What does rocket engineering have to do with affordable housing? 🚀 🏠
A former SpaceX engineer is now focused on one of the world’s oldest industries and asking: why can’t we build homes faster, smarter, and more affordably?
In this episode, you’ll hear how robotic construction + AI-powered 3D printing could help scale housing while easing the pressure caused by workforce shortages.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧 #OptimisticOutlook
Meet the undergraduate interns and capstone collaborators contributing to Verustruct this season!
From software and materials R&D to fenestration systems, clamp design, MEP installation, and reinforced structural member research, this group is helping tackle a wide range of technical challenges across our work. Their contributions support real engineering development while bringing fresh thinking, strong technical foundations, and a clear enthusiasm for building.
Undergraduate Interns:
Aolani Gonzalez, Yale ’28, Mechanical Engineering Natalie Kiwanian, NJIT ’27, Mechanical Engineering Philemon Ativor, Caldwell University ’26, Computer Science Tatiana Mejia, NJIT ’27, Mechanical Engineering
Tesneem, USC ’26, Civil Engineering + Building Science
Yana Eber, Yale ’27, Chemical Engineering
Yale Capstone Team:
Phil Boctor, Yale ’26, Mechanical Engineering Emerson Harris, Yale ’26, Biomedical Engineering
Nikolai Stephens-Zumbaum, Yale ’26, Mechanical Engineering Derek Denehy, Yale ’26, Mechanical Engineering
We are thrilled to have each of them contributing to the future of housing innovation at Verustruct.
Meet Nikhil Dubey, Verustruct’s Robotics Engineer II!
Nikhil is a robotics and hardware systems engineer working across embedded electronics, mechatronics, and applied robotics. From contributing to an early E-BAJA vehicle team to leading research efforts and publishing work across robotics and renewable energy, his background combines technical depth with hands-on execution.
Having worked with multiple startups, Nikhil specializes in turning ambitious early-stage ideas into working hardware. He has also earned several first-place finishes at engineering hackathons along the way.
Meet Trupti K. Dongre, Verustruct’s Civil Engineer I!
Trupti is an upcoming M.S. graduate in Structural Engineering with a focus on concrete, steel, and seismic design. She also brings professional experience as a Student Engineer with the City of Los Angeles.
With a strong understanding of construction materials and structural performance, Trupti is passionate about designing resilient, code-compliant, and sustainable structural systems grounded in sound engineering principles and innovative technologies.
Outside of engineering, she enjoys traveling, gardening, running, and reading.
Meet Verustruct’s Founding Mechanical Engineer, Kostantinos “Kostas” Markopoulos!
Kostas was born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece, where he developed an early passion for building, tinkering, and understanding how things work. He later moved to the United States to pursue his studies and graduated from Yale University in 2025 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Since joining Verustruct in May 2024, Kostas has played an important role in advancing our technical development, bringing an inventive mindset and a commitment to solving meaningful problems.
At Verustruct, we believe everyone deserves a safe, affordable, and sustainable home.
Our name reflects how we think building should be done. “Verus” points to what is true and genuine, while “Struct” comes from the language of building and structure. Together, Verustruct stands for building with integrity, clarity, and real-world purpose.
For us, that means transparent execution, grounded engineering, and solutions designed for the real constraints of housing delivery. From the earliest concept to the finished system, we believe good construction starts with honesty—about materials, process, cost, and what it takes to deliver better housing.
We’re not just building structures. We’re building trust.
#Verustruct #ConstructionTechnology #AffordableHousing #SustainableHousing #BuiltEnvironment #ConTech #BuildWithIntegrity #HousingInnovation #FutureOfConstruction #UrbanDevelopment
Meet Verustruct's Founder: Nicholas Callegari 🏡
Before founding Verustruct, Nick led the structures team for NASA’s Crew-4 mission and designed the EVA structure for Polaris Dawn at SpaceX.
And, even before that, Nick grew up on job sites.
Working with his dad—a wall laborer with over 30 years of experience—Nick saw the grit required to build, along with the massive inefficiencies that make housing inaccessible for so many.
Today, Nick is bringing engineering from space back to the ground through Verustruct.
Under Nick's leadership, Verustruct aims to close the 4.5-million-home gap with buildings that are faster to construct and significantly more climate-resilient.
Learn more about Nick's story at the link in our bio! 🔗 (Direct link: https://youtu.be/Dtf5UhVeAVw?si=7wO_u8rG-Uk2lF02)
#FounderStory #SpaceX #ConstructionTech #TEDx #Verustruct #AffordableHousing #Robotics #DeepTech
2025 Recap: From Vision to Momentum 🏗️
Verustruct has had an incredible year as we work to redefine innovative construction. We are grateful for our partners, supporters, and collaborators who have helped fuel our journey over the year:
🌍 May — The Verustruct team placed 2nd for the Planetary Solutions Prize at Startup Yale and won the Golden Ticket from ClimateHaven at the Yale Innovation Summit.
🚀 September — Verustruct closed an oversubscribed $2.44M Pre-Seed round backed by visionary investors to help us bring robotics to job sites.
⚡ October — Honored to be recognized as one of the top deeptech companies by Deep Checks.
🏡 December — Verustruct’s Founder, Nicholas Callegari, was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Manufacturing & Industry for 2026.
We are excited to step into the future laser-focused on delivering affordable, sustainable, and beautiful homes.
#Verustruct #ConstructionTech #DeepTech #Forbes30Under30 #StartupYale #ClimateInnovation #3DPrinting
Verustruct leverages robotics and automation to solve the housing crisis by delivering homes that are resilient, sustainable, beautiful, and affordable.
The future of housing is on its way. Stay tuned.
#Verustruct #ConstructionTech #Robotics #3DPC #DeepTech #ClimateTech #Startup #Yale
