About Clever Builds — Family-owned, no private equity

Our mission

America is short three million homes. We're answering that.

We've designed some of the world's most iconic buildings, invented and commercialized advanced technology products, and run manufacturing operations around the globe.

Our founders are family. While building a tiny home for ourselves, we realized we had a unique combination of expertise that could make incredible-quality homes at great prices. Clever is what came out of that.

The Clever Builds chapter

Same factory. Same family. Two product lines for two regulatory paths.

Clever Builds is the natural next chapter. We started with Clever Tiny Homes — premium Tiny Homes on Wheels that ship from California to all 50 states. Today, we ship a tiny home every other day from our 85,000 sq ft factory.

Then California passed SB 1211. The math on multifamily ADUs changed overnight. The question wasn't whether to build factory-built modular at developer-grade scale in California — it was who could do it right. So we built Clever Builds.

The split

Clever Tiny Homes

Tiny Homes on Wheels. Park Model RVs. Ships nationwide. Direct-to-consumer.

Clever Builds

HCD Factory-Built Housing. Permanent ADUs. CA only. B2B + developer.

Both brands share the same factory (85,000 sq ft, Ensenada, Baja California), the same family ownership, and the same core engineering and design team.

By the numbers

What we've built so far.

2020

Founded

300+

Homes delivered

120+

Team members

85K sq ft

Factory floor

50 states

Shipped to

0

Private equity investors

Why no private equity matters

Owned by a family. Built for the long run.

We're the only at-scale CA Factory-Built Housing manufacturer not backed by private equity. Here's why that matters for your project, your warranty, and your relationship with us.

The math behind a fund cycle

A PE-backed modular company is typically five years into a seven-year fund cycle when you meet them.

— Decisions slow as the firm preps for exit
— Warranties get harder to enforce after ownership changes
— Customer service becomes a cost center
— Your project becomes a portfolio line item

How we work differently

Clever is 100% family-owned and profitable. We answer to customers, not investors.

Our owners are still in the factory
Decisions move in days, not quarters
Warranties honored because we plan to be here
We say no to the wrong customer

Talk to a founder

The founders

A family. By design.

Didi Zhao

Founder · Architecture & Design

Award-winning architect and designer. Her work spans skyscrapers, convention centers, movie theaters, and entire cities — for clients including Universal Studios, The Venetian, and the Beijing Olympics. Cooper Hewitt National Design Award honoree.

Jonathan Palley

Founder · Partnerships & Engineering

Entrepreneur and engineer who's brought multiple digitally-enabled businesses to market. The founder you're most likely to talk to during the early stages of your project.

Asa Feinstein

Founder · Manufacturing & Sustainability

Veteran tiny-home dweller. Has owned, run, and consulted in complex manufacturing activities worldwide. He runs the factory and supply chain — the engine that makes the whole business work.

Leadership team