ULI – Los Angeles, a district council of the Urban Land Institute, will host actor, comedian, writer and producer Tiffany Haddish in a one-on-one chat with California State Treasurer Fiona Ma at the 23rd annual Urban Marketplace at 7:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, March 22, at The California Endowment, 1000 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles.
The pair will discuss “Connecting to Capital,” this year’s Urban Marketplace theme. The interactive event includes many other experts and stakeholders discussing ways to finance the revitalization of underserved communities of color.
“Though they come from different professions, Tiffany Haddish and Fiona Ma are two of the strongest voices advocating and creating women- and minority-owned spaces in the communities that need them most,” said April Sandifer, Urban Marketplace co-chair.
“To have them dialog together on these crucial issues highlights how Urban Marketplace is uniquely valuable. This gathering of lenders, developers, contractors, design professionals, community leaders, public officials, and policy advocates always demonstrates how to make deals. This year it also shows how to fund them.”
In South Los Angeles, Haddish is developing Diaspora Groceries, focused on elevating healthy food access and education. Throughout her career, Ma has made minority- and women-owned businesses a focal point and has created programs and resources to open doors previously out of reach to minority and women-owned businesses.
Also appearing in a panel discussion are Josh Childress, CEO of Landspire Investments; Jen McElyea, managing partner of Ethos Real Estate; and Robert Jue, CEO of Standard Real Estate Investments addressing how to raise capital as diverse, emerging real estate investment managers.
Urban Marketplace 2023 will also offer dozens more experts in these fields — prominent and emerging — during its interactive Roundtables, allowing participants direct access to learn how to “Make a Deal, Make a Difference.”
This year’s roundtables include topics such as LA28 Olympics Impact, Crenshaw Rising, Inglewood and Hollywood Park Update, Social Impact Investor Funds, Decarbonization, Private Capital and the Housing Crisis, Public Investment to Stabilize Small Businesses Near Transit, Solutions for West Hollywood, Principles for Racial Equity in Development, Innovative and Scalable Capital That Helps Us All, Black-Owned Businesses, Elevating People of Color in Commercial Real Estate, Investing in Underserved Communities, Affordable Housing Design and Financing Trends, Connecting to Brokers, Using Technology to Support the Under Supported, Transitioning from High Net Worth to Institutional Capital, Central Avenue Revitalization and The Simulated Redevelopment Exercise of Urban Plan, among others.
Urban Marketplace launched in 2000 to bring together real estate industry professionals eager to invest in underserved Los Angeles markets.
This year again it will “follow the money” from prominent institutions and public agencies with community-focused funds to realized projects.
Not only will attendees acquire information on additional financing sources, but they’ll also hear about steps these lenders are taking to fulfill their DEI (Design, Equity and Inclusion) goals stemming from the prominent 2020 announcements following the death of George Floyd and subsequent calls for national action.
For more information including sponsorship and registration, which closes March 20, visit https://la.uli.org/events.