Inaugural California Renovation Contest Names California’s Top 10 Home Renovation Brands
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – November 14, 2026 – The first California Renovation Contest has named the Top 10 Home Renovation Brands in California, closing an eight-month program run by AI Bridge (AiB), a verification and disclosure platform for residential renovation projects, together with Professional Alliance LLC. The awards ceremony was held Nov. 5–6 in Diamond Bar.
The contest opened in September 2026 across two regions — Irvine in Southern California and Silicon Valley in the north. It screened 100 renovation teams and advanced 30 to the finals before naming the ten winning brands. A six-member panel selected them: Jocelyn Zheng, president of Professional Alliance LLC; Cassandra Selim, California lead at New Western; Amy Zhang, founder of Plum Blossom Investment (US); Peter Li, founder and chief executive of Ali Construction and chair of the U.S. ADU Industry Association; Ada Peng, director of a California real estate policy advisory firm; and Norman Chung, a California appraiser and adjunct professor of real estate at Cal State Northridge.
“Renovation work still gets judged on relationships and spreadsheets. Three people can walk through the same house and come back with three different numbers,” said Joe Li, co-founder of AI Bridge. “A contest like this makes good practice visible. What the platform adds is a way to check it.”
Winning teams move into platform partnerships with AI Bridge and receive introductions to supply-chain brands, transaction platforms and media partners. Their project milestones will be documented publicly through April 2027, and a follow-on head-to-head round among winning projects is planned.
AI Bridge builds verification and disclosure tools for California home-renovation projects. The platform checks ownership and lien records against title data, verifies identity, and documents construction progress against project milestones, so that a project’s record can be reviewed rather than taken on trust. AI Bridge does not hold or move money at any point. The platform operates in California and is currently invitation-only.
Across the two-day program, 21 speakers covered long-cycle projects through market downturns, renovation practice in Southern California and Silicon Valley, accessory dwelling units as an alternative when resale margins compress, and valuation. A site visit on the second day toured an office-to-residential conversion in Long Beach. APEX Funding was the exclusive sponsor of the event, and KAJIKEN sponsored the luncheon. The ceremony also marked the launch of the California Myriad Stars Investment Alliance, an industry group formed by the two co-hosts.
“Renovation teams across California rarely get a place to compare how they actually work,” said Jocelyn Zheng, president of Professional Alliance LLC. “A contest gives them that, and the recognition travels further than any single project does.”
About AI Bridge
AI Bridge (AiB) builds verification and disclosure tools for residential renovation projects in California, including title-data checks, identity verification and milestone-based progress disclosure. AI Bridge does not hold or move money. The platform operates in California on an invitation-only basis. More at aibridge.app.
About Professional Alliance LLC
Professional Alliance LLC, is a Diamond Bar, Calif.-based training and support organization for real estate professionals in Southern California. It co-hosted the inaugural California Renovation Contest.
Media Contact AI Bridge — [email protected]
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Company Name: AI Bridge
Contact Person: Joe Li
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Website: https://www.aibridge.app/
