San Francisco CEO Returned To School Before Starting Own Business
Nav Athwal is CEO and founder of RealtyShares, an online marketplace for real estate investing. After graduating from UC Davis with a bachelor's in Electrical Engineering and working as an engineer for a few years, Athwal attended UC Berkeley Law School where he graduated in 2010 as the class valedictorian. During Athwal's time at UC Davis he worked as a real estate broker and after law school has continued in the field as a real estate attorney. Athwal eventually left his job as an attorney to found RealtyShares.
Scope and responsibilities of current role?
"I lead the strategic direction of the company and all fundraising efforts. Our company is growing quickly, so it is hard to believe we're only 24 months old. We're now at approximately 20 people with plans to double over the next 6 months. It is very exciting to see not only the growth of the team, but also the strong interest from our customers that are looking for a more efficient way to raise capital or invest in real estate."
What is your favorite part of your daily duties?
"The ability to build a company from the ground up and see it succeed and grow is a great feeling. We have a dedicated, collaborative and highly skilled team here at RealtyShares that is passionate about our mission to transform the real estate investment landscape. With each new hire, I work hard to instill that culture and mission, and it is great to see new hires not only buy into the mission but also instill it on subsequent hires. It also never gets old to hear a customer say that your product or platform is exactly what they were looking for. I mean, ultimately, we're all here for the customer."
Do you feel your education prepared you for your current role?
"RealtyShares was the creation of pain points I witnessed first hand while working in real estate as an investor, broker and attorney. Without those experiences I wouldn't be as equipped as I am today to build RealtyShares into the leading online marketplace for real estate investing. Seeing institutional investors invest in and profit from real estate, while individual investors were being left out, was something I believed needed to change and that is why I created RealtyShares."
Do you have any advice for people who desire to pursue a similar career?
"Regardless of the career path you take or the ultimate trajectory you choose, it is important to always have goals in mind. What do you want to achieve over the next 12 months, 24 months, 5 years and 10 years? It helps you stay focused on how to get there. Also, building a startup has taught me a lot about perseverance. There will always be challenges in anything you do and ultimately, those that succeed are those that don't lose site of their goals and don't quit when things get a little shaky. That is a part of life."
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