Crowdfunding, a growing trend across a number of industries, has recently been expanding into the commercial real estate market. According to Massolution, crowdfunding investors injected $1 billion into the U.S. real estate market last year and are expected to invest $2.5 billion in 2015. Seeking to serve this burgeoning demand, Sphere Realty Capital (Sphere) announces the nationwide launch of its innovative online crowdfunding platform for individual investors, institutional investors and real estate companies.
The company’s primary objective is to create a more efficient, integrated marketplace for private commercial real estate. Sphere is a full service, real estate crowdfunding platform that brings together the three primary, though historically distinct, elements of commercial real estate: individual investors, institutional investors, and real estate companies.
“Sphere is an innovative company in a new and growing market.” states Christopher Woodrum, CEO of Sphere. “We integrate and optimize commercial real estate investment and finance through an online platform that promotes synergies between the different types of market participants.”
Historically, only investors with close relationships to real estate companies had access to private real estate investment opportunities. Sphere removes these historical barriers by providing individual accredited investors a new channel for direct investment into commercial real estate. Sphere members will have the opportunity to invest in selected private real estate transactions through a streamlined and efficient online process. Each investment opportunity is carefully reviewed and selected by Sphere’s management to provide members with high quality investment opportunities offered by sophisticated real estate companies.
Real estate companies benefit from Sphere’s ability to access both accredited and institutional investors. Sphere’s investment structure minimizes the burden on real estate companies to raise capital and Sphere undertakes the administration, on-going reporting, and asset management responsibilities for Sphere’s accredited investors, which frees management to focus on optimizing investor returns. Further, Sphere provides a full array of services to its real estate company members including advisory services and real estate brokerage.
“The real estate industry has long needed an efficient solution to better connect these traditionally segmented groups of investors and real estate companies,” explains Joe Morea, a senior advisor to Sphere and a former Vice Chairman at RBC Capital Markets. “With Sphere’s holistic approach, this new investment channel is now more accessible, easier to navigate and incredibly vital to the future development of real estate investing.”