Local Roots to Global Roofs - Scaling Housing Innovation

Habitat for Humanity International, through its Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, aims to expand access to affordable housing by fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in the shelter sector. Its flagship program, ShelterTech, connects startups with investors, corporates, and ecosystem partners to accelerate scalable housing solutions for low-income populations. As ShelterTech transitions from a global accelerator model to a regionally led approach, understanding how local innovation ecosystems function becomes crucial.

This Capstone project supports Habitat for Humanity in identifying how ecosystem actors, such as investors, entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs), and corporates, engage with sheltertech startups and what factors increase the likelihood of collaboration and investment. Focusing on one key region, such as Mexico, the team will conduct stakeholder interviews, analyze engagement patterns, and research parallels from adjacent sectors like fintech and healthtech to uncover common success drivers. The project will develop a framework of “ecosystem triggers”—the milestones, narratives, and signals that encourage ecosystem actors to support sheltertech ventures. It will also produce a practical ecosystem engagement playbook for Habitat’s regional teams, enabling them to map and activate local networks that can sustain housing innovation. The final deliverable will provide actionable recommendations and a scalable model to strengthen innovation ecosystems that drive affordable housing solutions worldwide.