Pro Athletes Back Crowdfunded Push to Turn Vacant Urban Lots into Homes

CHICAGO, IL – May 28, 2026 – Kinexx Modular Construction, a Chicago-based company that has pioneered building on the city's forgotten vacant lots, is now inviting the public to invest in its solution to the urban housing crisis. Today, the firm launched a public crowdfunding campaign, backed by a high-profile roster of professional athletes, including NFL quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Justin Fields, and Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

With investment opportunities starting at $500 on the DealMaker platform, Kinexx aims to democratize not only homeownership but also the investment opportunities that fuel it. The capital raise is designed to scale the company’s unique modular construction system from a proven Chicago model to a multi-city platform, targeting thousands of vacant lots that have long been considered undevelopable by traditional builders.

This initiative arrives as the United States grapples with a severe housing shortage, estimated to be between 3.7 and 5 million homes. The problem is particularly acute in America's legacy cities, where historical disinvestment has left over 250,000 lots—already zoned for housing and connected to utilities—sitting empty, contributing to urban blight and a widening wealth gap. The median net worth of a homeowner is currently more than 40 times that of a renter, a statistic Kinexx aims to address directly.

A System Engineered for the Overlooked Lot

Kinexx’s core innovation is a construction system engineered specifically for the challenges of urban infill. Traditional construction companies have historically avoided the narrow lots, tight alleyways, and complex permitting processes common in dense city neighborhoods. Kinexx was built from the ground up to thrive in these exact conditions.

"The land was always there, but the homes weren't," said Kinexx CEO Scott Upshaw. "The problem is the lack of a system capable of building on narrow lots, tight alleys, zero staging space, and complex urban permitting – environments that traditional builders have long avoided. We designed Kinexx to address these exact conditions."

The company’s precision manufacturing process takes place in a controlled factory environment. This off-site construction method significantly reduces on-site build times, minimizes weather delays, and lessens neighborhood disruption from noise and traffic—key advantages in populated urban areas. The modular housing market is seeing significant growth, with projections showing a compound annual growth rate of over 6%, as cities increasingly turn to such solutions for faster, more cost-effective development.

"Kinexx was engineered for the problem nobody else wanted to solve," added Kinexx Co-founder and Chief Design Officer Paul Tebben. "Narrow lots. Tight streets. Appraisal-gap neighborhoods. We built the system from scratch for exactly those conditions."

From Chicago Proof-of-Concept to National Ambition

Before launching its national expansion plan, Kinexx established a strong proof-of-concept in its home city. The company is credited with designing, building, and installing the first modular home in Chicago, with designs customized for the city's typical lot sizes. Production has scaled impressively, growing from a single home in 2020 to 31 homes in 2022.

A standout project, the Harrison Row Townhomes in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood, demonstrated the model's viability. The development featured 28 units priced affordably for residents earning up to 120% of the Area Median Income. The project garnered local attention for its speed, with entire buildings erected and made weathertight in just a couple of days.

Operating from a factory near Midway Airport with the capacity to produce modules for one home per week, Kinexx has proven its model is both replicable and scalable. The funds from the new crowdfunding raise are earmarked to take this success to the next level. The company's initial goal is to expand to a multi-city platform targeting 25,000 vacant lots across eight urban markets, including Detroit, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.

"This raise takes the proof-of-concept we built in Chicago and gives us the capital to scale it," Tebben explained.

Star Power for Social Impact

Adding significant momentum to the campaign is a group of more than 20 professional athletes who have invested in the company's vision. The list includes NFL stars like Mark Ingram and Cam Jordan, MLB champion Edwin Jackson, and NBA players such as DeMarcus Cousins and De'Aaron Fox. Their involvement transcends simple endorsement, reflecting a growing trend of athletes leveraging their capital and influence for ventures with tangible social returns.

For many of the investors, the mission is personal. "I grew up in a house with 20 people, and in my neighborhood, nobody owned anything," said Jameis Winston, NFL quarterback and an early investor. "I know what it feels like to grow up in a place where ownership wasn't even a conversation. As athletes we talk about financial literacy and generational wealth. This is it in action. This investment opportunity builds communities and builds returns at the same time."

This athlete-led investment in real estate, particularly with a social impact focus, provides a model for creating long-term, stable wealth while addressing systemic inequities. By backing Kinexx, these athletes are not just diversifying their portfolios but are also amplifying a solution to the housing crisis and promoting economic empowerment in underserved communities.

Democratizing the Solution

The structure of the fundraising campaign is as innovative as the company's building methods. By opening the investment round to the general public with a $500 minimum, Kinexx is practicing the same principle of accessibility it applies to homeownership. It breaks down barriers that have traditionally reserved such ground-floor opportunities for institutional firms and accredited high-net-worth individuals.

"This raise is not only about building up communities, but also proving that the investment opportunity the market reserved for insiders can be opened up the same way we're opening up homeownership," Upshaw stated.

This approach allows community members to become stakeholders in the revitalization of their own cities. By investing in Kinexx, individuals can directly contribute to tackling the housing shortage and creating pathways to generational wealth for families in neighborhoods that have been overlooked for decades. The campaign represents a novel intersection of technology, finance, and social impact, offering a scalable model to transform vacant spaces into vibrant homes and investment returns.