Daniel Kaufman, founder of the permanent capital holding company Kaufman & Company, will speak at the Global Family Office Investment Summit in Miami on Oct. 15 to 16, where he plans to argue that family office capital is best positioned to build the housing American communities lack. The summit, now in its 33rd edition, lists Kaufman among its speakers on its published agenda.
His appearance follows the release of Citi Wealth's 2026 Global Family Office Report, a survey of roughly 350 family offices across more than 40 countries. The report found that direct real estate makes up about 10% of the average family office portfolio worldwide and 13% in North America, the highest of any region. Nearly a third of North American respondents plan to increase their real estate holdings. The report also found that 75% of respondents invest directly in companies, and that public equities became the top destination for new capital this year.
"Family office capital is patient by design, and real estate rewards patience more than almost any other asset," Kaufman said. "The Citi numbers tell me families are not chasing the market; they are owning what they can see and manage. The question I want to put in front of the room in Miami is whether that capital is going where the country needs buildings most, which is housing for the people who work in these communities."
Kaufman said the advantage of a family office is time, not size. "We invest only our own capital, so every project has to stand on its own merit without a fund deadline pushing it," he said. "That freedom is the real edge a family office has. It lets you buy land when others are selling, wait out an entitlement process, and build workforce housing that a fund chasing fees would pass on. I would like to see more families use it that way."
Kaufman & Company invests only its own capital and does not raise outside funds. On Oct. 3, the company launched BUILD 2030, a strategy that brings its housing, construction, technology and AI infrastructure businesses under one national development platform. Its operating companies include DEK Builds, an integrated design, build, development and investment firm working across mountain resorts, hotels and commercial construction. LandBriefing, a Kaufman Ventures platform, tracks land and housing fundamentals across U.S. markets.
The company's platform represents more than $2 billion in project value and more than 10,000 housing units across more than 25 years of building, lending, and investing. Kaufman & Company is a permanent capital holding company founded by Daniel Kaufman and is the trade name of Kaufman Family Office LLC and Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting LLC. Its 10 operating companies are Convivium Living, DanReDev, DEK Builds, Design Build Affordable, DK Homes, Forge Development Partners, Kaufman Development, Kaufman Real Estate & Consulting, LoneStar Kaufman, and Kaufman Ventures, whose portfolio includes BridgeStar, Meridian, LandBriefing, SpreadSight, FoundCheck, ServerDomes, and Mr Good Container Homes. Oldivai is an aligned, independently led workforce housing partner.
The Citi report's findings highlight a growing trend: family offices, with their long-term investment horizons, are increasingly turning to direct real estate. This shift could have significant implications for housing supply, particularly in workforce housing, where traditional institutional capital often hesitates due to long entitlement processes and lower yields. Kaufman's message in Miami may encourage more family offices to allocate capital toward housing development, potentially helping to alleviate shortages in communities across the United States.
This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions. Disclosure: Individuals or companies mentioned may have a commercial relationship with KeyCrew.
