Nitin Motwani

Nitin Motwani serves as Managing Partner of Merrimac Ventures, a South Florida-based real estate investment and development firm with approximately $5 billion in total development value focused on branded residences, hospitality, experiential retail, luxury multifamily, and mixed-use development. In his role, Mr. Motwani oversees all aspects of acquisitions, development, and capital markets across the firm's portfolio, which spans South Florida and select national markets.  

Merrimac's current projects include Waldorf Astoria Residences Pompano Beach, Four Seasons Hotel & Residences Telluride, The Crosby Miami Worldcenter, 600 Miami Worldcenter, Riverside Wharf Dream Miami Hotel, and the upcoming redevelopment of Miami's Watson Island. 

Previously, Mr. Motwani served as Managing Partner of Miami Worldcenter Associates, where for nearly two decades he helped lead the development of the $6 billion, 27-acre mixed-use destination in the heart of Downtown Miami, overseeing land acquisition, zoning and entitlements, financing (public and private), joint ventures, and development. 

Mr. Motwani also serves on the Investment Committee and advisory board for Driftwood Development Partners, LP, in addition to advisory boards for Driftwood Lending Partners, LP and DHM Holdings, LP. Driftwood Capital’s portfolio includes approximately 70 hotels, over 13,000 rooms and employs over 5,000 people.

Early in his career, Mr. Motwani was an equity derivatives trader at Goldman Sachs in New York. He returned to his hometown of South Florida in 2005. Shortly thereafter, he was involved in the creation of Encore Capital Management, a private equity fund that focused on opportunistic real estate investments and development in growth markets across the U.S. As Managing Director, Mr. Motwani helped grow Encore’s committed equity to over $1 billion. 

An active member of the greater South Florida business community, Mr. Motwani is on the board of the University of Miami’s Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program and previously served as Board Chair. He also currently serves on the boards of The Miami Foundation and Partnership for Miami and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization’s (YPO) Miami Chapter and Global Chapter, the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the International Council of Shopping Center (ICSC), and of City Year’s Red Jacket Society. Additionally, he is actively involved in the R. Motwani Family Academy of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Broward College. Previously, he served on the board of the Miami Downtown Development Authority for fifteen years where he was the co-chair of the enterprise committee. He was also Co-Chair for One Community One Goal, Miami Dade County’s long term strategic plan for economic development. 

Mr. Motwani has been recognized as part of the Power 100 by Commercial Observer; an Ultimate CEO by the South Florida Business Journal; one of South Florida’s “20 Emerging Leaders Under 40” by The Miami Herald; “Young Leader of the Year” by the Urban Land Institute; a Power Leader in Commercial Real Estate by the South Florida Business Journal; and the recipient of the 2023 Alvah H. Chapman Jr. Award for Outstanding Young Leader. 

Mr. Motwani earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Duke University and holds a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. He lives in Miami with his wife and three sons. 

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