ValiantCEO Interview
Christ Montes · Founder and CEO, OLOS Impact, OLOS Impact
Real Estate · Expert Insights
In the evolving landscape of real estate, Christ Montes stands out as a visionary leader committed to merging faith with community development. As the founder and CEO of OLOS Impact, he has harnessed his extensive background in real estate and finance to tackle the pressing housing crisis by transforming underutilized land owned by faith-based organizations into sustainable community-oriented developments. In this interview, Montes shares his insights on the intersection of capital, community impact, and the future of attainable housing.
Tell us about yourself and your company.
I’m Chris Montes, founder and CEO of Olos Impact. My background is in real estate, finance, and entrepreneurship, and I’ve spent much of my career thinking about how capital can be used to create both financial and community impact.
Olos Impact was created around a simple observation: there is an enormous amount of vacant and underutilized land owned by faith-based organizations, while communities across the country are facing a growing shortage of attainable housing.
We partner with churches and other faith-based organizations to help them unlock the value of their real estate and transform underutilized land into housing and community-oriented developments. The faith organization is a partner and owner in every development. Our goal is to create projects that are financially sustainable, serve the surrounding community, and allow faith-based organizations to extend their mission into the marketplace.
Ultimately, OLOS exists at the intersection of faith, housing, and positive community impact.
Olos Impact was created around a simple observation: there is an enormous amount of vacant and underutilized land owned by faith-based organizations, while communities across the country are facing a growing shortage of attainable housing.
We partner with churches and other faith-based organizations to help them unlock the value of their real estate and transform underutilized land into housing and community-oriented developments. The faith organization is a partner and owner in every development. Our goal is to create projects that are financially sustainable, serve the surrounding community, and allow faith-based organizations to extend their mission into the marketplace.
Ultimately, OLOS exists at the intersection of faith, housing, and positive community impact.
What is one lesson or piece of advice you would share with other leaders or founders?
Build around a problem you genuinely care about, not simply an opportunity you see in the market.
Markets change. Capital is becoming more expensive. Business models evolve. Technology changes quickly. But if you are deeply committed to solving a real problem, those changes become challenges to navigate rather than reasons to quit.
For me, the housing crisis is deeply connected to a larger question: how do we use the resources already sitting in our communities more effectively? There are tremendous land, capital, and institutional infrastructure opportunities that aren’t being fully utilized.
I would also tell founders to be willing to think long-term; the best companies are built by staying relentlessly focused on a solving a meaningful problem.
Markets change. Capital is becoming more expensive. Business models evolve. Technology changes quickly. But if you are deeply committed to solving a real problem, those changes become challenges to navigate rather than reasons to quit.
For me, the housing crisis is deeply connected to a larger question: how do we use the resources already sitting in our communities more effectively? There are tremendous land, capital, and institutional infrastructure opportunities that aren’t being fully utilized.
I would also tell founders to be willing to think long-term; the best companies are built by staying relentlessly focused on a solving a meaningful problem.
“Build around a problem you genuinely care about, not simply an opportunity you see in the market.”
— Christ Montes, OLOS Impact
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This interview was originally published on ValiantCEO — a business publication featuring founders, executives, and operators (DR 71). Interview conducted by Jed Morley, CEO of PlatPay.
