Build Better Cities with Real Estate Equity Crowdfunding

Eve Picker, ‘83 MSAUD, Founder, Small Change
Ben Schulman, Outreach Director, Small Change

We have entered the age of cities. Yet developers are often faced with numerous financing hurdles in delivering urban-oriented projects. Too often, given the hesitancy of banks to lend to innovation, form follows finance - and change-making projects intended to make cities better languish or are perverted to meet financing constraints.

Could real estate equity crowdfunding help developers meet market demand? A result of the Obama Administration’s 2012 JOBS Act (Jump Our Business Start-ups), real estate crowdfunding is a nascent industry that has grown from nothing in 2012 to a multi-billion industry that is kickstarting new ways of development and modes of investment for everyday people. How can this tool and the platforms that use it be utilized to bring urbanistic projects to life?

This event brings to GSAPP the people behind Small Change - a real estate equity crowdfunding portal dedicated to building better cities where anyone over the age of 18 can invest in transformational real estate projects. The event will provide an overview of the current real estate crowdfunding regulations, outline how Small Change is working with developers to catalyze projects in which everyday people can invest and participate in their development, and offer an opportunity for students to directly engage with the CEO and founder of Small Change to break down the process of using crowdfunding to bring projects to life.

Organized by the Real Estate Development program, Columbia GSAPP. Free and open to the public.