Mastering Mountains, Real Estate and Markets: On The Road to Success Tommaso Montagni understands mountains both literally and metaphorically. As a competitive college alpine skier, he navigated thrilling steep descents and carved tight treacherous turns at epic speeds, where every run was risky.
By Ramsy Swamy
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Tommaso Montagni understands mountains both literally and metaphorically. As a competitive college alpine skier, he navigated thrilling steep descents and carved tight treacherous turns at epic speeds, where every run was risky. Each competition, his technique, mental agility and judgment were challenged. Just like tackling the slopes, as an entrepreneur and co-founder of Rubik, he isn't afraid of a challenge and seizesevery opportunity to innovate and push boundaries.
Montagni's relentless determination, honed on the icy slopes, translates into a fierce drive to overcome business obstacles, turning potential setbacks into opportunities for growth and success. Whether it's navigating the unpredictable terrain of a start-up or carving out a niche in a competitive market, Montagni applies the same precision, strategy and boldness that defined his skiing career. In both arenas, his ability to stay focused under pressure and his commitment to excellence set him apart, driving him to achieve remarkable feats.
Originally from Italy, Tommaso is a serial entrepreneur and a Colby College alumnus where he majored in mathematics and competed as a D1 alpine skier. He met his international Rubik co-founders Amar Šehić (CEO) from Bosnia, and Krenar Roka(Head of Acquisitions) from Kosovo, during an international orientation at Colby.
After graduating, he moved to New York and co-founded Rubik, an AI-driven marketplace that connects single family home sellers with real estate investors. "Our families are in either technology or real estate. When we graduated from college, we knew we wanted to go into tech, and real estate was something we all had in our background. We started exploring solutions in the real estate market and searching for big gaps where technology could propel the market forward." After numerous iterations, they discovered a gap in the market for investment-grade properties—homes that may need repairs and upgrades, tenant-occupied, or located in emerging markets.
"Rubik is solving the puzzle of real estate. We're a marketplace for single family homes, where we connect sellers of single family homes to investors of single family homes. These can be people who want to fix and flip or buy and hold, but essentially just investors, not retail buyers. We're a closed marketplace, so we're not a place where everybody can go and browse listings. We match sellers to the ideal buyers who will make a good offer, whether it is 10 buyers or 50, and we make that transaction happen."
So far Rubik has successfully raised over $4.5 million from their own bootstrapping, angel investors, top VC firms, accelerator programs and a network of Colby alumni, demonstrating confidence and solidifying Rubik's potential and proof of concept.
Montagni serves as the Head of Product and Dispositions as well as product development at Rubik. His previous experiences provided him with vital lessons in successful leadership, recruitment, hiring and managing talent, which have been critical to Rubik's growth. Likewise, he has been successful in establishing major partnerships with large real estate investors like Amherst, Second Avenue and Tircon Residential which is key to Rubik's business model. "My role as a thought leader has involved assisting numerous institutional investors, including Mynd, with acquisition strategies and capital allocation."
Montagni's strong networking abilities have also been essential for raising capital. His previous venture allowed him to build relationships with mentors and advisors, many of whom have become investors in Rubik. His strategic approach to fundraising and maintaining investor relationships over time have been instrumental in securing significant funding rounds, including the latest $3.5 million round.
On the product development side, Montagni leverages insights from the sales side to align product features with market needs in order to ensure that Rubik's offerings remain relevant and competitive. This includes innovative uses and the development of technology necessary to enhance the platform's effectiveness for matching sellers with the right investors.
Montagni and Rubik's co-founders' international backgrounds and experiences in different markets have equipped them to expand Rubik. "We're planning to expand into five new markets over the next year. This includes growing our local teams and refining our processes to suit each specific market. Real estate is highly market-specific, making effective expansion a significant challenge." But, with Montagni's strategic vision, he is confident Rubik can replicate successful models in new markets while at the same time tailoring and adapting their approaches to meet specific local challenges.
In a short time, Rubik has significantly influenced the real estate market as a leading provider of investment properties to institutional investors. So far they have successfully sourced and completed nearly 500 transactions, as well as contributed to the revitalization of neighborhoods in cities such as Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, and Houston and have facilitated transactions exceeding $100 million in real estate for both investors and sellers.
From the icy, snow-covered dangerous world of competitive skiing to the complex world of entrepreneurship, Montagni's tenacity, innovative spirit, strategic aptitude and operational skills are propelling Rubik forward. His ability to tackle challenges head-on and turn obstacles into opportunities for growth further solidifies Tommaso Montagni's role as an indispensable leader in the company's ongoing expansion and continued success.
Explore Rubik's solutions today.
