october 17, 2025

Robbie Pinkas: Real Estate by Trade, Wanderer by Heart

Real People of PLG

Why did you decide to go into finance/real estate?

I started my career in finance and then spent time working in tech. While I enjoyed both of these "proto-careers" / learned a lot along the way, I couldn't escape the nagging feeling that something was missing. After leaving Google in 2015, I started a job search premised on a new question: what do I like to think about? Strangely, I hadn't ever thought about work through that lens, but the answer was obvious: real estate. I've been captivated by architecture, design, and the built environment since childhood so the realization I should get paid to think about what I was already thinking about was somewhat of a revelation. From there, I spent time learning about the different facets of CRE and determined that development would be a good entry-point given the broad exposure I'd get to the industry and the skillset (finance + project management) I brought to the table.

What drew you to C-PACE and PLG?

C-PACE actually found me! I'd been working for a co-living developer prior to the pandemic but it went under in 2020 (not a great time for density-based business models). A friend and mentor was launching a C-PACE business and asked for part-time help to get things off the ground. I was happy to help and the more I learned the more excited I became. I recognized the opportunity of getting into an industry at the ground level and was able to immediately add value given my prior experiences in real estate development, strategy & operations, and finance. I had been training for this career without knowing it. I was drawn to PLG by its culture. PACE is still a small community, so I'd gotten to meet Rafi and Bali at industry events. I was impressed by both their track record and shared vision to build a company that put its employees first. Real People / Real Capital resonated with me on a core level, so it felt like a natural fit.