Urban Catalyst Promotes Partner Sean Raft to General Counsel

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Urban Catalyst, Silicon Valley's leading Opportunity Zone Fund¹, today announced the promotion of partner Sean Raft, adding General Counsel to his role as Chief Administrative Officer.

“Since joining Urban Catalyst in 2019, Sean has been an invaluable member of our leadership team, ensuring everything we do falls within the letter and spirit of the law,” said Erik Hayden, Founder of Urban Catalyst. “With his legal acumen and keen understanding of how to build and operate a business, promoting Sean to serve as General Counsel is an important step in strengthening Urban Catalyst.”

Raft is experienced in real estate, law, and securities, and provides supervision, analysis, and advice on company structure, compliance, finance, accounting, organizational and legal strategies. In 2020, Raft was admitted as a member of The Opportunity Zones Working Group, which advises the U.S. Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, members of Congress, and other federal and state agencies on best practices and practical applications for the Opportunity Zone Program.

“Urban Catalyst is delivering on its promise to offer an important investment option while helping spur the revitalization of downtown San Jose, and I’m honored to have this opportunity to play a role in it,” Raft said.

Raft has previously served as Partner, Portfolio Manager and General Counsel at North American Capital and received his law degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law.

About Urban Catalyst
Urban Catalyst is focused on ground-up development projects in downtown San Jose. In 2020, Urban Catalyst Opportunity Fund I successfully raised $131 million from investors, surpassing the fundraising goal. Urban Catalyst Opportunity Zone Fund II is currently open to investors. Forbes and the Sorenson Impact Center have recognized Urban Catalyst as one of the top 10 Opportunity Zone Funds in Forbes OZ 20.

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¹In 2019, Forbes and the Sorenson Impact Center recognized Urban Catalyst as one of the top 10 Opportunity Zone Funds in Forbes OZ 20 for employing the potential tax benefits established in section 1400Z–2 of the Internal Revenue Code to spur economic development and job creation in distressed communities.