Increasingly, I believe investors such as venture capitalists are going to start demanding that culture be a much more important part of the discussion than it has been in the past.

Comparably, a compensation, culture and career monitoring website, recently released its 2018 Culture Awards. Based on employee sentiment, these lists recognize companies of all sizes across the nation, including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C., helping to drive positive culture change.

"When you have leaders that are focused on issues (of) inclusion and diversity, and especially when they have a diverse background themselves, I think ... employees feel rewarded and empowered" Jason Nazar, the CEO of Comparably, said in an interview with USA TODAY.

The 2018 Rising Stars represent the best young leaders in the mortgage industry – in lending, servicing, investing and real estate.

“It was clear from the beginning that Nia was an outstanding talent and exemplifies everything you look for in a colleague: intelligent, hardworking and fun to be around,” said Brew Johnson, Co-Founder and CEO of PeerStreet.

According to PeerStreet, HousingWire’s 2018 Rising Stars list recognizes talent that demonstrates leadership and innovation, inspiring not only those within their company but also their communities and the industry at large.

PeerStreet, an online platform for investing in real estate backed loans, announced on Wednesday that one billion in loans have been funded through its marketplace since launch.

“It’s been incredibly gratifying to watch PeerStreet grow from an idea to where we are today, with over a hundred employees and a billion of loans funded,” says PeerStreet Co-Founder and CEO Brew Johnson.

Earlier this year, the company made a strategic move into the commercial mortgage business. Initially, PeerStreet will offer small-balance recourse loans valued at less than $5 million for multifamily properties and mixed-use properties with residential components.

Each spring, I provide a comprehensive list of exciting, growing, hiring startups–both private or recently public–that are worthy of consideration as places to start or continue a career in StartupLand.

"We brought John in to oversee all real estate operations from sourcing lenders, underwriting loans and ongoing account management of those lenders and asset management, as well, making sure loans perform," said Brett Cosby, PeerStreet's co-founder and chief operating officer. "There were opportunities to improve getting everyone aligned. That's why we brought John in."

PeerStreet, which bears Michael Burry's-aka Christian Bale’s character in The Big Short-blessing, and was recently named to HousingWire Magazine’s HW Tech100 as one to the top technology companies in the housing industry, connects lenders with investors and provides them with short term, real estate-backed loans.

This strategic hire comes at a momentous time for the company, having announced last month that it had raised a $29.5 million Series B, with plans to increase it’s pace of hiring. The company also surpassed $900 million in loans funded and was included in HousingWire’s prestigious “Tech 100” list.

“The high-energy culture and the caliber of talent at PeerStreet attracted me to the business and the more I dig into the company and its mission, the more I find the business to be extremely compelling,” Mr. Devereux said. “My experience and skills are a great fit at this stage of the company’s evolution, and I look forward to applying them here.”

“I find the business to be extremely compelling,” said Devereux. “My experience and skills are a great fit at this stage of the company’s evolution, and I look forward to applying them here.”

“Following our Series B funding, PeerStreet has entered a new state of expansion and deepening our reach within the industry.” said Brew Johnson, CEO of PeerStreet. “John has unparalleled experience and is an industry leader at what he does; we are extremely pleased to have him on board.”

Devereux brings over 28 years of real estate equity and debt experience including six years as EVP, Head of Commercial Real Estate at OneWest Bank and nine years as Principal at Colony Capital.

For Episode 17, Pat & Posh sit down with Brett Crosby, Co-Founder and COO of PeerStreet, an Andreessen Horowitz-backed platform for investing in real estate debt with the goal of transforming mortgage finance.

PeerStreet’s differentiated business model has allowed it to scale across the country and they believe they have chosen the right path to grow.

“We’re using the transformative potential of technology to help people access investments in real estate debt in a way never done before,” said Brett Crosby, COO and co-founder. “At the same time, our model helps lenders get more capital to deserving borrowers who are directly improving the aging US housing stock and building up communities.”

The Los Angeles-based PeerStreet said the financing will accelerate its growth. Specifically, PeerStreet will be broadening the type of real estate loans it cultivates from its network of lenders and hiring more talent.

“It’s very hard to find 8%-plus net yield on secured assets in under 12-month duration,” Mr. Rampell said, noting some large investors have switched to PeerStreet from peer-to-peer lending platforms such as LendingClub or Prosper."

PeerStreet offers three core technology platforms. For investors, PeerStreet’s technology allows them to invest in real estate debt on an intuitive, easy-to-use platform.

Galusha brings more than 25 years of real estate investment management experience for both institutional and private capital to PeerStreet, having closed nearly 100 deals with a market capitalization of approximately $3 billion. Previous employment includes the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund, PCCP, Trammell Crow, Kearny Real Estate, and Amstar.

PeerStreet's move into the commercial lending sector is part of a natural evolution of the company, Crosby explained. "We've been hyper-focused on a specific asset: short-term bridge loans," he said, adding that the company had completed a small percentage of small-balance loans against multifamily and mixed-use properties. "We're now at an interesting inflection point."