Adnan Zai

As an active advisor with Berkeley Capital, I particularly focus on strategy, deal pipeline, and structuring. My experience of having lived on three continents contributes to his skills in navigating various business nuances and challenges, and my deep familiarity with cross-border transactions enables me to bring unique value to clients looking to diversify within the real estate asset class.

After completing my primary education in England and Switzerland, I attended Boston University, studying international finance and marketing. As a member of the school's varsity soccer team, I gained a keen appreciation of collaboration that continues to echo in my daily interactions with colleagues and clients.

Following college, I spent 10 years in New York City in businesses ranging from textiles to trade finance. Upon moving to Cleveland, I founded and sold two private equity funds. The first focused on mixed-use & transformational real estate development and grew to AUM of approximately $350MM. The second fund was concentrated on biomedical cross-border intellectual property investments in Asia. This niche fund totaled $100MM in AUM. With offices in Cleveland, London, New Delhi, and Beijing, both ventures were distinguished by strong domestic and foreign investment.

As an extension of my professional life, I enjoy lending time to Case Western Reserve University and other organizations that focus on mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs, and he is involved in after-school programs devoted to global initiatives in local primary school's. In addition, I have strongly supported local interfaith efforts that bring diverse communities together.

My lifelong passion for soccer is evidenced today by my avid following of the English Premier League. Whenever evening matches air in America during business hours, occasional shouts can be heard from my office. Co-workers know not to schedule meetings on game days.

A newer interest, born of the pandemic, is cooking. Leaning heavily on the assistance of YouTube recipes and tutorials, I began testing my burgeoning skills on my kids. Conceding that I have set a low bar for starters, I proudly point out that so far no one has come down with food poisoning.