Red Sea Ventures is a Chicago-based diversified holding company, reflecting two decades of strategic investing experience in real estate development and category-defining companies across AI, defense, space, and industrial technology.
Boutique multifamily & mixed-use developments, and industrial investments across Chicago — more than 120 units delivered with an aggregate market value exceeding $100M, completed in collaboration with Contemporary Concepts Inc., DiCosola Construction Management, and Esteep.
Direct and SPV positions in companies redefining the physical and digital infrastructure of the next decade — foundational AI (Anthropic), defense and autonomy (Anduril), commercial space (Firefly Aerospace), and the industrial and energy technologies that make all of it possible (Crusoe).
Ziad began his career at Perkins & Will, one of the nation's leading architecture practices, where he spent six years after earning a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Looking to transition into real estate development and technology investing, he left the firm to pursue an MBA at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, with a concentration in Real Estate Finance and Entrepreneurship.
He returned to Chicago to join Contemporary Concepts, a developer of high-density, infill multifamily and mixed-use properties, as Principal. Over eight years, he led every stage of the development process — from land acquisition and entitlements through construction and project delivery.
In addition to founding and managing Red Sea Ventures, Ziad is Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Esteep, where he oversees development, asset management, and construction across the firm's mixed-use and multifamily portfolio, and leads new acquisitions.
View profile on LinkedIn →