Now a profitable operation, Lease End sees its chance to provide dealerships with a path to more profitability through their used-car inventory.

The fintech company wants to connect dealerships with consumers who are near the end of the contracts with launch of Lease End Marketplace. It’s designed to help lessees exit their contracts early while providing dealerships a “front-run” opportunity on high-quality, lightly used inventory.

Key features of the Lease End Marketplace include:

—Early access for dealerships: Traditionally, returned leases are reclaimed by manufacturers and sent to physical or digital auctions. Lease End Marketplace allows dealerships to bypass this process and acquire inventory directly from the driver.

—Escrow and Paperwork Management: Lease End can act as an intermediary, handling the complex paperwork and acting as an escrow service to ensure funds are securely transferred and payoffs are completed.

—Streamlined consumer experience: Drivers can field multiple offers from the comfort of their home.

“We are essentially unlocking a ‘hidden’ inventory of millions of vehicles that were previously trapped behind red tape and rigid manufacturer policies,” Lease End co-founder and chief revenue officer Zander Cook said in a news release Wednesday. “Lease End Marketplace takes the most desirable cars on the road — lightly used, well-maintained leases — and creates a direct bridge to the dealers who need them most.

“We’re removing the friction of double taxation and the ‘buy-to-sell’ hurdle, finally allowing drivers to capture the equity they’ve earned while giving dealerships a sustainable way to stock their lots,” Cook continued.

Lease End co-founder and CEO Brandon Williams added, “The traditional lifecycle of a leased vehicle is fundamentally broken for the modern era. By the time a car hits a traditional auction, its value has been eroded by logistics costs and middlemen.

“Our goal with the Lease End Marketplace is to shorten that distance. We are creating a more liquid, transparent ecosystem where the value stays with the driver and the dealer, rather than being lost to the inefficiencies of the old-school auction circuit,” Williams went on to say.

Dealerships interested in joining the marketplace can get started here.

Drivers interested in selling their leased vehicle on the marketplace can get started here.