Dream Builder

Nitya Capital leading-man, Swapnil Agarwal, may be a fresh face for our readers, but this 37-year-old businessman has taken Houston by storm.

Early in the morning, before the LCAHouston Cover Shoot at Gittings, the young debonair gentleman with a boyish smile, is as calm as can be. Amidst frequent travels and important work meetings, Swapnil poses perfectly for the cameras. Dressed in a tailored three-piece navy blue suit from London, with a humble demeanor that is still beaming with enthusiasm, he tells us “It was exactly July 11, 1996, at the age of fifteen, when I moved to Houston with my parents.”

Today, Mr. Agarwal is responsible for strategic planning, investment decisions, and overseeing all aspects of Nitya Capital’s operations, financing activities, and investor relations. But as a teenager, who emigrated from India, he saw his parents struggle for what they earned. Having lived, what he describes as “a tough life,” inspired him to create a better one for himself. “There is nothing wrong in enjoying the nicer things in life. It’s about how you treat others and how much you place value in materialistic possessions,” he says. “I will never forget that in 1996, I used to ride the bus every day. Back then I told myself that, when I get my first job, I would first get a nice car. I still fondly remember that it was a Mercedes.”

Seventeen years later, when he bought a multi-family property as an entrepreneurial venture and followed it up with 62 additional properties, he put a high premium on security and upgrades, including granite counter-tops, stainless steel appliances, quality fixtures, and state of the art gyms. He strongly believes in creating a safe family-friendly environment for residents, something his family could never have growing up.

As an entrepreneur, he is drawn to responsible roles. Swapnil, along with his wife Deepika, are involved in several charitable organizations such as Magic Bus and Pratham, as well as supporting two schools in India. He recharges by playing sports with his 5-year-old son Aryan who loves playing the piano. “Sports makes you a disciplined person,” says Swapnil. “That is why it’s very important that I encourage all my employees to play some sport together, because I believe when you play a sport, while being competitive, everyone is equal. No one is richer or poorer. You just compete to win.”

Swapnil has over 16 years of financial and investment experience, and 13 years of those in global real estate. He began his career in energy investment banking at Simmons & Company before joining Forum Partners, an international real estate private equity firm with over $5 billion in assets, where he focused on originating, structuring, and executing real estate investments in the Asia Pacific region. Agarwal is a believer in social capitalism. “I pursue in the win-win model. Whether it’s my 600 employees, investors, professional or personal connections, I strongly recommend that a businessman can only be successful when he has the best interest of the people around him.”

Swapnil believes he has a higher goal in life. He believes that he has been placed in this world to make a difference, and to improve the lives of the people around him. This extremely busy young entrepreneur wraps up the interview with one last statement. “It’s simple Ruchi. The one message that I can give as an entrepreneur is that profit should never be ones’ true goal,” says Swapnil.