Startup Garage 2020: ModuleUp
The concept of the self has evolved massively as society marches through the twenty-first century, and has people of all walks of life looking to customize their lives to accurately represent who they are as individuals. Simultaneously, construction technology has simplified the building process in ways that allow for more detailed design to meet specific client needs. ModuleUp is a company that seeks to combine these cultural developments to allow clients to customize their homes to be just as unique as the people living in them.
ModuleUp is a SaaS application for prefab modular construction companies where users log in and play with manufacturer modules in a lego-style software, and create their own customized arrangement of modules. Prefabricated modular construction companies create prefabricated buildings and homes that consist of a replicated section called modules. Sections are often created away from the building site and erected on site later, as opposed to traditional house-building.
“My sister has owned a construction company for four years and they were profitable but they were in a business-to-business market. They wanted to open their products to residential homes, and in order to serve residential clients they needed sales channels,” explains Mana. “Right now, all prefab manufacturers give you model units and allow you to select between a few options. If you want to customize it further, you have to meet with an architect. My sister’s company wanted to give their clients the ability of self-customization.”
“Our software allows our clients to present their modules to the client, so the client can customize them — really, our clients are the manufacturers,” says Mana, co-founder of ModuleUp. The company uses software similar to that of IKEA, where you can draw your room and drag and drop furniture, but instead at a much larger scale to plan whole units. ModuleUp’s software can be used to plan and build anything — from a high rise, to an addition to a home, or a standalone house.
“[Startup Garage] really helped us with validating our plans. Anybody who develops a product, they’re usually just thinking in their own head and not validating their ideas. People are creators, they create what they want and don’t go out and validate if that is something people want. The program is validating that what we’re building is really something that can turn into a business that will have customers,” Mana says. “We’ve really just started — we just incorporated a few weeks ago and we’re building our software right now. We want to be helping every modular home builder, and want them to use our platform to serve their clients. Ultimately, we want end users to be able to experience walking in their virtual model of their home before it’s built.”
In the future, ModuleUp plans to incorporate virtual reality and augmented reality systems so clients can better visualize the digital models of their prefab units, in order to give the full experience of what the final product will look and feel like. “ModuleUp is just a software — it’s not a manufacturer. Our clients are the manufacturers, and we truly work for them.”
*This feature was published as a part of the Startup Garage Company Series, 2020.
