Zeus Group – Thriving on a Defensive Strategy in Real Estate Investments

Zeus Group of Companies oversee a real estate equity firm, a leading real estate lending company, and a healthcare asset investment firm with a combined asset value of nearly $1 billion. With the founder, Dr. Steven Kaufman, at the helm of Zeus Companies, in just two years, the group is going to mark the completion of two decades of service. 

Owing to Steven’s creative mindset and unique approach to the industry, Zeus has been able to complete more than 17,000 transactions so far, resulting in $5 billion in retail mortgage loan originations. Moreover, Steven is also managing a portfolio of trophy assets in multifamily, office, retail, and healthcare that are worth $500 million. 

Zeus Companies had to start somewhere. And that somewhere happened two decades back, when the foundation was laid in the youth of its founder. 

He originally hailed from Brooklyn and didn’t belong to a privileged family. His family had moved to Houston when he was five years old. Little did Steven know what Houston will bring to his life. 

Steven was an accounting student then at the University of Houston. He used to take night classes because during the day he was working with a public accounting firm. Constantly switching between the accounting firm job and studies in a day proved to be rough but he remained steady and didn’t waver in his undertaking. 

And then one day at the firm, Steven ran into a stranger who happened to be working in real estate. The little chat with him sparked Steven’s interest in the industry and they decided to meet over a cup of coffee. 

“Being a coachable person, I followed his directions and purchased 3 rental properties before I was 21 years old,” recalls Steven. “Once I was into it, I knew this is what I had been waiting for. There was no going back then and I am extremely happy it all paid off!”

Steven emerged as a well-equipped real estate professional and worked in various C-level positions for a long time. However, his real test came into play when he founded Zeus in 2004. 

He believes that adopting a banker’s mentality for commercial real estate investments has played a big role in bringing him where he is today. Following the same mindset, his team believes in remaining defensive in its underwriting and investments. “My team doesn’t play to win; it plays not to lose. And, this strategy has shown a huge payoff for the long term,” Steven says.  

Playing it safe while taking appropriate risks was what enabled Steven to start the Zeus Private Fund, a multi-asset real estate investment fund.

“You can’t buy experience. You can only experience it,” says Dr. Steven Kaufman.  

So, Steven and his group highlight the approach of adopting a defensive approach to investments. They believe that’s the secret behind their success, and it can help the industry develop more resilience toward the ever-evolving risks.

Investing involves risk and your investment may lose value. Past performance gives no indication of future results. These statements do not constitute and cannot replace investment or financial advice.