What 1820 Ventures does

1820 Ventures is an Indianapolis-based, privately held urban real estate development firm founded and led by Managing Partner Jeremy Stephenson. The company focuses on developing and redeveloping urban core properties in Indianapolis, with a stated emphasis on community-centered, inclusion-driven projects that return vacant or underutilized assets to productive use and to the tax rolls. Its portfolio spans multifamily residential, mixed-use districts, coworking/office, ground-floor retail, hospitality-adjacent tenants, and historic adaptive reuse. Named projects include the 103-unit Gathyr apartment building (opened 2023, Elevator Hill), the 13-acre Elevator Hill district (over 175,000 sf of office/retail buildings and $250M+ in planned infill), the $84M Cole Motor redevelopment (~200 loft apartments plus retail and education), the Rose Building (coworking office suites plus small-business retail on the 38th Street corridor), the Nickel Plate Green 13-acre trailside property, and Hi & Mighty Distillery (9,000 sf year-round tenant at the Indiana State Fairgrounds).

The business model combines one-time real estate development revenue (project development fees, sales, and long-term asset ownership) with recurring rental revenue from leasing residential, retail, and office space in company-owned properties. Tenants include neighborhood small businesses (Blue Mind Coffee, Kenny's Barbershop, Wilson Art Lab), residential renters served via project websites and on-site leasing, and one commercial/industrial tenant (Hi & Mighty Distillery). Distribution is direct, through property websites, on-site leasing, and outreach to target local businesses, with no third-party brokerage dependency disclosed. Strategic partnerships with Friends of 38th St (founding member), the Indiana State Fair, the City of Indianapolis (Nickel Plate Trail co-investment of $12M+), and Ball State University (educational programming at Elevator Hill) anchor the community and public-sector ecosystem.

The team is small (1-10 employees per firmographics) but carries $2B+ in aggregate prior multifamily, office, commercial, and hotel development experience across the U.S. Stephenson's prior roles include leading Milhaus Development from startup to 5,000 multifamily units across 9 markets, co-founding Onyx + East, and serving as EVP at REI Investments. Development Director Michael Taft previously managed over 1,000 multifamily units and 100,000+ sf of office/retail. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and there is no evidence of institutional investor ownership, public listing, or a parent company.

Name

1820 Ventures

Legal name

1820 Ventures

Website

https://1820ventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1820

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

1820 Ventures is a privately held Indianapolis real estate development firm specializing in urban core multifamily, mixed-use, and adaptive-reuse projects. It serves residential renters, neighborhood small businesses, and commercial tenants across multiple named Indianapolis properties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Development

NAICS

New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Investment Management (Acquisitions & Dispositions) (BPAJAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)

Keywords

• Urban real estate development
• Mixed-use development
• Multifamily housing
• Historic property redevelopment
• Community-centered development

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Development: Develops multifamily, office, commercial, and hotel properties throughout the US. Revenue generated through property sales, development fees, and long-term asset ownership. Portfolio includes residential apartments, retail spaces, office suites, and mixed-use developments.
2. Property Leasing: Generates recurring revenue through leasing retail, office, and residential spaces in company-owned developments. Retail tenants include Blue Mind Coffee, Kenny's Barbershop, Wilson Art Lab. Office suites offered in configurations with shared amenities.
3. Urban Redevelopment Investment: Invests in urban core real estate redevelopment projects, returning properties to productive use and tax rolls. Focuses on catalysts for neighborhood reinvestment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

1820 Ventures is an Indianapolis-based real estate development company that develops, owns, and leases urban core properties. Its portfolio includes multifamily apartments, coworking office suites, ground-floor retail, mixed-use districts, and historic adaptive-reuse projects such as Cole Motor, Gathyr, Elevator Hill, The Rose Building, Hi & Mighty Distillery, Nickel Plate Green, and The National.

Product overview

1820 Ventures is a real estate development company specializing in urban core properties in Indianapolis. The company operates a portfolio of named development projects that function as distinct products: Gathyr (103-unit residential apartment building opened 2023), Elevator Hill (13-acre mixed-use district with over $250M in planned development), Cole Motor (historic mixed-use redevelopment), The Rose Building (mixed-use with coworking office suites and retail), Hi & Mighty Distillery (commercial tenant at State Fairgrounds), and Nickel Plate Green (13-acre trailside mixed-use property). Projects span multifamily residential, office/coworking, retail, hospitality, and industrial adaptive reuse. The company has developed over $2 billion in multifamily, office, commercial, and hotel projects across the US.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cole Motor Mixed-use redevelopment of the historic Cole Motor Car Company campus at 752 E Market St in Indianapolis, transforming the former factory and jail building into approximately 200 loft-style apartments, neighborhood retail, and education spaces. Aimed at urban residents, neighborhood retailers, and educational partners in downtown Indianapolis.
• Gathyr 103-unit apartment building and flagship residential development at 1117 E Market St on the Elevator Hill campus in Indianapolis, opened in 2023. Features porches and rooftop spaces oriented to Market Street to bring pedestrian energy to the corridor. Targets urban renters seeking apartments in a revitalizing district.
• Elevator Hill 13-acre mixed-use district redevelopment of the former Angie's List campus at 1117 E Market St, Indianapolis, comprising over 175,000 square feet of historic office and retail buildings. Includes over $250M in planned infill projects spanning local retail, housing, and education uses, with Gathyr as its flagship 103-unit residential component.
• The Rose Building Mixed-use redevelopment of the original Indiana Pacers headquarters at 638-650 E 38th St in Indianapolis. Offers first-floor retail space anchored by Blue Mind Coffee, Kenny's Barbershop, and Wilson Art Lab, plus 8,000 square feet of coworking office suites in various configurations with shared amenities. Targets neighborhood small businesses, retail tenants, and office users on the 38th Street corridor.
• Hi & Mighty Distillery 9,000-square-foot local distillery occupying a historic warehouse on the Indiana State Fairgrounds, structured through a first-of-its-kind partnership between 1820 Ventures and the Indiana State Fair. Produces gin and canned cocktails distributed across Indiana, with plans for a future tasting room expansion. Functions as a commercial tenant and curated anchor for the State Fairgrounds site.
• Nickel Plate Green 13-acre trailside property at 52nd & Nickel Plate in Indianapolis, envisioned as a new neighborhood gathering place along the $12M Nickel Plate Trail extension (opening early 2025). Planned for mixed residential and commercial uses serving neighborhood residents and visitors.
• The National Project showcased on the 1820 Ventures website as part of its Indianapolis urban development portfolio; additional specifics such as address, scope, and configuration were not provided in the source material.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Indiana State FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst-of-its-kind partnership to bring Hi & Mighty Distillery as the State Fairgrounds' first year-round tenant in two decades. 1820 helped structure this partnership to give Hi & Mighty a unique home in a historic warehouse on the State Fairgrounds.
• Friends of 38th StcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner1820 is a founding member of Friends of 38th St, a community organization focused on reinvestment in the 38th Street corridor. The Rose Building redevelopment is viewed as a catalyst for further reinvestment.
• City of IndianapolisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Indianapolis invested over $12M in Nickel Plate Trail extension adjacent to the Nickel Plate Green property. The trail is expected to open in early 2025.
• Ball State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElevator Hill development described as 'perfectly aligned' for Ball State University programs according to university dean. Partnership involves educational opportunities at the redeveloped campus.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kite Realty Group: Indianapolis-headquartered publicly traded shopping center REIT; comparable in Indianapolis real estate presence but with a focused open-air retail shopping center strategy versus 1820's mixed-use urban redevelopment model.
• Edward Rose & Sons: Large Midwestern multifamily developer with a deep Indianapolis and Midwest portfolio; comparable to 1820's multifamily ambitions (Gathyr's 103 units and Cole Motor's ~200 apartments) but at significantly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Lauth Property Group: Indianapolis-based commercial real estate developer with a long history of build-to-suit and mixed-use office/retail developments; comparable to 1820's office and mixed-use components (e.g., Rose Building office suites).
• Buckingham Companies: Indianapolis-based vertically integrated real estate firm doing multifamily, mixed-use, and hospitality developments in the Midwest; comparable to 1820's product mix and Indianapolis concentration.
• TWG Development: Indianapolis-headquartered real estate developer focused on urban infill mixed-use, multifamily, and historic redevelopment projects such as The Yard and other downtown Indianapolis catalysts — a close analog to 1820's Elevator Hill and Rose Building strategy.
• The Annex Group: Indianapolis-based developer specializing in affordable and market-rate multifamily housing across the Midwest, including mixed-use projects; comparable to 1820's multifamily scale and urban-suburban Indianapolis footprint.
• Milhaus Development: Indianapolis-headquartered multifamily developer founded by Jeremy Stephenson's prior firm; both share a similar urban infill, multi-product (mixed-use, market-rate and affordable) playbook, making it the closest direct comparable to 1820 Ventures.
• Onyx + East: Urban infill developer of townhomes and condos in Indianapolis and Tampa co-founded by Jeremy Stephenson; shares 1820's urban-core infill orientation and Stephenson's underwriting DNA.
• Herman & Kaylor Real Estate: Indianapolis-based commercial real estate developer and manager with a portfolio spanning multifamily, mixed-use, and urban infill; parallels 1820's market and product set.
• Flaherty & Collins Properties: Indianapolis-based developer of multifamily, mixed-use, and historic-redevelopment projects (e.g., CityWay, historic restorations), directly comparable to 1820's Gathyr and Elevator Hill by asset class and city footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/1820Ventures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1820ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 1820 Ventures