Integrity. Innovation. Detroit.
Help Everyone Home
When Papanii Okai, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Rocket, left behind the beaches of Malibu and a career at the top of Silicon Valley’s fintech world, he was not chasing change. He was answering a call.
“I did not come here just for a job,” Okai says. “I came for a mission. Help everyone home. That phrase stuck with me. It is not help people buy a house. It is a home. To me, that means safety. Belonging, love and stability.”
Okai spent over a decade at PayPal and Venmo, helping build a true global commerce platform that defined modern payments. After completing his mission of empowering individuals to transact internationally, he was ready for a new challenge—one that could integrate technology, purpose and impact at scale.
Then, he got an invitation to visit Detroit.
Seeing Detroit Clearly
Okai did not know what to expect when he first visited Detroit. Friends warned him about the weather. Others warned him about things they had heard. What he found was something different.
“When I walked downtown, I thought: What are you guys talking about? This place is alive!” He concludes, “The narrative was wrong.”
Okai had an acquaintance in Detroit already, Kofi Bonner. Kofi’s daughter is a friend of his and he asked if she could schedule a meeting with her father. Funnily enough, Okai did not know Bonner is the CEO of an entity in the Family of Companies.
While visiting Bedrock Detroit, Okai saw a 3D model of the city with current buildings next to models of those under construction. He learned about Rocket coming to Detroit and the investment Dan Gilbert has made in the city.
“When I saw what Dan Gilbert had done for this city, I thought, ‘this is the kind of thing you only see in comic books.’ Who invests in a city like this? Who goes all in?” That belief—you will see it when you believe it—is one of Rocket’s core ISMs. It is not just philosophy. It is execution and leadership. “I spent 25 years in silicon valley, home to more billionaires than any other city in the country. When you see someone invest not for ego, but for a city’s future, that means something,” Okai says. “Dan Gilbert helped bet big on Detroit. I saw the energy and commitment, and I was sold.”
A Homeownership Experience
At Rocket, Okai found a company that is not just selling mortgages—it is building an entirely new category.
“We are not a mortgage company or even just a fintech,” he says. “We are building the Apple of homeownership. One platform where you can search, buy, finance, insure and maintain a home.”
The key, he says, is experience. “If Steve Jobs could simplify a mouse to one button, we can simplify the most complicated financial process in your life.”
One of the Rocket ISMs says it best: Simplicity is genius. It is a value that’s lived out in how Rocket builds technology and how it leads people.
Anchored in Integrity
Papanii’s journey—from Ghana to San Francisco, from startups to PayPal—has always been grounded in a single principle: integrity.
“My father always said, ‘If you do not have integrity, you have nothing.’ It was the foundation of how I was raised,” Okai says. “He taught me to never take shortcuts. Do the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
That aligns perfectly with Rocket’s ISM: Do the Right Thing. It is not about playing it safe or avoiding mistakes. It is about having the courage to lead with values.
“Integrity is not just personal,” he says. “It is cultural. When a company builds around it—like Rocket has—it creates trust. It creates pride. It becomes part of the DNA.”
For Okai, that DNA matters even more in the context of helping people find a home.
“When you are dealing with someone’s dream of owning a home, that is not just a transaction—it is emotional, it is generational,” he says. “You are holding their hopes in your hands. And in that moment, you better do the right thing. Not once. Not when it is convenient. Every single time. Because if we cut corners, someone else pays the price. And I am not here for that.”
It is why Okai believes so deeply in Rocket’s mission. Because when doing the right thing is not just expected—it is embedded—the result is not just better outcomes. It is a better company.
A Fire, A Decision
Even after joining Rocket, Okai and his family were still flying back and forth to Malibu. His wife still had ties to the West Coast. Then came the Palisades fire.
“The Palisades fire destroyed our home on the beach,” he says. “Everything was gone. We literally only had the clothes we escaped with.”
That moment forced a decision.
“I told my wife, we have three options: rebuild, rent, or start over in Detroit. She looked at me, saw the twinkle in my eye, and said, ‘You’ve already made up your mind.’” With a smile, Okai says it seemed like the best choice, “It felt like the universe was telling us something. If there was ever a sign to make a leap, this was it.”
They now live near The Vinton Building in downtown Detroit. Okai walks to the office. He works in-person every day. “People ask why I am always at the office. It is simple. I believe in the mission. I believe in the team. And I love this city.”
Culture that Executes
“A mentor once told me, ‘there are three phases in life: learn, earn and give back,’” he says. “Now I’m building a culture where people can imagine beyond their limits and bring their best selves to a mission that changes lives.”
Okai joined Rocket because of the mission, but he stayed for the culture.
Rocket’s ISMs are the framework that makes that possible. They are not corporate slogans. They are the standard.
Innovation is rewarded. Execution is worshipped.
We are the they.
Do the right thing.
These principles are not just on posters—they are how things get done.
A Bet on People
Born in San Francisco to Ghanaian parents, raised in the UK and Ghana, and, at the age of 20, was sent back to the U.S. with two suitcases and $2,000—Okai learned early that if you want to change something, you have to build it yourself.
“I tell my team every day—building tech is the easy part. The hard part is building people who believe in the mission and want to do great work”, Okai says. “I want to be a person that helps others grow, that inspires. That is the legacy I am after.”
That belief guides how he leads, mentors and builds. It is also a ingrained in his own foundation as a person. “My father used to ask me: ‘Do you want to be inspired, or do you want to inspire others?’” Okai recalls. “I want to inspire.”
The Detroit Difference
For Okai, Detroit is not a project—it is home, the place where purpose, mission and impact converge.
“Detroit is where I found an opportunity to build something bigger than myself,” he says. “This is not just about tech. This is about people. It is about humanity. It is about helping everyone home. That is a mission worth showing up for, every single day.”
When Varun Krishna, CEO of Rocket, told Okai about Rocket’s vision, mission, and the laudable goal of helping people realize their dreams, it clicked. This is a place where big ideas are not just welcomed—they are expected.
“If you are going to swing,” Okai says, “swing big. That was something Varun said that stuck with me. You are not here to play it safe. You are here to change lives.”
And for Okai, that swing means inspiring others to raise their game through integrity, courage and purpose. “I want to be the kind of leader who helps others become the best version of themselves,” he says. “That is what my father taught me. That is what Rocket makes possible.”
In Detroit, Okai sees belief, potential and growth.
“When you walk these streets, when you see what is rising here, you realize—this city is not a comeback story. It is a launchpad,” Okai says. “We are not here to observe. We are here to build. And if you are going to build, build something that matters.”
