What Culdesac does

Culdesac is a vertically integrated real estate developer and operator that designs, builds, and manages walkable, car-free residential communities. Its flagship property, Culdesac Tempe, is a 17-acre mixed-use neighborhood in Tempe, Arizona situated directly on a Valley Metro light rail station, comprising 761 apartment homes (studios through 3-bedroom units, plus live-work), 16,000+ square feet of curated retail space housing 21+ local businesses, and shared amenities including 50+ courtyards, two dog parks, a fitness center, a pool, and neighborhood-wide 1GB WiFi. The community is differentiated by a "Transportation Freedom" program that bundles complimentary light rail passes, on-site Envoy electric carshare, Bird scooters, limited Waymo autonomous rides, and 1,000+ bike parking spots, eliminating the need for private vehicle ownership by design.

Culdesac monetizes through subscription-style monthly residential rents (studios from the $1,300s to 3-bedrooms from the $2,700s), recurring retail space leases to local businesses, and ancillary transaction fees tied to mobility partner activity. The company operates a direct-to-consumer leasing model via its website, HubSpot-powered tour scheduling, and on-site leasing office. The firm was founded in 2018 by Ryan Johnson (formerly on Opendoor's founding team) and is backed by Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, Initialized Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Y Combinator, and Zigg Capital, with $40M+ raised across multiple rounds including a $30M Series A in January 2022.

The company is actively expanding beyond Tempe, with townhome properties already announced in Atlanta (1070 Dill Ave and 1121 Allene Ave), and is pursuing research collaborations with Arizona State University's Zimin Institute for Smart and Sustainable Cities. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, consistent with a development-stage operator that outsources much of the construction and concentrates on design, master planning, asset management, and the integrated mobility stack.

Name

Culdesac

Legal name

Culdesac Inc.

Website

https://culdesac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Culdesac designs, builds, and operates walkable, car-free residential communities, with its flagship 761-unit Culdesac Tempe development serving urban dwellers seeking transit-oriented living. It generates recurring revenue from residential rents, retail space leases, and mobility partnership transactions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Development

NAICS

Residential Building Construction (2361)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) & Backyard Homes (IMAFABAK)

Keywords

• Walkable real estate development
• Car-free neighborhoods
• Mixed-use residential leasing
• Transit-oriented development
• Smart mobility communities

Headquarters

HQ city

Tempe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential apartment leasing: Primary revenue stream from leasing 700+ furnished and unfurnished apartment homes including live-work units, studios, and 1, 2, and 3 bedroom units. Revenue is recurring rental income with monthly billing.
2. Retail space rental: Revenue from leasing 16,000+ square feet of retail space to local businesses including cafes, restaurants, shops, and services. 23 local businesses currently operating with over a dozen more planned.
3. Mobility partnerships: Partnership-based revenue model through mobility provider partnerships including Envoy carshare and other transportation services that generate transaction fees or referral revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Culdesac designs, builds, and manages walkable, car-free mixed-use residential communities. Its flagship Culdesac Tempe is a 17-acre neighborhood in Tempe, Arizona comprising 761 apartments (studios through 3-bedrooms), 16,000+ sq ft of retail space leased to local businesses, and an integrated Transportation Freedom Program that bundles light rail, carshare, scooters, and autonomous vehicle access for residents.

Product overview

Culdesac is a real estate developer and neighborhood manager of walkable, mixed-use communities. The company's primary product is Culdesac Tempe, a 17-acre car-free community built from scratch in the United States, located directly on the light rail in Tempe, Arizona. The offering combines residential apartments (studios through 3-bedrooms), retail space (21+ local businesses), and a Transportation Freedom Program that provides residents with complimentary transit passes, carshare, scooters, and autonomous vehicle access. The community features extensive amenities including 50+ courtyards, fitness center, pool, dog parks, and 1GB WiFi throughout. The company is expanding to additional cities including Atlanta with properties like 1070 Dill Ave Townhomes and 1121 Allene Ave Townhomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Culdesac Tempe Apartments Furnished and unfurnished rental apartments at Culdesac Tempe including studios and 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units, plus live-work configurations. Units feature in-unit washer/dryer, stainless steel appliances, ample natural light, and select units have balconies and patios. Leased to individual residents on monthly subscriptions.
• Transportation Freedom Program A bundle of transportation alternatives included with every Culdesac Tempe residency, providing unlimited free light rail rides, on-site scooter rentals, electric carshare, autonomous vehicle access, and extensive bike infrastructure with secure storage and repair stations. Replaces the need for private car ownership.
• Culdesac Tempe Retail Village Leasable retail space within the Culdesac Tempe neighborhood, currently occupied by 21+ locally-owned businesses including award-winning restaurants (Cocina Chiwas, Aruma Cafe), markets (Busan Mart), retail shops, barbershops, ceramic studios, bakeries, and bookstores. Generates recurring rental income from local small businesses.
• Culdesac Community Amenities Shared community amenities at Culdesac Tempe including 50+ courtyards with BBQ grills, water features, fire pits, and desert landscaping; 2+ miles of bike and foot paths; 2 dog parks; a two-story fitness center; a social working lounge; a pool; a central plaza event space; and neighborhood-wide 1GB WiFi coverage across indoor and outdoor areas.
• Culdesac Branded Merchandise

Quantifiable outcome

• Residents receive $1000s in transportation perks annually including free metro rides, discounted carshare, and mobility credits
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Valley MetrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site light rail station partnership providing complimentary unlimited platinum transit passes to all residents. Access to downtown Tempe, downtown Phoenix, downtown Mesa, and the airport.
• WaymocoreTechnology or IntegrationAutonomous vehicle partnership providing limited free and discounted rides. Access to world's largest autonomous vehicle service area with on-site pickup/drop-off zones.
• EnvoycoreTechnology or IntegrationOn-site fleet of electric carshare vehicles starting at $7/hour, providing residents transportation options for longer trips without private car ownership.
• Arizona State University Zimin InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership through ASU's Zimin Institute for Smart and Sustainable Cities. Culdesac Tempe serves as living laboratory for sustainable city solutions including Bicycle Oasis project.
• Metro PhoenixminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetro Phoenix serves as living laboratory for ASU's sustainable city solutions research, with Culdesac Tempe as a key project site.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BoKlok: BoKlok, a joint venture between Skanska and IKEA, develops affordable, walkable, sustainable community housing across Europe with integrated transit access — the closest international analog to Culdesac's car-free, walkable, mixed-use rental model.
• Brandywine Homes: Brandywine Homes is a Southern California homebuilder focused on infill, walkable, mixed-use residential communities near transit and urban cores, making it a direct US peer in walkable residential development.
• City Ventures: City Ventures builds sustainable, walkable, transit-adjacent for-sale homes in urban infill locations in California, sharing Culdesac's emphasis on walkable urbanism and sustainability.
• FivePoint Holdings: FivePoint develops large-scale master-planned mixed-use communities integrating residential, retail, and infrastructure, comparable in scope and walkable mixed-use orientation to Culdesac's Tempe project.

Broad incumbents

• AvalonBay Communities: AvalonBay is a major US apartment REIT with a portfolio emphasizing walkable, transit-oriented rental communities in high-cost metros, overlapping with Culdesac's renter base and urban strategy at much greater scale.
• Equity Residential: Equity Residential is a large US apartment REIT concentrated in urban and transit-oriented high-rise rental housing, broadly comparable as an institutional operator of urban rental housing.
• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Greystar is the largest US apartment operator and manager, with a broad urban rental portfolio that overlaps conceptually with Culdesac's multifamily rental operations, though at vastly larger scale.
• Related Companies: Related is a large national developer of mixed-use, transit-oriented, and affordable communities (e.g., Hudson Yards), comparable to Culdesac's mixed-use master-planned community model at much larger scale.
• Toll Brothers Apartment Living: Toll Brothers' multifamily rental arm develops upscale urban and suburban apartment communities, sharing the build-to-rent multifamily development business model with Culdesac.

Emerging players

• Assemble: Assemble is a venture-backed developer of sustainable, modular, transit-oriented housing with a tech-enabled platform; comparable to Culdesac as a newer, mission-driven, sustainability-focused residential developer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/liveculdesac
• Facebookfacebook.com/LiveCuldesac
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/liveculdesac
• Instagraminstagram.com/liveculdesac
• TikToktiktok.com/@liveculdesac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors15 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Culdesac