Housing shortages have continued to rise since the 2008 recession. While recent reports show modest improvements in housing availability, the gap compared to pre-recession years remains significant. The Brookings Institution defines a housing shortage as “the inability of supply meeting the demand at affordable prices.” As of 2023, the U.S. is estimated to be between 3.4 and 6.4 million homes short, leading to historically high interest rates, and making home ownership increasingly difficult for many Americans.
Meanwhile, real estate investing continues to perform strongly, offering diversification and stability in uncertain times. Which means that young professionals delaying their first home purchase are missing out on the wealth-building opportunities that come with home equity.
Through my work with Veloce Capital, I’ve seen firsthand how real estate can strengthen portfolios beyond traditional market investments, even for seasoned, accredited investors. Recognizing both regional (micro) and national (macro) economic drivers, I began researching solutions grounded in analytics and expert insights.
This exploration revealed a critical need: to create financial tools that empower everyday investors, including those still working toward their first home purchase, or seeking to build more resilient financial futures.
Experience and Perspective
My professional journey has taken me across continents and sectors — from the United Nations to IBM Consulting and The Adecco Group. Collaborating with companies, organizations, and governments across diverse economies, I’ve witnessed what becomes possible when people are empowered to invest in their futures. Economies grow stronger, businesses thrive sustainably, and families gain stability and security.
Yet, I’ve also seen the growing challenge of access. Even highly educated young professionals are finding themselves locked into the rental market. This is true not only in global cities like London, Paris, New York, or San Francisco, but also increasingly in smaller markets as well.
I began to ask myself: What if we could remove the barriers to real estate investing? What new opportunities might that unlock for those historically left behind?
— Shauzab Ladha | Founder & CEO, Forte
Designing the Solution
Those questions inspired the creation of Forte — a real estate investment platform designed to make property investing accessible, transparent, and equitable.
Forte enables both non-accredited and accredited investors to build wealth through fractional real estate investing. Our vision is simple, yet ambitious: to democratize access to high-quality real estate portfolios, applying the same diligence and discipline as traditional private investment firms, but opening the doors to thousands, not just dozens.
A New Kind of Platform
At Forte, we’re not just building a real estate platform, we’re building a more inclusive financial future, where:
This isn’t just about real estate. It’s about equity. In a world where home ownership feels increasingly out of reach, Forte is our response and our way of saying, you belong in the ownership economy.
The Journey to Forte
Launching Forte wasn’t a sudden pivot from my consulting career. It was the culmination of more than two decades of corporate experience, shaped by global perspective and purpose. It’s also been deeply personal, informed by watching my own children step into their futures, and challenging opportunities.
At Forte, we believe profit should serve a purpose: to deliver genuine value for investors and the communities we impact. That’s why cultural alignment is at the heart of our team and partnerships. We seek not just talent or capital, but shared values. Because when people row in the same direction, amazing things happen. And when amazing things happen, we create lasting change. One investor, one community, one opportunity at a time.
— Shauzab Ladha | Founder & CEO, Forte
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