What Kaufman Development does

Kaufman Development, founded in 2012 by Brett Kaufman in Columbus, Ohio, is a private, founder-led real estate development company that builds high-design multifamily and mixed-use communities anchored in a 'conscious community' philosophy of wellbeing, expression, impact, nature, and transformation. Its active leasing portfolio includes Gravity (a multi-building 'world's largest conscious community' in Franklinton), Green|House (Short North), Leveque Apartments (a converted historic downtown skyscraper), and Market & Main (New Albany), with a cumulative production of roughly 2,000+ units since inception. The company combines land acquisition, design, construction, leasing, and asset management in-house, and in early 2026 became part of Kaufman & Company, a vertically integrated platform that also encompasses DanReDev LLC, Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, and Oldivai Capital.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly residential rents on stabilized communities (Gravity, Green|House, Leveque, Market & Main) and through one-time development and sale of residential and commercial properties across multiple asset classes, including multifamily, build-to-rent, and workforce housing. Marketing and distribution are predominantly direct-to-consumer through livekaufman.com and property-specific sub-brand sites (gravityproject.com, livinggreenhouse.com), supported by on-site leasing teams. Starting in late 2025, the company expanded its revenue surface with managed-services-style AI infrastructure under the Project Zero initiative—micro data centers serving AI, logistics, and smart city workloads—anchored by a Detroit groundbreaking and targeting power-rich sites in the Midwest, Texas, and Southeast. The customer base is split between mid-market residential renters in Columbus and an emerging institutional/B2B segment of technology operators, AI tenants, and investors served through the broader Kaufman & Company platform.

Name

Kaufman Development

Legal name

Kaufman, LLC DBA Kaufman Development

Website

https://livekaufman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kaufman Development is a private, founder-led Columbus, Ohio real estate developer building high-design multifamily communities under a 'conscious community' philosophy, operating Gravity, Green|House, Leveque, and Market & Main, and recently expanding into AI micro data centers and a vertically integrated platform (Kaufman & Company).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Development

NAICS

New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Family Residential Construction (Apartments, Condos, Townhomes) (IMAFABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL), Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE), Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI)

Keywords

• Residential real estate development
• Mixed-use communities
• Apartment leasing
• AI micro data centers
• Workforce housing development

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Residential Property Rental: Revenue from leasing apartment units at managed residential communities including Gravity, Green|House, Leveque Apartments, and Market & Main in Columbus, Ohio.
2. Real Estate Development and Sales: Development and sale of residential and commercial properties across multiple asset classes including multifamily housing, build-to-rent communities, workforce housing, and mixed-use developments.
3. Data Center and AI Infrastructure: Development and operation of micro data centers for AI infrastructure, edge computing, and digital-industrial facilities supporting AI, logistics, and smart city systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kaufman Development designs, develops, and operates high-design residential rental communities in Central Ohio, including flagship properties Gravity, Green|House, Leveque Apartments, and Market & Main. The company is also expanding into AI micro-data center development under the Project Zero initiative, targeting power-rich industrial sites across multiple U.S. markets to support edge computing, logistics, and smart city systems.

Product overview

Kaufman Development is a real estate development company that operates as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company develops high-design residential communities in Central Ohio, including flagship properties Gravity (the nation's largest conscious community), Green|House, Leveque Apartments, and Market & Main. The company has recently expanded into AI infrastructure development, including micro-data centers under the Project Zero initiative and a broader AI-forward industrial development strategy. In early 2026, Kaufman Development became part of Kaufman & Company, a vertically integrated platform combining development, infrastructure, and capital operations under one institutional identity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gravity: The world's largest conscious community located in Franklinton, Columbus, featuring intentional design, creativity and purpose
• Green|House
• Leveque Apartments

Products and services

• Gravity The world's largest conscious community located in Franklinton, Columbus, Ohio. A mixed-use development featuring residential, retail, and creative spaces designed with intentionality, creativity and purpose, including artist residencies and wellness amenities.
• Green|House A unique residential apartment community designed for those who seek respite from a busy urban world. Located in Short North, Columbus, featuring wellness-focused design and nature-integrated living.
• Leveque Apartments High-style residential living in Columbus' most historic skyscraper, offering modern finishes within a landmark building in downtown Columbus.
• Market & Main Mixed-use development in New Albany, Ohio, offering an ideal mix of tradition and modernity, combining residential and retail spaces.
• AI Micro-Data Centers Micro data center and AI infrastructure development across the United States, targeting power-rich, grid-adjacent industrial sites for AI processing, edge computing, logistics, and smart city systems.
• Project Zero Detroit Micro Data Center The first deployment under the Project Zero initiative: a micro data center in Detroit to support AI infrastructure, edge computing, logistics, and smart city systems.
• AI-Forward Industrial Development Industrial development combining compute infrastructure with advanced logistics and manufacturing, targeting power-rich, grid-adjacent sites in the Midwest, Texas, Southeast, and other markets.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DanReDev LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Affiliated operating entity within the Kaufman & Company platform. DanReDev LLC is part of the vertically integrated real estate and investment platform along with Kaufman Development, Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, and Oldivai Capital, spanning land acquisition, design, construction, capital structuring, and asset management.
• Kaufman Real Estate & ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Affiliated operating entity within the Kaufman & Company platform. Part of the vertically integrated structure bringing together development, infrastructure, and capital operations under one institutional identity.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Greystar: Global multifamily developer, investor, and manager whose vertically integrated platform mirrors Kaufman & Company's acquisition-through-asset-management structure at far greater scale.
• Related Group: Large developer of design-forward mixed-use and multifamily communities, comparable in ambition and integrated model though operating at a much larger, multi-market scale.
• Bozzuto Group: Integrated developer, builder, and manager of design-driven multifamily communities with a lifestyle/amenity focus similar to Kaufman's 'conscious community' brand, but at larger national scale.

Regional players

• The Daimler Group: Columbus-based real estate developer and builder across residential, mixed-use, and commercial projects, competing in the same Central Ohio market as Kaufman.
• Crawford Hoying: Columbus, Ohio-based developer of mixed-use and multifamily communities (e.g., Bridge Park); directly comparable in market, design-forward positioning, and integrated development-plus-management model.
• Continental Real Estate Companies: Columbus-headquartered developer of mixed-use, multifamily, and commercial properties, overlapping directly with Kaufman's core geography and asset classes.

Emerging players

• Common (Habyt): Design- and community-focused residential operator emphasizing curated resident experience and shared amenities, thematically similar to Kaufman's wellbeing-centered community concept.

Direct peers

• The NRP Group: Vertically integrated multifamily developer, builder, and manager including market-rate and workforce housing, closely matching Kaufman's development-and-lease model and workforce-housing ambitions.
• Mill Creek Residential: National developer, builder, and operator of design-oriented apartment and build-to-rent communities, directly comparable to Kaufman's multifamily development and leasing business.
• Wood Partners: National multifamily developer and builder of apartment and build-to-rent communities, overlapping with Kaufman's ground-up development and rental revenue model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LiveKaufman
• Facebookfacebook.com/livekaufman
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaufman-development

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Kaufman Development