Resimate awarded $1M from CMHC

“The bigger vision is really to enable and empower homeowners to be part of the solution when it comes to adding housing units in their own backyards.”

WINDSOR, ON, June 24, 2024 – A team of housing innovators are looking to help homeowners unlock the potential of their backyards as a semi-finalist in Round 5 of the Housing Supply Challenge.

As a result of federal funding aimed at increasing adoption, speed and productive capacity of the homebuilding sector, the Resimate team is now pursuing the development of a centralized platform that streamlines the modular construction process for detached additional dwelling units (ADUs). By combining all ADU development partners into a single product offering, the Resimate marketplace simplifies and significantly speeds up the backyard homebuilding process for homeowners.

“Imagine if you could buy a backyard home like you buy a car? Rather than this complex, artisanal process, you could instead have units on demand that homeowners could simply customize like an IKEA catalogue and then have our team take care of all the technical components of the installation. That’s what we’re excited about and working towards,” says Founder & CEO, Sarah Cipkar, a PhD candidate in the Geography & Planning Department at the University of Toronto.

By piloting technology to connect homeowners to modular ADU manufacturers, various industry experts and municipalities that are needed to order, permit, deliver and install these units, Resimate seeks to break down barriers that typically lengthen the time to build and drive up costs. With partnerships with ADU manufacturers across the country, Resimate is able to connect homeowners with various models that fit their unique needs, in a turnkey service that is typically unavailable. With a bigger vision to empower and enable homeowners to be part of the solution when it comes to adding housing units in their own backyards, Resimate sees themselves as a critical connector to get units installed.

Local Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh, Irek Kusmierczyk, voices his support:

“Additional Dwelling Units help get more homes built faster. That is why our federal Liberal government is offering low-interest loans up to $40,000 to build secondary suites and help unlock backyard home innovation. Congratulations to Sarah and the entire team at Resimate on being named semi-finalists in CMHC’s Housing Supply Challenge and securing an additional $1 million in federal funding. Since 2021, our government has now delivered nearly $3.5 million to support this Made-In-Windsor project because we know that innovation solutions like Resimate will empower homeowners and contribute to creating more affordable housing in our community and across the country.”

Resimate was also successful in receiving support from local tech accelerator, WETechAlliance, who have seen the need for housing locally. Adam Castle, Director of Venture Services & Partnerships at WETechAlliance, expressed his support for Resimate and Canada’s growing Proptech sector, stating, “The Proptech sector stands as a beacon of innovation within Canada’s technology landscape, making remarkable strides in affordability and sustainability.”

“It is both a pleasure and an honor to support trailblazers like Sarah and her team at Resimate. Their pioneering efforts in simplifying and accelerating the ADU construction process are pivotal in addressing our housing challenges,” Castle continued. “We at WETechAlliance are excited to witness and contribute to the positive impact these visionary solutions will have on our communities and beyond.”

As part of the Housing Supply Challenge, the team must demonstrate how they are increasing speed, increasing adoption rates and increasing productive capacity through innovative interventions. The application to receive another $3 million in funding is due September 6th, and Cipkar says its an “all hands on deck” approach to be successful in this endeavour.

“We have a few pilot projects starting to prove out our model, but we are really building out the whole pipeline to accommodate hundreds more backyard home builds. It should be easier for homeowners to build in their backyards, so we’re dedicated to working with municipalities, builders, and most importantly, homeowners, to solve that problem.”

More information on Resimate’s Marketplace here.

Media Contact:

Sarah Cipkar
Founder & CEO
Resimate
519-790-9518
[email protected]