Urban Catalyst Expands “Strategic Partnerships” Team
Urban Catalyst Funds has added two new members to its strategic partnerships team.
Urban Catalyst Funds, a sponsor of opportunity zone funds, has expanded its “strategic partnerships team” with the hiring of Bruno Leonardo as a “partnership liaison” and Sarah Nichols as a “strategic liaison.”
Leonardo is a recent college graduate who serves in an internal sales position that covers Texas, the North, and West Coast territories. In his new role, he provides support to Urban Catalyst’s partnerships team in the independent broker-dealer and registered investment advisor channels.
In 2021, Leonardo received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from California Baptist University in Riverside, California. He accumulated experience in the medical field through administrative roles as well as an emergency medical technician in preparation for medical school. While he is no longer pursuing medicine, Urban Catalyst noted that his background enables him to utilize the interpersonal skills he developed as a clinical healthcare professional to network and foster business relationships.
In her new role as a strategic liaison, Nichols will be responsible for supporting the account management, client relations, and marketing teams’ objectives. She has seven years of industry experience and has served as a property, account, and marketing manager for both operational and pre-operational multifamily housing developments. Nichols has worked with a number of property management companies such as Timberland Partners, Asset Living, and First Management Inc. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Kansas.
“We’re excited to bring Sarah and Bruno aboard as we build out our team to support the demand for tax-advantaged strategies,” said Senethavilay Pisoot, director of the strategic partnership channel. “There is growing interest from the financial advisor community in investing in opportunity zone funds, [which] continue to serve as a potential solution to help advisors’ clients with their capital gains liabilities.”
Urban Catalyst Funds is a real estate equity fund manager and development company focused on ground-up projects in downtown San Jose, California. The company’s first opportunity zone fund, Urban Catalyst Opportunity Fund I, closed in December 2020 after raising $131 million. Urban Catalyst Opportunity Zone Fund II is open to investors and seeks to raise $200 million.
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