TRAILBLAZER
In 2011 , Reffkin joined Goldman Sachs – but by 2012 , he ’ d risen to be Chief of Staff for Gary Cohn , the former President and Chief Operating Officer .
Launching Compass That same year , Reffkin founded Compass . Inspired by the gap in the market for streamlined financial solutions tools in the US real-estate industry , he formed the idea after seeing how his mother , a real-estate agent , struggled with a market based on legacy system procedures .
Speaking about that eureka moment , he said : “ My mom has been a real-estate agent my entire life , and I saw her move from firm to firm , always hoping that she would get the support and tools to realise her professional ambitions and her dream . She never got either . There ' s never been a truly great company for real estate agents before , but that ’ s what we ’ re building at Compass .
“ There are two million real-estate agents in the US , and they are some of America ’ s greatest entrepreneurs . At Compass , our focus is to empower them with tools , technology , and support that makes them more efficient and profitable .”
He ran 50 marathons to raise
US $ 1MN
for charities in 50 states of America
concept caters to both customers ’ and agents ' needs . The fintech company has made it easier for buyers and sellers state-wide . Today , according to reports , Reffkin is the youngest of only eight Black billionaires in the US .
Recently , however , Compass experienced some hard times . Its IPO earlier this year resulted in the company losing an unprecedented 70 % in share value . But Reffkin , who continues to champion young entrepreneurs through a number of philanthropic programmes , continues to be ebulant about the future .
Reffken has been married to his wife Benis for nine years and the couple have three children together .
A disruptive business Compass proved to be a true innovator for the real-estate market because its
20 June 2022