About Sonny Kalsi

Sonny Kalsi is an accomplished real estate investor with more than 20 years of experience that spans a range of areas, including: investment management, real estate financing and hedge funds. Since 2010, Sonny Kalsi has worked as a partner-owner of GreenOak Real Estate, the independent real estate merchant banking platform where he is also a founder. Sonny's professional career also includes almost two decades of experience at Morgan Stanley, where he served as Managing Director and Global Head of Real Estate Investing in parts of Asia and in New York City. In an effort to share this wealth of knowledge and experience, Sonny Kalsi teaches at Columbia University as an adjunct professor in the university's Real Estate Development program. Connect with Sonny on Twitter at @SonnyKalsi_

Breaking into Real Estate: A Career Guide

Sometimes, the first step is the hardest. That’s true for a number of industries, from entertainment to real estate; after all, getting in with little experience is a daunting, difficult task. With that being said, however, it can be done. A few years ago, I had the privilege of sitting down to a talk with [...]

By |2019-01-16T17:22:49+00:00January 1st, 2019|Blog, Careers|Comments Off on Breaking into Real Estate: A Career Guide

Lessons Small Businesses Can Learn from Real Estate Failures

Cities are natural hubs of entrepreneurial activity. While each urban area has its own culture and personality, a frenetic hubbub of creative energy and innovative thought is common to them all. The organic collision of people and ideas that takes place whenever people live in close proximity makes cities natural incubators for entrepreneurial thought and [...]

By |2021-08-03T13:29:59+00:00December 20th, 2018|Blog, Real Estate|Comments Off on Lessons Small Businesses Can Learn from Real Estate Failures

4 Ways Real Estate Allows Small Businesses to Create Healthier Workspaces

The intimate collaboration that embodies small business teamwork often helps sustain a healthy workplace atmosphere. Whether it’s open office design or building safety, modern commercial real estate trends are helping to put emphasis on the quest for healthier and happier workspaces. The built environment is particularly important to support positive ways in which employees communicate, [...]

By |2021-02-19T15:28:43+00:00November 11th, 2018|Blog|Comments Off on 4 Ways Real Estate Allows Small Businesses to Create Healthier Workspaces

4 Lessons Small Business Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Market Vendors

  Historically, public markets have been a way for small businesses to thrive, especially in gateway cities. What’s the secret to running a successful business at a lively market, and how does this apply to small business owners in other industries? Small business owners can learn four essential business strategies from market vendors' unique roles: 1. Differentiate [...]

By |2018-07-24T13:36:07+00:00June 12th, 2018|Blog, Real Estate|Comments Off on 4 Lessons Small Business Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Market Vendors

How to Break Into the Real Estate Market

Breaking into the real estate market  is in many ways like starting any business.  The first step is to educate yourself about the industry, think about what assets you can contribute and then decide how big a leap you want to make. There are multiple approaches to real estate investment ranging from being “the money [...]

By |2018-07-24T13:26:34+00:00May 15th, 2018|Blog, Real Estate|Comments Off on How to Break Into the Real Estate Market

3 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting Your Own Business

The time is now, that voice inside your head says: Go for it, go out on your own, you can do it! There is no perfect time to strike out on your own, but there are ways to consider whether or not today (or soon) is at least well-timed in terms of succeeding. Here are [...]

By |2022-08-04T19:30:28+00:00February 24th, 2018|Blog, Careers, Real Estate|Comments Off on 3 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting Your Own Business

U.S. Gateway Markets in 2017: New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Los Angeles Are the Gates Open?

2017 was a wild ride on many fronts in the U.S. Between natural disasters, political upheaval and the ongoing influence of, and discourse about, social media there were days when it seemed the very landscape of the country was wobbling under our feet. But, in the midst of this, the economy did well -- as [...]

By |2018-01-08T17:08:42+00:00January 8th, 2018|Blog, Gateway markets, Uncategorized|Comments Off on U.S. Gateway Markets in 2017: New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Los Angeles Are the Gates Open?

Charitable Donations: The Gifts that Keeps on Giving

This is the season of giving. Gifts pile up under trees, are exchanged during Hanukkah celebrations and given to close friends and family over the feasts of Diwali. Anyone who’s ever given a gift to a loved one, and seen that person light up with joy, knows that it’s as rewarding to give as it [...]

By |2021-08-03T13:41:38+00:00December 15th, 2017|Blog|Comments Off on Charitable Donations: The Gifts that Keeps on Giving

Can Secondary Cities Ever Surpass Gateway Cities?

One of the most significant megatrends in the real estate market is property investment in gateway cities. Today’s smart investors are looking for opportunities that translate to long-term returns and, as has been demonstrated in the past, investing in gateway cities can be ideal investment opportunity. Gateway markets are highly-coveted destinations, such as New York, [...]

By |2021-08-03T13:47:58+00:00September 27th, 2017|Blog, Gateway markets, Real Estate|Comments Off on Can Secondary Cities Ever Surpass Gateway Cities?

Gender Equality and International Development

The statistics are staggering. According to USAID, globally, nearly 98 million girls are not in school. A more recent UNESCO report puts the number closer to 130 million, which is both good and bad, because while it could mean that more girls “count”--it’s also millions more who are not being educated. In the developing world, [...]

By |2023-01-26T20:12:10+00:00August 31st, 2017|Blog, Philanthropy|Comments Off on Gender Equality and International Development