Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan is the founder and Principal of re-viv, a private real estate investment company founded in 2016. re-viv describes its work as acquiring and developing housing in up-and-coming neighborhoods for young professionals and working families that fall into the “renter by necessity” category, with a focus on private real estate offerings through value-add and ground-up development.

Before founding re-viv, Ryan bootstrapped Elm Energy Group, which focused on energy efficiency and contracting services for residential, commercial, and historical buildings. re-viv’s team page says he has handled commercial transactions as a broker, property manager, and general contractor, and cites a personal real estate portfolio with a 25%+ IRR since inception.

Ryan’s published background ties his work to urban policy, building technology, sustainable construction, and social impact ventures. A Bonavest Capital profile says he started re-viv in 2016 after moving to San Francisco in 2015, motivated by the belief that affordable housing close to retail, jobs, biking, and walkable amenities should not be limited to affluent renters. His LinkedIn profile lists Indiana University Bloomington, 2002-2006, and membership in the Urban Land Institute beginning in February 2016.

• re-viv’s core thesis is real estate impact investing: “Revitalizing communities through impactful real estate investment strategies.”
• Ryan and re-viv target affordable, accessible housing near job centers while seeking market-leading investor returns.
• The firm focuses on supply-constrained, up-and-coming neighborhoods where older building stock has not turned over and demand is outpacing new apartment supply.
• re-viv sources through broker, investor, and owner networks, plus technology-enabled market and property research.
• The operating model emphasizes underwriting, construction, asset management, and property management capabilities in-house or through close partners.
• Co-living is a key strategy: re-viv describes traditional co-living conversions of land, single-family, and sub-four-unit properties into 4,000-6,000 sq. ft. assets with 14-18 bedrooms, and mixed-use co-living conversions of warehouses or mixed-use properties into 6,000-18,000 sq. ft. assets with 18-50 bedrooms plus commercial space.
• re-viv states that its co-living model can offer rents 15-20% below comparable studio market rents without subsidy while producing higher rent per square foot.
• For Opportunity Zone projects, re-viv highlights capital-gains deferral, Oakland market rent growth, 20-35% NOI premiums versus traditional multifamily, 3-6%+ cash-on-cash yield, and energy-efficient/green building standards.
• The firm pledges 1% of pre-tax profits to local nonprofits, community organizations, and research around affordable housing and community revitalization.