Jenna Gerstenlauer is founder and managing partner of Sound Mark Partners, a commercial real estate investment firm based in Connecticut, which focuses on investing in real estate debt for an institutional client base. The firm is notable for its all female executive team.

Our conversation centers on her experience as a founder, and some of the nuances of real estate finance. She discusses the people who have inspired her and supported her along her journey and lists the challenging questions that need to be asked about diversity in the profession. She strongly believes in the importance of socio-economic diversity and cites how having this in her team enables them to invest with more understanding of the stakes and human impact of real estate, in particular in the area of affordable housing.