Humankind Homes

HumanKind Homes is a Portland, Oregon-based construction technology company developing a building system centered on a next-generation cinder block made from geopolymer concrete. The blocks — branded KindBlocks — are precision-molded and interlocking so they can be dry-stacked without mortar, which the company says speeds manual assembly, reduces the need for skilled labor, and makes the walls suitable for robotic assembly. The company states the blocks are resistant to fire, flood, wind and seismic events, and that its proprietary geopolymer mix, made from locally sourced recycled materials such as fly ash and biochar, is carbon-negative and avoids the emissions associated with Portland cement.

Around the block, the company is building an integrated platform spanning digital design, just-in-time manufacturing and automated on-site construction. Projects begin with a site scan and digital twin, flow through precision manufacturing and optimized logistics, and end in simplified on-site assembly, which HumanKind Homes plans to perform with AI-enabled drone swarm automation rather than a full offsite prefabrication factory. On the housing side, the company markets homes designed for net-zero energy use, comfort, health and safety, offering a flexible set of floor plans that can be adapted to specific needs and locations, with fully custom designs planned and a customer waitlist in place.

The team describes itself as engineers, designers and operators rather than architects or real estate professionals. A Techstars job board profile categorizes the company under civil engineering, construction and interior design, lists it at 1-10 employees, founded in 2018, at pre-seed stage, and describes it as creating a fully digital home design, manufacturing and construction process to provide affordable, sustainable and healthy housing.

Founding story

Founder and CEO Eliot Kahn left a role as a product development engineer to start HumanKind Homes, bringing a mechanical engineering background from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and applying Design for Manufacturing and Assembly to the whole home as a single product. Co-founder and designer Dayne Littlewood, a digital illustrator and visual artist with home renovation and construction carpentry experience, observed a disconnect between traditional construction methods and the resulting built environment and now focuses on designing, drafting and modeling passive, healthy homes.

Business model

The company sells homes and a building system built around its own geopolymer block product, positioning itself across design, manufacturing and construction rather than as a materials supplier alone. It works with homebuyers on floor-plan-based homes and with developers, builders and partners on projects, and directs prospective investors to an executive summary.

Traction

Listed as pre-seed stage with 1-10 employees. The company references first build projects, a set of current and in-development home designs, a homebuyer waitlist, and partner organizations, including recognition from the Missing Middle Housing Fund.