Shravan Parsi

Shravan Parsi hails from Hyderabad, India, where he grew up in a family that valued education and perseverance. His father, despite having a mild disability, worked his way to become one of the top medical doctors in Hyderabad. Witnessing his father’s journey left a strong impression on him, teaching him early on that consistent effort and patience over time can produce success.

As a child, Shravan displayed curiosity and eagerness to learn. In the seventh grade, he changed schools to study English and broaden his ability to engage with the broader world. After junior college, when he was not admitted to medical school, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy at Manipal. Known as an international university town and one of India’s top schools, Manipal exposed him to science and innovation. During this time, Parsi's ambition was to create a pharmaceutical and biotech company in the future.

After finishing his undergraduate studies, Shravan moved to the United States to pursue graduate education. He was admitted to St. John’s University in New York and received a scholarship that covered most of his tuition. At St. John’s, he completed a master’s in pharmaceutics & industrial pharmacy, a rigorous program, while serving as a teaching assistant in the compounding pharmacy lab.

He began his career as a pharmaceutical scientist. He worked first with Schering-Plough (now Merck) in New Jersey at their global headquarters, and later with DPT Labs and Health Point in San Antonio, Texas. During this time, he contributed to the development of multiple OTC and prescription drugs, including a patented antiseptic drug designed for hospital-acquired infections and a wound care therapy for the US military. His experiences in the pharmaceutical industry helped him develop expertise in product development and data-driven decision-making, which would prove valuable when he transitioned to real estate.

While working full-time as a scientist, Shravan began investing in real estate. He purchased single-family homes, spending evenings and weekends managing renovations and finding tenants. This side project quickly became profitable and gave him the confidence to leave the laboratory and focus on entrepreneurship full-time.

He established American Ventures, a real estate investment and development firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company focuses on multifamily, mixed-use, commercial, and hospitality properties, emphasizing value-add acquisitions and thoughtful development. Under his leadership, American Ventures has acquired or developed more than 4,000 units across $450MM in assets. From 2018 to 2022, Shravan oversaw the exit of more than 3,500 units as general partner, achieving a weighted average internal rate of return (IRR) of 31.6% on managed exits.

He approaches acquisitions with a mix of discipline and innovation. He has personally guaranteed loans worth millions of dollars, including a 40-year HUD loan at a fixed interest rate of 2.96% for a multifamily development near Dallas-Fort Worth. Confident in the project, he wired personal funds before securing investor capital. The development achieved 90% occupancy within its first year of completion.

His strategic vision includes sourcing unique opportunities and building long-term partnerships. He secured a marquee site on Austin’s South Congress Avenue and partnered with the Marriott Tribute brand. He also assembled over 100 acres in San Marcos for the East Village mixed-use project and over 60 acres in Elgin along the highway for future growth. Over the years, Shravan has raised capital from more than 250 high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), family offices, and private equity firms, while also forming partnerships with institutional investors such as Goldman Sachs and Carlyle.

In 2019, Shravan Parsi published The Science of the Deal: The DNA of Multifamily & Commercial Real Estate Investing with Forbes Books. The Amazon Bestseller is a practical guide to analyzing and executing real estate transactions. His writing reflects his scientific and business background, simplifying complex concepts into actionable strategies. He also speaks at conferences, including IMN’s flagship events and family office forums, where he shares insights on multifamily development, portfolio building, and investment risk.

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