Launching a real estate fund management business in a historic market downturn is bold. Doing so as a woman in the Asia-Pacific region, where female-founded and private real estate managers remain exceedingly rare, is even bolder.

“I’ve found that, especially in Asia, women tend to basically step back from the table,” says Angel Li, a former real estate executive at CLSA and Macquarie who became founding partner in her own management business, Avatar Capital Partners.

Li joined The PERE Podcast for an in-depth interview fresh off the closing of Avatar's debut property fund targeting Japanese multifamily assets. But much of the candid discussion with PEI real estate editor-in-chief Jonathan Brasse centered on Li’s experience as a female founder, including overcoming self-doubt and trying to support other future women leaders.

“I’m still having a lot of moments of doubt as a female founder, questioning [whether] I’m fast enough, smart enough,” Li says. “I would say it’s been an emotional marathon, a lot of ups and downs."

Listen as Li describes Avatar’s inaugural fundraising journey, including the critical validation she felt in the fund’s first close and the ultimate triumph when the vehicle saw a final close last month, a year after launch, above-target and with the backing of investors including The Townsend Group and its long-term client National Pension Service of Korea

“At that moment it felt like stepping onto more solid ground, with everything becoming very real,” she says. “It wasn’t just about validation, it was about realization. I might be a soft, small, tepid Asian girl, right? But at that moment I felt like I’m grounded and unstoppable.”

Li’s advice to other female founders: Be yourself, embrace your emotions, celebrate others’ successes, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

“Asking for help, I think isn’t a weakness, but a sign of self-awareness,” she says. “It shows you recognize what you don’t know and that you're committed to growth through learning and collaboration.”

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