Mr. Joseph Stecher is the Founder & CEO of Candlewood Investors, a placement agent and proptech advisor.

Candlewood raises capital for real estate and proptech venture capital from institutional investors such as pension funds, foundations and endowments, insurance companies, investment managers, and private equity funds.

Mr. Stecher has been in Private Equity Real Estate for 30+ years and has invested $5 billion globally as a principal, first at General Motors Pension Fund (GMAM) when GMAM was like ADIA is today, and then at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, where he started the real estate fund of funds business at both firms. When Mr. Stecher started Candlewood Investors he became one of only two people in the world of private equity real estate who has been a GP, an LP, and a placement agent.

In proptech Mr. Stecher works with early-stage startups and provides advice in five areas: (i) product-market fit, (ii) sourcing customers, (iii) sourcing capital, (iv) sourcing board members and advisors, and (v) sourcing JV partners and merger partners.

Mr. Stecher holds a BA with honors in Literature with Philosophy and History from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and an MBA in Finance from New York University Stern School of Business.

A lifelong New Yorker, Mr. Stecher is active in grassroots Democratic politics nationally and not for profit theatre in New York, likes Lagree method megaformer, and tries to complete at least one 100-mile bike ride per year.

Mr. Stecher holds the Series 7, 24 and 63 registrations with FINRA.