Terner Labs scales critical housing innovations at the intersection of equity, affordability and sustainability. Founded in 2020 as an independent non-profit, it complements the research and policy work of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. The Housing Venture Lab at Terner Labs supports entrepreneurs building scalable solutions to some of the toughest challenges in housing, providing seed funding, coaching and access to the Terner Labs network.

Plumis was selected in the Building Innovation track, which recognizes companies improving how housing is designed, built or delivered.

Why this matters for housing

Fire protection is rarely discussed as a housing affordability issue, but it should be. In jurisdictions where fire sprinklers are required, conventional systems can add significant cost and complexity to a project: upsized water meters, dedicated fire lines, invasive pipework and design compromises that hit small homes hardest. For ADUs, wildfire rebuilds and affordable infill housing, these costs can be the difference between a project moving forward and stalling.

Automist was created to rethink residential fire protection for modern homes. Instead of relying on traditional sprinkler infrastructure, Automist uses UL Listed targeted water mist technology to provide effective fire suppression while using dramatically less water than conventional sprinklers. Its compact, intelligent design makes it easier and more affordable to integrate into the homes America most urgently needs to build.

What’s next

Through the Housing Venture Lab, we’ll be working to scale Automist’s impact across the US housing market, from ADU programs and factory-built housing to wildfire rebuild communities. We’re looking forward to learning from our fellow cohort members, and we’re grateful to Terner Labs for recognizing fire protection as part of the housing affordability conversation.

Congratulations to the full 2026-27 cohort, including The Flagstone Initiative, Keyway Homes, Matrix Rental Solutions, Nestment, Series Homes, Viva Benefits, Craft Contracting and Consulting, Highland Park Technologies, Mosaic Timber, Shortstack Housing and US-Offsite.

Learn more about the Housing Venture Lab and the full cohort announcement at Terner Labs.