As the Chief Investment Officer, Chirag Hathirmani is responsible for executing the Upside Avenue’s growth strategy. Chi specializes in identifying and acquiring multifamily investments throughout the United States sunbelt region for the parent firm’s institutional, family office, and high-net-worth clients. Chi also leads the institutional equity and debt capital raising activities and provides strategic oversight of the company’s overall portfolio composition and performance.
With more than 13 years of commercial transaction experience, Chi brings deep expertise in the acquisition and asset management of multiple asset types, including multifamily, student housing, office, and retail. Chi plays a crucial role in developing the firm’s market presence, uncovering profitable opportunities, leading the underwriting, structuring, negotiation, and closing of new acquisitions. Chi also provides support for the company’s equity and debt capital raising activities.
Prior to joining Upside Avenue, Chi served as the Director of Acquisitions at Aspen Heights Partners, a premier vertically-integrated student housing developer, where he led the creation, strategy, and implementation of its acquisition platform.
Prior to Aspen Heights, Chi served as an Associate at Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO), a preeminent owner-manager-developer and one of the largest publicly-traded REITs in the United States. At Vornado, he facilitated the underwriting and execution of $2.0 billion in office, multifamily, and retail acquisitions, dispositions, and restructurings.
He also supported various M&A initiatives, the last of which led to the $8.4 billion corporate spin-off of Vornado/Charles E. Smith, a transaction that created Washington DC’s largest real estate owner-developer and generated a substantial return on investment for Vornado’s shareholders.
Chi currently serves on the board of Chinmaya Mission Austin, a non-profit organization dedicated to the service of humankind.
He holds a B.S. in Property Management from Virginia Tech, an M.S. in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA from Georgetown University.
