Participated · Seed · Oct 2020

Welcome Homes was founded in May 2020 by DigitalOcean co‑founders Alec Hartman, Mitch Wainer and Ben Uretsky to let customers design and buy new homes online. The company pivoted from fully custom builds to offering curated, move‑in‑ready home models (launched March 2021) and emphasizes "guaranteed pricing" and a streamlined process from land selection to financing to construction. Welcome operates a capital‑light, "neo‑builder" three‑sided managed marketplace linking buyers, builders and banks and does not hold land or unsold homes on its balance sheet. The service is available in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania, with construction costs (excluding land) ranging from $596,000 to $1.75 million. Welcome said it "6xed" home sales in 2022 and today has about 40 employees. The company plans to use recent funding to grow headcount, develop proprietary land technology, design new home models and expand into additional U.S. markets. Welcome Homes operates an online home-building, customization and purchasing platform that manages the entire process from land selection to financing and construction. The company’s service promises buyers a brand-new, modern home and claims the ability to complete purchase and move-in within six months. It is currently available in the Tri-State area, including Westchester County, NY, Greenwich, CT, and Bergen and Morris Counties, NJ. Welcome Homes plans to expand into additional U.S. markets. The company is led by CEO and founder Alec Hartman and operates as an online-only residential real estate platform. It raised seed financing to support market expansion and to bolster product, sales and marketing initiatives.