What Artifact does

Artifact (legal entity: The Upper Group Equities, LLC) is a privately held real estate development firm founded in 2015 and headquartered in Harlem, New York City. The company develops, owns, and operates residential apartments, co-working space, mixed-use projects, and — through joint ventures — hotel properties, with a current active development portfolio exceeding $50 million and a qualified Opportunity Zone pipeline above $100 million concentrated in the Hamilton Heights and Manhattanville neighborhoods. The company runs two consumer-facing sub-brands: Artifact Living (residential rentals for the urban creative class, offering up to 2x more space per square foot than comparable Park Slope apartments) and The Harlem Collective (affordable co-working space with private offices, hot desks, and artist studios, operating at roughly half WeWork pricing and near-100% occupancy since 2016).

The underlying business is conventional adaptive-reuse real estate development rather than a technology platform. Projects range from landmarked brownstone renovations (Artifact No. 767, No. 719) to large mixed-use developments (Artifact No. 1861 at 103,000 sq ft, No. 636 at 145,000 sq ft, No. 503 at 100,000 sq ft), and increasingly include select-service hotel acquisitions in Florida through partnerships with Rok Acquisitions and Sage Lane Partners, financed by CIM Group and Ocean Bank. The core technology is project execution: a clustered ecosystem development model that co-locates housing, workspace, retail, and community amenities, supported by long-tenured architecture (ELOD Studio, 15+ years in Harlem), construction (AR Construction), engineering (Madsen, Langan), and legal (Gabler & McVeety) partners.

Revenue is generated through four recurring and transactional streams: residential rental income (Artifact Living apartments), co-working memberships (The Harlem Collective), commercial and street-level retail leases within mixed-use developments, and hotel ownership/investment income through joint ventures. GTM is community-led: marketing relies on Instagram presence (@ArtifactLiving, @TheHarlemCollective), word-of-mouth within Harlem, partnerships with local non-profits, and direct outreach to qualified Opportunity Zone investors. The company is NYC-certified as a Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) and has 1-10 employees, with leadership (Founder/CEO Javier Martinez, ex-Access Industries; Principal Geoff Bartakovics, ex-Tasting Table/UBS) supplemented by an external network of core partners rather than a large internal bench.

Name

Artifact

Legal name

The Upper Group Equities, LLC

Website

https://artifact.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Artifact is a Harlem-based real estate development firm (founded 2015) that builds and operates residential apartments (Artifact Living), co-working space (The Harlem Collective), and mixed-use projects, with a $100M+ Opportunity Zone pipeline and hotel investments in Florida via joint ventures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Rentals: Artifact Living offers residential rental apartments in Harlem, generating recurring rental income from tenants in their developed properties.
2. Co-working Memberships: The Harlem Collective offers affordable co-working space memberships including private offices, hot desks, and artist studios on a rental basis.
3. Commercial Real Estate: Commercial office and retail space leasing within mixed-use developments, including street-level retail spaces and commercial office floors.
4. Hotel Property Investment: Through partnerships, Artifact Group acquires and invests in hotel properties, with plans for brand-mandated property improvement plans and renovations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Artifact is a Harlem-focused real estate developer that acquires, redevelops, and operates residential, commercial, and co-working properties, primarily through adaptive reuse of historic buildings. It sells its inventory through two consumer-facing brands: Artifact Living (designed rental apartments) and The Harlem Collective (affordable co-working space). The company also pursues hotel acquisition joint ventures and Opportunity Zone investor partnerships.

Product overview

Artifact Real Estate Development Co. is a modern real estate developer creating thoughtful residential, commercial, and retail spaces in Harlem. The company operates two primary consumer-facing brands: Artifact Living (well-designed apartments for creative living) and The Harlem Collective (affordable co-working space for local entrepreneurs and independents). The portfolio includes multiple development projects ranging from brownstone renovations to large mixed-use developments, collectively representing over $50MM in active projects with a pipeline exceeding $100MM in Harlem's Opportunity Zones.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Artifact Living: Well-designed residential apartments for creative urban living, serving the urban creative class in New York neighborhoods.
• The Harlem Collective

Products and services

• Artifact Living Well-designed residential rental apartments for the urban creative class in Harlem, offering thoughtfully designed living spaces and reportedly up to 2x more space per square foot than comparable neighborhoods such as Park Slope.
• The Harlem Collective Affordable co-working space in Harlem offering private offices, hot desks, and artist's studios to local entrepreneurs, consultants, non-profits, and artists, priced at roughly half of comparable WeWork spaces and operating at nearly 100% occupancy since 2016.
• The Harlem Collective at 1850 Amsterdam Avenue 18,000 square feet of modern commercial office space across three floors plus a landscaped roof deck, located in a former stable building redeveloped by Artifact in 2020, featuring 40 private offices, 26 hot desks, and street-level retail including a cafe.
• Commercial and retail leasing within mixed-use developments Commercial office and street-level retail leasing within Artifact's Harlem mixed-use developments, offering ground-floor spaces intended for community-serving businesses such as cafes, restaurants, and local shops; available square footage across the portfolio ranges from 2,500 to 31,000 sq ft of commercial space and 675 to 7,500 sq ft of retail space.
• Hotel property acquisition and investment (via Artifact Group joint ventures) Select-service and full-service hotel property acquisition and investment executed through joint venture partnerships with Rok Acquisitions, Sage Lane Partners, and Everwood Hospitality Partners, including brand-mandated property improvement plans and financing arranged through CIM Group and Ocean Bank.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100% occupancy at The Harlem Collective co-working space
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rok AcquisitionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026Miami-based real estate partner in hotel acquisitions with Artifact Group, including purchase of Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale West (265-room all-suite hotel) and Four Points by Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport.
• JLL Hotels & Hospitality GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 May 2026JLL completed the sale and arranged acquisition financing for the Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale West, representing the centerpiece of Plantation Walk mixed-use development.
• ELOD Studio (Alessandro Cimini & Ignacio Lamar)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerELOD Studio founders manage all architecture and construction for Artifact. They have practiced architecture, urban design and interior design through ELOD in Harlem for over 15 years, bringing Artifact critical local knowledge and community familiarity.
• AR Construction (All Renovation Construction LLC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNY State / NYC MBE certified full service General Contractor specializing in high-end renovation construction projects since 2007, including landmark brownstones, townhouses and apartment renovations.
• Madsen Consulting EngineeringcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural Engineering firm founded by Erik Madsen, PE and Cristian S. Vimer, PhD, PE, with eleven staff members including five licensed engineers. Extensive expertise with residential, commercial, hotels, healthcare, and affordable housing projects.
• J Pilla GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFull service Construction Company providing site development, project management, and cost control to the public and private sectors with over forty years experience in construction.
• LanganminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIntegrated mix of engineering and environmental consulting services supporting land development projects, corporate real estate portfolios, and the energy industry.
• Gabler & McVeety LawcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReal property law firm with extensive experience in commercial and residential transactions, commercial leasing, developer and owner representation, and all forms of commercial and residential lending and financing.
• Sage Lane PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner with Rok Acquisitions and Artifact Group for hotel acquisitions including the Four Points by Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport.
• Columbia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbia University's massive expansion in Manhattanville (new administrative buildings, classrooms, and high technology research labs) creates growth catalyst for area rents and supports Artifact's development pipeline in the neighborhood.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Dermot Company: Manhattan-based multifamily and mixed-use developer with a long track record in Harlem and Upper Manhattan. Directly comparable in geography, product type and renter demographic, though at larger scale and longer operating history.
• BRP Companies: NYC-based mixed-income and mixed-use developer with deep Harlem and outer-borough exposure. Highly comparable to Artifact in target market (urban NYC neighborhoods), product mix (mixed-use, multifamily, community-anchored retail), and pipeline scale.
• Douglaston Development: NYC-based developer of mixed-income and mixed-use housing including affordable and market-rate multifamily. Comparable on customer segment (mixed-income urban renters), MWBE program participation and Harlem/outer-borough pipeline exposure.
• L+M Development Partners: NYC affordable and mixed-income housing developer active across Manhattan and the Bronx. Closely comparable on customer segment (community-anchored renters), MWBE participation, and adaptive reuse of older building stock.
• Cape Advisors: NYC developer specializing in adaptive reuse of historic and landmarked properties across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Highly comparable to Artifact's adaptive reuse of brownstones, stables and pre-war buildings for residential and commercial use.

Broad incumbents

• Taconic Investment Partners: NYC real estate investment and development firm with Harlem and Upper Manhattan exposure. Comparable in geography and mixed-use orientation, but operates at meaningfully larger scale and with institutional capital partners.
• Two Trees Management: Established Brooklyn-based developer known for adaptive reuse and place-based mixed-use development (Industry City, Domino). Comparable in philosophy (community-enhancing, ecosystem-style development) but materially larger and broader in geography.
• Gotham Organization: NYC-focused residential and mixed-use developer with active Harlem and Upper Manhattan projects. Comparable on customer and product, though Gotham is significantly larger and more institutional in capital structure.
• Related Companies: Largest NYC affordable and mixed-income housing developer (Hudson Yards, Related Affordable). Comparable in mission overlap (community-anchored development, affordable housing), but operates at incomparably larger scale with national footprint.

Emerging players

• Hope Community Inc. Harlem-based nonprofit housing developer producing and preserving affordable housing in Upper Manhattan. Comparable on Harlem geography, community-anchored mission and renter demographic, though structured as a nonprofit rather than for-profit developer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/artifactliving
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artifact-development

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Artifact