AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Casoro Group (“Casoro”), a leading commercial real estate investment firm based in Austin, Texas, is announcing the launch of its new Onyx Impact Fund. The 100% minority-owned firm created the Onyx Impact Fund to help increase the generational wealth of minorities through increased participation in the real estate industry and real estate investing.
The Onyx Impact Fund has a 10-year investment period, with an investment target of $1 billion. It will seek investments in commercial real estate opportunities with minority-owned sponsors, in properties benefiting from the booming knowledge-based job growth in the Sun Belt region, including multifamily, office, retail and industrial, using core-plus, value-add, opportunistic and ground-up multifamily development strategies.
“Investors have become concerned about the impact of their investments and how well they align with their values,” Casoro Group CEO Yuen Yung said. “The Onyx Impact Fund will focus on providing both positive social impact, as well as competitive financial returns for investors.”
A portion of the Onyx Impact Fund’s financial returns will be dedicated to educational and career assistance to help increase the participation of traditionally under-represented minorities. Casoro has established the Casoro Group Education Foundation (“CGEF”), a Texas nonprofit corporation in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status that will be funded by generous donors and pledges from the Onyx Impact Fund.
“With CGEF, we’re aiming to make real estate professional opportunities accessible to historically marginalized and underresourced students,” said Yung. “The foundation’s mission is to offer students educational programs, experience and jobs to enable minorities to build the generational wealth possible in our industry.”
Currently, only 8.3% of senior-level commercial real estate positions are filled by minorities, and only 4.6% of all commercial real estate positions are filled by Blacks, with senior positions having even less representation at 2.2%. By focusing Onyx Impact Fund-invested acquisitions on real estate sponsors and joint-venture partnerships that are at least 50% minority-led, Casoro seeks to help change this.
CGEF initiatives will help increase diversity in the commercial real estate industry through education, scholarships, paid internships, and facilitating the invaluable networking connections necessary for success. The foundation is working with Huston-Tillotson University, a private Historically Black University (HBCU) in Austin, Texas, to be the first beneficiary. The university, as well as community colleges in the Austin area, can receive grants in support of education programs for minority students interested in entering the real estate industry. CGEF will also connect commercial real estate professionals with schools to serve as mentors, academic and professional advisors and more.
“It’s time for the real estate industry to embrace change,” said Yung. “We know that greater diversity leads to improved profitability. Our acquisition criteria allow us to invest with sponsors who are diverse and inclusive in the real estate industry, and the Onyx Impact Fund offers investors socially conscious investing that will open a path to wealth accumulation for a new generation of minority students through real estate.”
About Casoro Group
Casoro Group is a 100% minority-owned, award-winning commercial real estate investment firm. Our commitment is to provide Better Homes for Better Lives®. For our institutional, family office, and high net worth clients, Casoro seeks income-producing real estate portfolios in the knowledge worker markets. Our talented investment team has more than 100 years combined experience in real estate acquisitions and asset management. Our deep expertise in the areas that matter most to investors means we add value and capture the upside. To learn more about Casoro Group, please visit www.casorogroup.com. For more details on the Onyx Impact Fund and Casoro Group Education Foundation, please visit www.onyximpactfund.org or www.cgeducationfoundation.org.
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