-storage website
Algorithmic tools that use competitive data to maximize pricing strategies
AI agents to answer calls, with features like recording, transcription, evaluation and texting
Real-time insights to marketing performance and operations metrics

To go a step further farther, Cubby has also integrated its products with those of several industry partners to create an open ecosystem of self-storage technology. Among them are Adverank, Keep It Simple Storage, SafeLease, Swivl and XPS Solutions.

“We prioritize partners who bring clear value to operators and are willing to work collaboratively rather than competitively,” Fleming says. “The biggest challenge in integration work is the technical variability across systems, particularly with older legacy platforms. Some vendors have modern [application programming interface]; others require more custom development work.”

Reaping the Benefits

One of the customers benefiting from Cubby technology is Prestige Storage Management, whose portfolio comprises more than 60 self-storage facilities in seven states. Founded in 2020, Prestige was “drowning” amid rapid growth just a year later, according to controller Tyler Annon. “Suddenly we had to train 50 property managers on five different software systems, making sure the platforms were constantly updated with correct information,” he says. “It became unbearable."

Since moving to Cubby about a year ago to head off what Annon characterizes as a “looming crisis,” Prestige has increased its online move-ins by nearly 200%. The operator has also generated $1.8 million in revenue from abandoned-cart recoveries and achieved 80% autopay penetration within two months of implementation.

Considering that more than 30% of self-storage customers book rentals through websites or mobile apps, operators increasingly realize they must adopt digital tools to stay competitive, Engfer says. However, many small and mid-size operators have been “locked out” of modern technology because of cost, or access depends on using specific customer-relationship-management software, Fleming adds.

When it comes to serving its customers, Cubby assumes a partnership stance rather than a transactional one. “We’re not here to just answer [help] tickets. We’re here to help operators grow their businesses,” Engfer says. “This means regular check-ins, strategic discussions about pricing and marketing and ongoing optimization recommendations.”

On the Horizon

As Cubby strives to meet evolving customer expectations, it’s advancing its product offerings through AI and other tools. For instance, the company is focusing on strengthening communication, revenue management and automation capabilities. Engfer believes AI “will fundamentally reshape self-storage operations across several dimensions,” such as producing predictive insights, creating hyper-personalized customer experiences and fine-tuning marketing campaigns.

In regard to self-storage automation, there’s still far too much manual work for the average front-line team member, Fleming says. “We are on a mission to change this,” he adds. This includes all-encompassing workflow tools that automatically send messages or create tasks based on triggers such as overdue rent or new sales leads, for example.

“The goal of automation is not to replace humans, but instead to free them up for higher-order thinking and allow an operator to scale without needing to hire a ton more staff,” Fleming concludes.

John Egan is an Austin, Texas-based freelance writer and content-marketing strategist who specializes in health and wellness, personal finance and real estate. He’s the former editor-in-chief for SpareFoot (now owned by Storable) and the author of “The Stripped-Down Guide to Content Marketing.” His work has been published by outlets such as Bankrate, Experian, Forbes Advisor, Investopedia, Nareit, Urban Land, U.S. News & World Report and Wealth Management. To contact him, visit https://johnegan.net.

About the Author

John Egan

Freelance Writer

See more from John Egan

Late-Breaking Articles

Tenant Insurance/Protection
Tenant-Protection Plans for Self-Storage: What They Are, Features and Benefits, and the Keys to Program Success
Feb 22, 2026
|
4 Min Read
Marketing
Control the Narrative: DIY Marketing to Help You Tell Your Self-Storage Facility Story and Connect With Customers
Feb 21, 2026
|
7 Min Read
Revenue Management
ISS BLOG – Self-Storage Pricing Practices Under Scrutiny: Are the ECRI Chickens Coming Home to Roost?
Feb 20, 2026
|
5 Min Read
Charity and Fundraising
NationWide Self Storage of Canada Raises More Than $11K for Covenant House Vancouver
Feb 20, 2026
|
1 Min Read