The Difference Between Real Estate and PropTech Investing with Zain Jaffer, Ep. 417

Zain Jaffer is a lifelong entrepreneur who founded his first startup when he was just a teenager. He co-founded mobile advertiser Vungle, which was acquired by Blackstone in 2019 for $780M. Shortly afterward he started Zain Ventures, his family office that boasts a diverse portfolio of real estate investments and proptech startups. He is currently a partner at Blue Field Capital.

Zain’s success as both a founder and investor has made him a leading authority in the realm of startups and venture capital. He has become a respected voice in real estate as well, and can be heard sharing his insights on the PropTech VC podcast. We talked to Zain about his early success, and how that led him into investing in multifamily, his journey as an investor with a very diversified portfolio, and startups.

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[00:01 – 03:16] Opening Segment 

• Zain talks about his background.
• How Zain kept trying until he made it;
• He talks about his huge portfolio;

[03:16 – 16:35] Why Multifamily

• How he started building flipping websites to make money at a very young age;
• The things that led him to a $780 mill idea;
• How he decided to get into real estate after his exit from the company;
• Why he chose multifamily investing;

[16:35 – 33:04] Multifamily vs PropTech Investing

• Zain talks about proptech startups.
• The ways to invest in proptech startups.
• The difference in investing in real estate and proptech startups;
• What to look for in a startup to invest in;
• What strategies you should follow when investing in a startup.

 [33:04 – 39:04] Round of Insights

Apparent Failure:

Choosing the wrong partner when he started investing in real estate

Digital Resource:

Podcasts

Most Recommended Book:

Blitzscaling

Daily Habit:

Speed reading

#1 Insight for Investing:

Always trust but verify as well.

Best Place to Grab a Bite in Bay Area: 

Ozumo

Contact Zain:

To learn more go to proptechvc.com.

Tweetable Quotes:

“Realize what hats to wear depending on which asset class you are looking to invest in.” – Zain Jaffer

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