Investing in Real Estate Debt with Brian Dally, Co-founder and CEO of Groundfloor

Tech Nest: The Proptech Podcast

Brian Dally is no stranger to the proptech ecosystem. Brian Co-founded Groundfloor just over 10 years ago, and is still driving the company at an aggressive growth rate. Groundfloor has achieved Inc 5000 recognition four times as being one of the fastest growing private companies in the US.

In this interview with Brian, we cover the specifics of the Groundfloor product—a fintech/proptech solution enabling investors (both accredited and non-accredited) to invest in real estate debt. Groundfloor promotes investors have seen a consistent 10% annualized returns on its short-terms offers. We also discuss the challenges of operating a business like this with the many changes the real estate industry has seen over the last 10 years.

One thing I find when talking to more seasoned veterans like Brian, is that sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same. Maybe you'll hear that theme in here too. Listen in!

More about Brian and Groundfloor
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2023, Groundfloor is an award-winning fintech company that offers the ease of savings with the real returns of investing. Known for its regulatory prowess and developing completely new financial products for individual investors, the company was the very first to be qualified to offer direct real estate debt investments for both accredited and non-accredited audiences alike. The company has won numerous awards for its product innovation and growth, including four years in a row of being on the Inc. 5000 List. Since it launched in 2013, Groundfloor’s investors have consistently seen 10% annualized returns across its short-term investment offerings. For more information or to get started investing fractionally in real estate, visit Groundfloor.com.

Over a 25-year entrepreneurial career that spans IP communications, wireless telecom, and finance, Brian Dally has pushed the boundaries of how disruptive Internet technologies can be applied to solve large-scale consumer problems and distribute the value to all.

As the co-founder and CEO of Groundfloor, a wealthtech platform that allows everyone to build wealth through real estate, Brian has helped make private capital markets radically more accessible to new participants. Under his leadership, Groundfloor became the first company qualified by the SEC to offer direct real estate debt investments via Regulation A to non-accredited investors and accredited investors alike. In 2020, Groundfloor made its debut onto Inc. Magazine’s prestigious list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in America, and was recognized in the top 10 percent of all honorees as well as being the fastest-growing financial services company in its home state of Georgia. It’s now been on the Inc 5000 list four years in a row. Brian has also been recognized for his entrepreneurial leadership by many organizations.

Before co-founding Groundfloor in 2013, Brian's career building disruptive technology startups included stints in Silicon Valley, Boston, London and the North Carolina Triangle region. Previously, he led the launch of Republic Wireless to take on the big four cellphone carriers to international acclaim. As a result, millions more Americans can now afford a smartphone.

Brian has a JD from Harvard Law School, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia. A native of Detroit who lived near Boston during childhood, Brian currently resides with his partner Ashley in Atlanta and Telluride, CO, where he still avidly roots for the Red Sox (but never the Patriots).

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