Josh Stech, co-founder and CEO of Sundae, joins Kevin Kim in this episode of Lender Lounge. From launching his career flipping homes during the subprime crisis to co-founding LendingHome (now Kiavi), Josh brings a unique blend of operational and tech-driven insights into real estate investing. He shares the origin stories of both LendingHome and Sundae, his thoughts on VC funding in real estate, and his recent divestment of Sundae Funding to PIMCO. The conversation also explores regulatory advocacy, transparency in wholesaling, and the evolution of capital markets in private lending.
Bullet Points:
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:01:27] Josh's background in real estate and early days flipping homes in Las Vegas.
[00:05:06] First exposure to private lending through masterminds and early partnerships.
[00:07:02] The origin of LendingHome and its technology-driven lending thesis.
[00:09:03] Building peer-to-peer lending infrastructure and early investor strategies.
[00:12:51] Josh's departure from LendingHome to launch Sundae and shift toward sourcing.
[00:15:46] What venture capital seeks in real estate startups.
[00:18:39] Early securitizations at LendingHome and Wall Street's impact on lending models.
[00:21:39] Sundae's mission to create a fair, scalable off-market marketplace.
[00:26:09] Addressing transparency issues and misaligned incentives in wholesaling.
[00:29:17] The founding motivation behind Sundae—protecting vulnerable sellers.
[00:36:33] Launch and eventual sale of Sundae Funding; transition to affiliate lending.
[00:40:46] Selling to PIMCO and the broader trend toward vertical integration.
[00:45:06] JustBeTheBank: Educating mom-and-pop lenders to compete with institutions.
[00:49:13] Capital access for small lenders and industry support infrastructure.
[00:52:37] Tools to help lenders identify borrowers and compete intelligently.
[00:54:00] Josh reflects on balancing career growth with fatherhood and family life.
Links:
Learn more about Sundae.com at https://sundae.com
Learn more about Just Be The Bank at https://justbethebank.com
Learn more about Geraci Law Firm at: https://www.geracilawfirm.com
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