On September 1, The Housing Lab, a program of the nonprofit Terner Housing Innovation Labs, announced that Pittsburgh-based homebuilding startup Module is among its third cohort of housing entrepreneurs focused on making homes and communities more affordable, accessible, and sustainable.

Module will receive $75,000 of seed funding and six months of intensive coaching and technical support to help lower housing costs and eliminate systemic racial and economic barriers to housing equity.

As part of a new three-year collaboration between the Housing Lab and the Wells Fargo Foundation, the 2022 Cohort includes an expanded focus on furthering organizations and businesses that address the impacts of climate change through housing construction, including innovations in carbon reduction and energy efficiency.

Module specializes in energy-efficient modular homes that are built in a factory using modular construction and assembled on location.

Building in a controlled environment means Modular homes are more precisely constructed and are 25-40% quicker to build than a traditional home.

Module’s product and processes enable housing providers to deliver design forward, high quality built to the U.S. Department of Energy, Zero Energy Ready standards, which puts them into the top 1% of Energy Efficient homes in the country.

To date, Module has built homes in the Friendship and Garfield neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, the latter comprising four mixed-income housing units.         

The 2022 Housing Lab Cohort includes Frolic Communities, The Guild, The Kelsey, Parity, Pronto Housing, and Module.

“The Housing Lab’s network of affordable housing developers and impact investors present an incredible opportunity for us to deepen our commitment to alleviating the housing shortage. Their mentorship and support network is unmatched in the affordable housing realm,” said Brian Gaudio, CEO of Module.

“The ventures selected for the 2022 Housing Lab Cohort address some of the root causes of our housing affordability, equity, and climate crises in the U.S.,” said Carol Galante, co-founder of The Housing Lab and founder and advisor of UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation. “Their models and solutions are diverse, innovative, and can be scaled to reach communities all over the country, not just in their metro areas of origin.”

“Lower income households bear the brunt of climate change and solutions need to prioritize resilience, access, and cost for vulnerable communities,” said John Moon, head of Climate-Aligned Philanthropy and Partnerships at Wells Fargo. “We’re excited to support this cohort’s solutions which can have an enduring impact on current and future homes, communities and the environment.”

Now in its third year, The Housing Lab has a proven track record of success helping 11 ventures, 63 percent of which have been led by founders of color.

Past ventures have gone on to raise nearly $340 million and improve outcomes for over 23,000 people looking to find housing, pay a mortgage, or build credit.

The Housing Lab is unique among accelerator programs in that it works with a variety of organizations and models—including housing developers, nonprofits, venture-backed companies, and programs of existing organizations—all of which have thrived after participating in the program.

“It has been very rewarding to watch past ventures achieve goals that were set during their time in our program,” says Michelle Boyd, Director at The Housing Lab. “Each one of this year’s selected ventures has already demonstrated the promise of their model. Their creativity and drive are inspiring, and we look forward to working with this cohort to bring their solutions to the next level.”

For more information on sustainable modular homebuilding, visit the Module website.

To learn more about green innovation in the Pittsburgh Region, visit the Pittsburgh Green Story website.

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[Posted: September 1, 2022]

9/5/2022