SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, housing
technology startup Jupe announced $9.5
million in seed funding led by Initialized Capital with
participation from Y Combinator. The money will be used to hire a
CTO and a wider team of software and hard tech engineers and
to execute its mission to make off-grid mobile living more
affordable, faster, and efficient. Since launching in December 2020, Jupe has made and shipped dozens
of units to locations across California and Colorado.
Jupe's mission is to make beautiful and dignified shelter
instantly deployable onto any accessible piece of land. Jupe's
technology allows an entire village of units to be deployed and
broken down on remote terrain in a single day. Designed with
flexibility and customization in mind, Jupes can redeploy and
pop-up anywhere from music festivals to natural disaster areas for
relief housing, and provide a fast alternative to any other kind of
shelter and infrastructure for living.
Jupes are built on a unique "chassis" foundation that gives them
the flexibility to move quickly and freely and adapt to any
terrain. Fifteen fully off-grid, flat-packed units can be delivered
on a single truck. Each unit arrives complete with a luxury queen
mattress, linens and bed, furniture, LED lighting, solar panels and
backup batteries. Jupes assemble in just over an hour and units are
ready to rent the day they arrive.
Through its short-stay-as-service (SSAAS) land partner program,
landowners can activate their space via a software booking platform
and install a village of Jupes. Jupe will deliver, install, book,
maintain and clean the units, while the landowner receives a
portion of every night's rental. The forthcoming SSAAS software
platform will also help landowners manage, market and book their
inventory via other short-term rental platforms like Airbnb,
Hipcamp and booking.com.
"Modular construction is plagued with challenges around design,
materials and transport efficiency. I designed Jupe through
learning what really works and what doesn't," said CEO Dr.
Jeff Wilson, former co-founder of
award-winning modular maker Kasita. "Beyond creating a solution
that scales the $4 billion glamping
market, Jupe is a step forward in solving the housing crisis that
impacts 1.6 billion people annually. Jupe units are ten times
cheaper and faster to deploy than traditional temporary, mobile
housing solutions, and ship 15 times more efficiently. On top of
that, its unique design provides dignified lodging for everyone -
with an internet connection."
Wilson, a former environmental science professor, spent a year
living in a dumpster as a small space sustainability experiment.
Wilson went on to found Kasita, an award-winning modular housing
company that deployed accessory dwelling units (ADU) to backyards
in California and Texas. Co-founder and COO Antonio Gonzalez, a former executive at unicorn
hospitality startup OYO, also previously led a $100 million sprinter van conversion business
while serving as a Presidentially appointed advisory board to the
National Park Service. Early and current members of Jupe's team
engineered structures on SpaceX's starship, designed solar panels
and cars for Tesla, designed large cargo drones, founded travel app
companies, and helped steer the brand at Airbnb.
"We're delighted to partner with Jeff and the team at Jupe. They
are building a first-of-its-kind hard tech and software platform
for the world," said Initialized Capital founder and managing
partner, Garry Tan. "Jupe's vision
of universal autonomous housing will ultimately allow anyone to
live anywhere on the planet, comfortably and with an internet
connection via satellite. It's something the world has been waiting
for."
To learn more about Jupe and apply to open positions, please
visit jupe.com and follow updates at @jupeinc on Instagram and
Twitter. For media inquiries, including scheduling a Jupe unit tour
in California, please contact
325400@email4pr.com.
High-res photos and a press package are available HERE.
Media Contact:
Gabby Byers
432-295-7117
325400@email4pr.com
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SOURCE Jupe