Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Firm Headquarters: Los Angeles, California

Date Founded: 2020

Investments to Date: Under 10

lighthouseinvesting.com

This Page was Updated September 2020

Investment Approach

Lighthouse invests in international real estate with strong financial returns and spiritual impact.  

We believe in identifying the key global trends affecting real estate, combined with trusted local developers, to allow investors to participate in these opportunities while diversifying their international investment risk.  As the world’s population grows and continues to migrate to cities, and as we see new global players emerge, there are incredible opportunities to invest into these megatrends. 

In the midst of these major movements, we still see disconnection and a need for something larger.  By providing communities where residents, office workers and retail owners experience support, camaraderie and love, those same communities thrive both economically and socially, as well as providing a space for spiritual sharing and growth.  In turn, the communities are in ever greater demand, improving financial returns and completing the circle, so to speak.  

Our international real estate investments allow for a true partnership of investment returns and spiritual impact.  Our team has over a decade of on the ground experience negotiating and diligencing international transactions, including complicated issues such as tax structuring and currency considerations.  Our network is extensive and we actively seek the highest value local partners.  We work closely with our local partners to ensure that the project’s spiritual integration is best in class.  

Previous or Active Portfolio Companies:

None at this time.

Investment Example:

Belfast, Northern Ireland has been the location for decades of significant Protestant – Catholic tension and fighting. Today, however, Belfast is booming, perhaps the last regional city in the UK to go through a construction boom.  We have worked with a local developer, Cornerstone, on a project that rejuvenates a former pub which served as a paramilitary headquarters (and where torture took place). This former pub will now become multifamily housing, complete with a live-in coordinator in coordination with Apartment Life. The residents will have access to the support of this coordinator, who will host dinners at his apartment, as well as an on-site coffee shop in one of the retail spaces, further reinforcing knowing their neighbors.  The local community leaders are excited about this project and the light that it brings into this community.  Total investment time is approximately 4 years, which includes construction, managing the apartments and then selling the building to an institutional buyer. We are looking at a relatively unique idea of escrowing a portion of the proceeds for the purpose of the coordinator’s rent so that the new buyer is incentivized to keep the coordinator and can see for themselves the extra value that comes from investing in a true community.  

Capital Raise Strategy

  • Strategy: Fund and deal by deal

  • Total Properties Under Management:

    As we are a new organization, we are not actively managing any investments at this time.

  • Average Investment: $10M+ Fund   

  • Financial Reporting Frequency to Investors: Monthly Reports

  • Minimum Amount: $500,000

  • Setup to accept charitable capital through the National Christian Foundation or other listing platforms?
    We will be able to accept charitable capital.

Focused Geographic Regions of Investment: 

  • Is all of your activity in the US?

    • All of our activity is outside of the US. 

  • What countries outside of the US are you active in?

    • We are actively looking at deals across the world, but in particular United Kingdom, Kenya, Romania, and Asia. 

Focused Industries of Investment:

  • Real Estate.

Company Differentiator:

Our team has over a decade of on the ground experience negotiating and diligencing international transactions, including complicated issues such as tax structuring and currency considerations.  Our network is extensive and we actively seek the highest value local partners.  We work closely with our local partners to ensure that the project’s spiritual integration is best in class.  

Investment Examples:

Cornerstone.

Leadership Team

  • Cumulative Leadership Experience in Accredited Investing: 10-20 years

Russell Biorkman | founder

Russell Bjorkman is the founder of Lighthouse, a real estate investment firm focused on global faith driven real estate.  Russell’s work experience spans across Europe, Asia, Africa and the US, including as a key advisor to Amiri Capital, a UK based real estate firm that advised on major UK property purchases (£50m+) by Middle Eastern and East Asian investors, and as a real estate investor in the US. 

As an investor and advisor, Russell has invested in businesses across Africa, Asia, South America and the US. As an attorney, Russell worked for Skadden Arps and Freshfields in London and Hong Kong for ten years, guiding significant IPOs and high-yield offerings, including that of Telkom South Africa, KazmunaiGas in Kazakhstan, FIFA in Europe, and Chinese real estate companies. His transactional experience spans 14 different countries. He is also a Venture Partner with Sovereign’s Capital (since 2015), after serving as an advisor to Sovereign’s first fund for several years. 

Russell has a passion for service and support of those in need of a second chance, recognizing the critical role that economics plays: he served as a mentor for returning citizens, including as Chairman of Prison Bars, a snack bar founded in a prison kitchen, and founded business plan competitions in Rwanda and Cambodia. In Hong Kong, Russell led Skadden Arp’s pro bono work on behalf of the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre, which represented individuals facing persecution in their applications for asylum which were submitted to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. 

Russell has a JD/MBA from the Wharton School / University of Pennsylvania Law School, and a Bachelor’s in Accounting and Psychology from the University of Southern California, where he played football and was a Rhodes Scholar semi-finalist. Russell and his wife were married in 2013 and live in Los Angeles, California with their little girl.

Spiritual Integration and Impact:

Faith Driven Investing can span a wide range from high yield to concessionary returns that have a higher level of spiritual integration. Having clear expectations of this philosophy is key for the movement. Each investment is unique and you might want to select multiples but if you had to choose one quadrant that best fits your groups spiritual integration and financial performance targets … What would it be?

We do not believe that there is always a trade-off between market returns and spiritual impact.  Indeed, if we demonstrate God’s love to those living in/ working at our projects, and a true sense of community, returns may even be increased due to higher demand.  

Describe the Spiritual Integration Activities of the Fund:

  • Every investment that we make will have spiritual impact as a key tenet, whether multifamily housing or co-working or a retail strip mall.  We will look with excitement at the best manner in which to encourage community and introduce and demonstrate God’s love to those living and working in our properties. 

Is Impact and Spiritual Integration Tracked?

  • We are indeed planning to specifically measure community impact via spiritual factors such as conversations and help offered, but also via rating of the property and comparable measures as appropriate for each individual property. 

Are you partnered with any other organizations?

  • We have a close relationship with Apartment Life and actively look at whether their model is the best fit for multifamily housing overseas.  Our Founder is in active discussions with a variety of leaders in the Faith Driven movement to understand the local market leaders in the real estate sector, and is currently serving as co-lead of the real estate working group for the Faith Driven movement.  

A lot of Investing Conversations look at Social Impact related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Is there one of these that most resonates with your organization?

  • Although Sustainable communities may appear to be the obvious choice, in actual fact we are more focused on Good health and well-being.  We believe that people thrive in community, and that community encourages emotional and spiritual health, as well as physical health. We seek to invest in communities where the residents are cared for physically and spiritually. 

WHY The FAITH DRIVEN INVESTOR?

  • Why are you compelled to be certified and a part of the Faith Driven Investor Group?

    We seek to learn from and serve others in the movement and the real estate industry. We believe that a rising tide raises all ships, and that as we each learn from each other and improve, our impact in love will only increase.  

  • Does the leadership align with the Unifying Principles on Faith Driven Investor and agree to the Code of Conduct?

    Yes, with pleasure.

  • Who nominated you to be listed on the FDI site?

    Henry Kaestner, who I have known for 7 years as a Venture Partner at Sovereign’s Capital. 

AFFILIATIONS- Are you a part of any third party groups, affiliations that you would like to list here?

  • None at this time.

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