What Katerra does

Katerra was a Silicon Valley-headquartered construction technology company founded in 2015 that pursued an integrated design-build-manufacture model for the building industry. Its core proposition was to apply factory-scale off-site manufacturing and digital coordination to the construction of residential, commercial, and institutional buildings, replacing conventional site-built methods with modular and panelized components produced in controlled factory environments. The company extended its stack through acquisitions of architecture firm Lord Aeck Sargent (June 2018), specialty timber design firm Michael Green Architecture (May 2018), and general contractor Bristlecone Construction Corp. (October 2018), aiming to internalize design, engineering, manufacturing, and on-site assembly under a single platform.

The company was privately held and headquartered in Menlo Park, California. It raised approximately $2 billion in cumulative funding across multiple rounds between 2015 and 2021, with SoftBank (via its Vision Fund and related vehicles) acting as the flagship financial backer, contributing over $1 billion. Other investors included DFJ Growth, Greenoaks, Khosla Ventures, Foxconn Technology Group, Moore Capital, Paxion Capital Partners, RiverPark Ventures, Celesta Capital, Navitas Capital, DivcoWest, Four Score Capital, and AME Cloud Ventures. At peak operation, Katerra employed between 5,001 and 10,000 people and operated or held interests in entities across the United States, Saudi Arabia, India, and China.

Katerra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021, an event that has been characterized as one of the largest and most complex construction industry bankruptcies on record. The proceeding involves 34 domestic entities, dissolution of foreign non-debtor affiliates, asset sales across Saudi Arabia, India, and China, and thousands of creditors. The wind-down is being administered by J.S. Held under court-appointed Plan Administrator Daniel R. Williams and includes management of over 100 terabytes of fragmented corporate data. The company's domain (katerra.com) is no longer resolving, consistent with ceased operations. Pricing, customer logos, and product-level revenue mechanics are not disclosed in available source data.

Name

Katerra

Legal name

Katerra Inc.

Website

https://katerra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Katerra was a Menlo Park-based construction technology company that pursued an integrated design-build-manufacture platform using off-site modular factory production for residential and commercial buildings. Founded in 2015, it raised approximately $2 billion led by SoftBank before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Modular Construction Services

NAICS

Prefabricated Wood Building Manufacturing (321992), Residential Building Construction (2361), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622)

SIC

Prefabricated Wood Bldgs & Components (2452), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Modular & Prefabricated Home Construction (IMAFABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE), Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA), Prefabricated Engineered Wood Building Components (Trusses, SIPs, EWP Kits) (IMAMACAJ)

Keywords

• Modular construction
• Off-site manufacturing
• Prefabricated buildings
• Construction technology
• Design-build services

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Katerra developed and operated a construction technology platform that industrialized building development through off-site modular manufacturing and integrated design-build services. The company produced prefabricated building components in factories and combined them with on-site construction services to deliver residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings for enterprise customers.

Product overview

Katerra was a modular construction company that operated as a technology-enabled off-site manufacturing and construction platform. The company went bankrupt in 2021 (Chapter 11) with reported assets of approximately $2 billion, and is currently undergoing a multi-year global wind-down managed by J.S. Held involving 34 domestic entities and asset sales across Saudi Arabia, India, and China. Specific product/module names were not identified in the available source data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Modular Construction Services Technology-enabled off-site modular manufacturing and construction delivery for residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings, serving real estate developers and large-scale building program sponsors.
• Integrated Design-Build Delivery Vertically integrated design-build service bundling architecture, engineering, off-site prefabricated component manufacturing, and on-site assembly under a single provider for large-scale building programs.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Plant Prefab: Plant Prefab is a California-based modular construction company focused on sustainable prefabricated single-family and multifamily housing. It is a direct peer as a technology-enabled off-site residential modular builder operating in the same U.S. market category Katerra targeted.
• Factory_OS: Factory_OS is an off-site multifamily housing manufacturer backed by major construction and real estate investors. It is a direct peer in the modular multifamily construction category with comparable technology-enabled factory approach to Katerra's residential operations.
• Prescient: Prescient is a design-build firm using a proprietary light-gauge steel panelized system for mid-rise residential, student housing, and hotels. It is a direct peer as a technology-driven off-site manufacturer competing in similar multifamily and institutional verticals.
• Skender: Skender operates a modular manufacturing facility for multifamily and healthcare projects combined with general contracting services. It is a direct peer as an integrated design-build-modular manufacturer serving overlapping multifamily and institutional end markets.
• BoxABL: BoxABL manufactures foldable factory-built houses targeting affordable and accessory housing markets. It is a direct peer in factory-built residential modular construction with a comparable technology-driven manufacturing approach.
• Z Modular: Z Modular (a Zekelman Industries company) produces steel-framed modular buildings for multifamily, hospitality, and student housing. It is a direct peer in modular construction with comparable factory-based unit delivery and structural framing technology.

Emerging players

• Blokable: Blokable is an early-stage modular housing developer focused on multifamily and affordable housing. It is an emerging player in the same modular construction category with overlapping multifamily focus but smaller operational scale than Katerra at peak.

Broad incumbents

• Turner Construction: Turner Construction is one of the largest U.S. general contractors serving commercial, healthcare, education, and institutional markets. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping nonresidential building construction capabilities but operates via traditional on-site construction rather than factory-based modular methods.
• Bechtel: Bechtel is a global engineering, procurement, and construction firm operating across infrastructure and large building projects. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Katerra's institutional and large-project capabilities but does not focus on modular manufacturing.
• AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure and construction services firm serving commercial, transportation, and institutional markets. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping nonresidential construction capabilities but operates as a professional services and management firm rather than a modular manufacturer.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/katerrainc
• Facebookfacebook.com/katerrainc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/katerra-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors17 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Katerra