Brendan F. Wallace
Brendan F. Wallace | |
|---|---|
| Born | New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Fifth Wall; cofounder of Identified, Inc. and Cabify |
Brendan F. Wallace is a prominent American entrepreneur and investor, recognized as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fifth Wall. He is also a cofounder of the AI-driven platform Identified, Inc, which was later acquired by Workday, as well as the Latin American ridesharing company Cabify.
Early life and education
Wallace was born and brought up in New York City. He completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton University in 2004, earning a bachelor's degree in political science and economics. Subsequently, he obtained an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2010. During his time at Stanford, he cultivated a strong passion for technology and entrepreneurship, launching multiple ventures alongside his peers.
Early career
Wallace initiated his professional journey as a real estate analyst at Goldman Sachs. He later joined the real estate division of The Blackstone Group, where he played a role in Blackstone’s purchase of Hilton Hotels.
Identified, Inc.
In 2010, Wallace partnered with Adayemi Ajao to establish Identified, Inc.—a career networking platform that incorporated gamification techniques and rapidly attracted 10 million users within eight months. Early iterations of Identified’s database were adopted by major employers such as Google, Disney, and McKinsey & Company. The company raised $33 million in venture funding between 2010 and 2014. Wallace held the position of co-CEO until Workday, Inc. acquired the firm in 2014.
Cabify
Wallace co-founded the ridesharing enterprise Cabify in 2012 alongside Ajao and Spanish entrepreneur Juan de Antonio. He continues to serve as an advisor to the company. By 2018, Cabify reached a valuation of $1.4 billion, achieving unicorn status.
Fifth Wall
In 2016, Wallace teamed up with Brad Greiwe to launch Fifth Wall, a venture capital firm specializing in investments within the PropTech sector, particularly focusing on technologies designed to reduce carbon emissions in real estate. By 2021, it had become one of the leading property technology investors in the United States. In July 2022, Fifth Wall successfully raised $500 million for its first Climate Fund. The following year, the firm closed an $866 million investment fund, noted by The Wall Street Journal as the largest real estate investment fund ever raised.
From 2019 through 2022, Wallace was recognized as one of the most influential executives in business by LA Business Journal. Additionally, Commercial Observer included him on its Power 100 list for both 2021 and 2022.
Personal life
In 2021, Wallace adopted Lady Macbeth, a three-legged pit bull mix; they appeared together on the Netflix series Canine Intervention.
Wallace’s past relationships include dating British actress Emma Watson in 2018 and American actress Alexandra Daddario in 2019.