Why RaiseFest?

25 Feb 2025

RaiseFest is the gathering for capital raisers. Capital raising is all about taking capital and matching it with opportunities.

• People with capital don’t necessarily have opportunities for putting their capital to work.
• People with opportunities (entrepreneurs) don’t necessarily have the capital to make their opportunities grow.

That’s why capital raising was born: To make the engine of capitalism hum.

And RaiseFest is a major force in the capital raising universe.

Kick-Off With Hunter Thompson

RaiseFest was created by Hunter Thompson and the team at Asym Capital. Asym has raised over $80 million in equity for the acquisition of several asset classes including multifamily, mobile home parks, and even ATMs.

The latest installment of RaiseFest was held last week in Phoenix, AZ. Roughly 1,000 capital raisers showed up. The networking alone is worth the price of admission. Deals get done between people who know each other.

Key point from Hunter’s kick-off presentation: Yes, capital raising is harder than it has been in recent years. And that’s why you want to be in the market right now. When the going gets tough, the less dedicated operators flee, which opens opportunities for those of us who tough-it-out.

Ask yourself WHY you’re raising capital.

To make it through rough times, you gotta have a WHY. Why do you get up in the morning to build your capital raising business? Are you driven by family, childhood circumstances, or something else? Know yourself!

Macro-Economic Trends and Effects

Bob Fraser took the stage to share macro trends and how they might impact our investments. Observations shared by Fraser:

• Consumer spending is still powering our economy. The bottom 25% are struggling. But the top 25% has record cash to spend.
• Investors are sitting on wealth (instead of investing) because they’re uncertain (afraid) of what might happen next.

Concessions in the Phoenix Valley

Ken McElroy offered some interesting observations about the sub-markets of Phoenix multifamily real estate. At one point, he compared the concessions offered by multifamily properties in different parts of the valley:

• West Valley apartment properties are offering two months free rent plus $99 to move in.
• The high concession levels in the West Valley are due to overbuilding in that area. We will need to see more absorption before concessions evaporate and rents can be bumped again.
• Scottsdale is offering zero concessions. Even with new apartment properties coming online, demand in Scottsdale is high enough to absorb every new unit.
• Tempe is offering zero concessions. Demand is driven by the growing student population at ASU.

Artificial Intelligence with Catherine Bell

Catherine Bell consistently gives spell-binding accounts of her experiments with AI. She kicked off her AI presentation with a metaphor about an axe.

• If you’re a lumberjack and you spend years chopping trees with an axe, you’ll eventually get good at it.
• What if someone hands you a chainsaw, and tells you to use that new device instead?
• If you’ve never seen a chainsaw before, you might try swinging it at a tree (as you did with the axe). That doesn’t work.
• Better way to move forward: Learn how to use the chainsaw, including cleaning, fueling, and regular maintenance.

In summary: AI is a chainsaw in a world of axes. Learn to use the chainsaw.

And There’s More…

Additional info offered by RaiseFest presenters: Here are a few that stood out for me.

• Sarah Morrison & NJ Rongner - How to Stand Out in a Loud Room. Yes, you can use AI, but you’d better edit it.
• Rob Beardsley - Closing Deals in 2025. Including some surprising ways to deal with floating rate debt.
• Cody Sperber - Instagram Domination. Creating content and boosting follower count.

Conclusion

The RaiseFest experience is too rich to be covered in a single blog post. If you’re a capital raiser, make it a point to attend. Looking forward to meeting you at a future event!