On the latest episode of Alt Goes Mainstream, we talk with one of the pioneers of the online investment space.

Today’s guest is Ben Miller, the Co-Founder and CEO of Fundrise, America’s largest direct-to-investor alternatives investment manager.

Ben has tremendous experience and expertise in both the real estate space and in building innovative alternative investment technology solutions. Prior to founding Fundrise, Ben was a Managing Partner of WestMill Capital Partners and President of Western Development Corporation, where he was responsible for acquiring, developing, and financing more than $500M worth of property.

In Fundrise, Ben has built a company whose aim is to use technology to build a better financial system for the individual investor, which is simpler, lower cost, more reliable, and transparent. They build software that enables the company to develop and manage investments uniquely well-positioned to grow and preserve their clients’ capital in any economic environment.

Since launching America’s first online real estate investment platform in 2012, Fundrise has now become one of the largest direct-to-investor alternatives investment managers with more than 1.6 million active users, more than $3.3B of equity under management, and $7B of real estate transacted. From private credit to real estate private equity to growth-stage venture capital, Fundrise offers investors exposure to various asset classes.

Ben and I had a fascinating conversation. We discussed:

• Fundrise’s evolution from real estate to broad based alternatives investment manager and how they got there. 
• The evolution of the real estate market and current investment opportunities in real estate. 
• The importance of technology in building a more efficient and low cost way for investors to access alternatives and how Fundrise has focused on this to grow their platform.

Thanks Ben for coming on the AGM podcast to share your views. We hope you enjoy.