Nabr

Nabr is a real estate technology company aiming to address the urban housing crisis by treating housing as a direct-to-consumer product. The company was founded by a team with diverse expertise: renowned architect Bjarke Ingels of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, real estate entrepreneur Roni Bahar, previously with WeWork, and tech veteran Nick Chim, who co-founded the Google[x] spinout, Flux. This collaboration merges architecture, real estate, and technology to streamline the development of sustainable, customizable urban apartments.

Launched to the public in December 2021, Nabr's business model is centered on a software platform that allows customers to design, purchase, and eventually live in homes tailored to their lifestyles. The company targets the gap between expensive city rentals and suburban single-family homes, aiming to provide high-quality, attainable urban living options. Nabr sells directly to consumers and utilizes a productized approach to increase the supply of for-sale apartments in major cities, starting with San Jose, California. The company has secured significant funding, including a $14M seed round in 2021 and a subsequent $48M in equity and debt in 2022, to acquire development sites and scale operations.

Nabr’s core offering is a consumer-facing platform where prospective buyers can select layouts, interior designs, and upgrades before construction begins. This direct-to-consumer approach reduces market risk associated with speculative development. The company's first project, SoFA One in San Jose, features apartments that are carbon neutral in operations, built with sustainably sourced timber, and include features like electrochromic glass and other smart home technologies. To make ownership more accessible, Nabr offers flexible financing, including a LEAP (lease-to-own) program that allows residents to build equity while renting, requiring as little as a 1% down payment.

Keywords: real estate technology, proptech, direct-to-consumer housing, customizable apartments, sustainable urban living, property development, mass timber construction, carbon neutral homes, homeownership platform, lease-to-own, smart homes, modular construction, consumer-first housing, Bjarke Ingels, Roni Bahar, Nick Chim, SoFA One San Jose, urban housing solutions, real estate financing, apartment customization