18. Shojin Property Partners

Founders: Jatin Ondhia and Sandeep Puri
Founded: 2017
Website: shojin.co.uk

Traditionally, investing in real estate development has been beyond the reach of anyone but high-net worth individuals and family offices.

But is it fair that every day investors should miss out on the “supercharged returns” of a market that’s forecasted to grow from $15bn today to $800bn in 2027, and instead have to make do with the much lower returns of standard investment funds?

Well, fair or not, thanks to Shojin Property Partners, they’ll miss out no longer.

Founded in 2017 by Jatin Ondhia and Sandeep Puri, Shojin is democratising access to institutional-grade development projects, giving people the opportunity to invest in real estate from as little as £5,000. And it hopes to go even further, incrementally lowering this threshold to under £100 so people from all backgrounds and professions can get involved.

Shojin hopes to incrementally lower the investment threshold to under £100 so people from all backgrounds and professions can get involved.

Shojin also puts its own money where its mouth is. After identifying only the most promising developments (95% are rejected) and doing due diligence, it negotiates with the developer and co-invests with its client base, with expected returns in the region of 15-25%.

The business doesn’t take large upfront fees – it invests its own capital in every project and stands to lose first if a project fails. In fact, it only makes money when its clients get paid.

Shojin invests its own capital in every project and stands to lose first if a project fails. In fact, it only makes money when its clients get paid

But beyond greater returns for every day investors, and a deeper pool of finance for developers, what’s so great about this idea? Well, in a world where 1% of the adult population controls 45% of global wealth, yet the next 9% are restricted from the most lucrative investment opportunities, Shojin’s mission to make the property investment industry more inclusive is the first small step on the road to making these opportunities accessible for everyone.