Origin Investments

Origin Investments is a Chicago-based real estate private equity firm founded in 2007 by David Scherer and Michael Episcope, who built it as a vehicle for their own capital before opening it up to outside investors. The firm specializes in value-add and ground-up development of multifamily apartment properties, primarily in Sun Belt metros — Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, Phoenix, Charlotte, and similar markets where population growth and housing supply constraints create sustained rent pressure. As of 2024, the firm has $3.6 billion in assets under management across its funds and properties.

The platform operates through a set of commingled fund products rather than single-asset deals. Its flagship vehicles are the IncomePlus Fund (a perpetual-life fund focused on stabilized multifamily generating current income), the Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund IV (a tax-advantaged QOZ vehicle), and the Growth Fund IV (a closed-end fund targeting higher-IRR development deals). All funds are available exclusively to accredited investors, with a $50,000 minimum on the IncomePlus Fund and $100,000+ on closed-end vehicles. Origin charges a 1.25% annual management fee on committed capital and a 10–20% performance fee above a preferred return hurdle, depending on the fund — fee structures that are standard for institutional-grade private real estate but meaningfully higher than retail crowdfunding platforms.