This year at Terner Labs

A message from Ben Metcalf

This has been a year of significant growth and impact for Terner Labs.

We graduated our fourth Housing Venture Lab cohort and selected a fifth. We launched a new accelerator program, the Builders Lab, tailored for innovators in architecture, engineering, and construction, with the support of a robust group of advisors and strategic partners. To date, we’ve reviewed applications from more than 600 housing startups, building a portfolio of 34 companies working to scale their visions for a more equitable, sustainable, and affordable housing future. Many of our alumni have gone on to secure government partnerships and expand into new markets.

As our community has grown, so has our potential for impact. Our Housing Policy Simulator is now under development in nearly 40 cities across the United States, with a goal of providing local researchers and local leaders with crucial data for evidence-based policy decisions.

We brought together influential thought leaders in San Francisco, Detroit, and Washington D.C. as part of the Housing Technology Series, and we worked with Enterprise Community Partners and Ivory Innovations to publish a white paper on local governments’ role in supporting housing innovation.

The year ahead brings uncertainty for housing policy in the United States. Many of us feel the increasing urgency of the housing crisis as families around us struggle to stay housed and build stable, sustainable futures. Yet our task remains the same - to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities with creativity and rigor, seeking new ways to support those working to build housing solutions.

As always, I am deeply proud to be part of the Terner Labs team and the broader community of partners, funders and supporters who make our work possible. 

Ben Metcalf