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lake Owens, a 29-year-old Las Vegas native, has returned to his roots after a winding career that took him from the University of California, Los Angeles to bodybuilding competitions and Goldman Sachs. As the founder of Agrippa, an AI-powered commercial real estate capital matchmaking platform, and Augustus, an investment firm focused on Agrippa's best deals, Owens spoke about his unique background and love for Las Vegas.
Owens' family has deep ties to Southern Nevada, dating back over 115 years. His great-grandfather was born in Searchlight and later served as Clark County undersheriff, while his grandfather was a rancher and his father started his career at the Golden Nugget. Owens' parents met through combat sports, and he's carried on their legacy of discipline.
Owens took an unconventional path to his current work, starting with internships in wealth management and investment banking before winning bodybuilding competitions and training Muay Thai for over eight years. He returned to Las Vegas to join a CRE developer, becoming chief investment officer by 24 and closing over $600 million in transactions by 26.
In 2022, Owens left to build Agrippa, attracting investments from prominent individuals, including multiple Las Vegas locals. This year, he launched Augustus to complement Agrippa, inspired by ancient Romans whose legacies still echo through time. Owens aims to prove that someone took a chance on him and make the right choice.
Currently, Owens is working on several deals, including the Eastside Cannery ground lease and a nearly $90M multifamily development in Salt Lake City. He's also concerned about the state of the world, believing we're at a critical juncture where global leaders must prioritize humanity's collective good.
Owens thinks the current business climate is living through historic volatility due to deeper structural imbalances rather than a single administration or policy. He believes AI will help us handle turbulence and usher in a modern renaissance era, where cross-disciplinary generalists will thrive.
In real estate, Owens sees technology pushing boundaries through AI and game theory, developing Agrippa's decision engine into an omniscient dealmaker. He advises his younger self to be unshakably obsessed with greatness, enduring pain and sacrifice for progress, just like humanity's greatest minds – Da Vinci, Edison, and Tesla.
Owens doesn't expect to match their influence but intends to push himself beyond every known limit. If he can't change the world, he hopes to inspire the next person who will.
