Building the Future of City Investment

Rajen Shastri has spent over 15 years working in senior management roles across the spectrum of the commercial real estate value chain, from being an investment professional at a global real estate institutional investor to acting as a Principal at an operator/developer. His vision for Akara partners is to offer investors the ability to participate with a vertically integrated real investment firm, allowing them to capture value from the elimination of the inherent information asymmetry between investors, operators and developers.

Prior to founding Akara Partners in 2013, Rajen was a Principal, CIO and Co-COO of Campus Acquisitions (“CA”) a developer and operator of student housing assets. While at CA, Rajen led the capitalization and monetization of over $1.5 billion in student housing assets across the U.S. Akara currently has under construction or in advanced pipeline over $1.0 billion of transactions, primarily in the multifamily space. Rajen has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He serves on the Kellogg Alumni Real Estate Board, is a member of YPO Chicago Chapter and is on the Board of Advisors for the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the University of Wisconsin School of Business.

He has spent his career operating, investing, and managing institutional real estate in executive roles on behalf of private equity funds, publicly traded REIT’s and operating companies. He is passionate about the intersection of how people live, how they thrive and how real estate can be a facilitator for human interaction and growth.

His career has spanned over ~$5.4 billion of real estate within development, acquisitions, and dispositions. His experience ranges from boards of directors, investment committee member, institutional portfolio management, sourcing/structuring/closing real estate transactions, corporate finance and direct oversight of management operations. Prior to Akara Partners, he served as President of Ollie, Vice President at LaSalle Global Partner Solutions and Vice President at Fortress Investment Group.

Gregg is a member of the CFA Society of Colorado and is a CFA charter holder. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Linfield University. He is an Eagle Scout and has served on not-for-profit boards.

Carroll joined Akara Partners in 2019 as one of the original team members to help launch the Kenect brand in the Nashville and Phoenix markets. Carroll brings 25 years’ experience in hospitality/customer service, hotel management including 14+ years in student housing/multi-family development and management.

Carroll’s role as Director of Leasing and Marketing includes the successful execution of marketing strategies and goals to meet budgeted proforma, operational leasing policies and procedures, staff recruitment, training and motivation, competitor analysis reporting, renewal and resident retention strategies, online reputation management and overall digital presence. She is actively involved in developing and maintaining major employer relationships and community business partnerships.

Most recently, Carroll launched the corporate housing division of Kenect in 2023 which resulted in 4 million dollars in revenue within 4 months of launching the division. Carroll initiated and launched Akara’s internship program for mentoring and attracting young adults to the property management industry. She is heavily involved with local community councils, economic groups, chambers, and regular speaking/blog contributions to industry organizations such as Multi-Family Insiders, AIM, TecHome Builder Summit, Apartment Innovators and others.

Since 2010 she has been a vital leader in fourteen brand new construction lease ups, four rebranding acquisitions and an expansive portfolio of owned and third-party managed properties. She has supported a portfolio combined of over 50,000 beds in over thirty markets across the United States. Other accolades include 2020, 2021, 2022 Runner Up Best Community with Nashville Scene, 2021 Nashville Best Coworking Spot AptAmigo, 2021 Carroll won the international Video in Business Awards from Vidyard. 2022 AZ RED Winner, 2023 ULI Top 18 Nominee Kenect Nashville.

Jenna is thrilled to be back at Akara Partners after being a part of the original team in 2019. She brings twenty years of professional production experience in television, theatre, and live events throughout the United States. In addition to her career in entertainment, Jenna has served as the Director of Events for LIVunLtd and coliving start-up, Ollie, where she produced over 400 residential and corporate events. In a short time, she has disrupted the residential experience by creating events and activations specific to each individual building community, while also establishing and elevating brand identity.

Prior to her career transition into residential and membership events, Jenna proudly served as an event consultant for The Feminist Institute and was integral to the growth of the events department at Dan Kloris Communication as the Senior Production Coordinator. Jenna started her career in theatre and television as a Production Manager and Stage Manager. She has worked for notable clients such as NBC, CBS, Bravo and Roundabout Theatre Company. Throughout her career, she has prided herself on her organizational prowess, creative problem-solving, and success through compassionate leadership.