Stilt Studios raises US$10M to take its sustainable, modular homes into global markets

Stilt Studios, a manufacturer of sustainable, modular homes based in Bali, Indonesia, has announced the closing of its US$10 million financing (debt and equity) round from investors, including Christian Hymer, the former owner of Hymer, Germany’s market leader in motor homes.

The startup will use the capital for international expansion, investing in the platform, AI, and smart home capabilities, and developing its first full-scale residential project.

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The Australia expansion is underway, with a first build starting late this year. Various other projects abroad are also in advanced planning.

The firm said most of Stilt Studio’s nearly 1,000 ongoing inquiries come from Europe, Australia, and the US, besides Indonesia.

Founded in 2019 by German serial entrepreneur Florian Holm, Stilt Studios makes it possible to configure a variety of cabins, studios, and multi-storey family homes out of standard components; it’s comparable to stacking Lego bricks. High-quality teak and bengkirai wood are used as the main building material.

The system reduces installation time to one to two months per house instead of a year or longer for conventional buildings.

The houses have an embedded carbon footprint (total carbon emissions from materials and the building process) — at least 50 per cent smaller than a comparable conventional building. Due to the elevated design, ground sealing is reduced by at least 90 per cent.

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It also significantly reduces the noise disturbance. “Only the foundation is the noisy part of our building process,” said Holm.

The homes are ideal for resort developers or residential building developers. Other types of applications are also possible, for example, commercial spaces.

To date, the startup has built over 50 houses, 80 per cent of which were completed in the past 12 months. Its largest project is the Family Village Canggu, a residential development spanning 25 family villas.

The company has been profitable since 2022.

Its next goal is to upgrade its customer-facing platform, which includes embedding AI into the customer experience.

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“AI-generated walk-throughs, which let you configure and virtually explore your dream home or resort are a realistic scenario in the near future. And we have the scalable platform behind it to build these designs,” shared Holm. “Bringing AI into the design process and combining it with efficient, modular production will make high-quality homes much more affordable. I truly believe that some decades from now, we will look back at today’s building market like we do today at the car industry at the start of the 20th century.”

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Image Credit: Stilt Studio.

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