In this special episode, the tables are turned as Humans of Multifamily host Shiv Gettu becomes the guest, interviewed by industry veteran Daniel Paulino at the Social Media Summit in Napa.

Shiv opens up about his journey as a middle child who often felt like he didn't belong, from growing up between the U.S. and India to facing intense bullying in eighth grade that lasted three months.

He shares how these formative experiences sparked his obsession with personal growth and self-improvement, including a pivotal story of timing himself running up 12 flights of stairs every day after school.

The conversation explores Shiv's entrepreneurial path, from discovering BiggerPockets podcasts while working at PwC to meeting his co-founder Kendrick through a personal development course and launching their Airbnb business - which quickly pivoted when COVID devastated their cash flow. This crisis led to the founding of Zuma, born from the realization that the long-term rental process was broken compared to Airbnb's seamless experience.

Throughout the conversation, Shiv reflects on the sacrifices of startup life, the burden of feeling like achievements are the only measure of self-worth, and why he believes most founders need "delusion" to succeed when logic says otherwise. The episode concludes with insights about his cross-country RV podcast tour and why, despite the hardship of leaving routine behind, he's creating memories he'll cherish decades later.

Humans of Multifamily is presented by Zuma, the AI assistant for your full-resident lifecycle. Visit ⁠getzuma.com⁠ and follow Shiv on LinkedIn

00:00 Growing Up as the Middle Child Who Didn't Belong

12:00 How Parental Confidence Enabled Self-Belief and High Expectations

22:00 Finding Financial Security Through Real Estate

34:00 The Airbnb Business That Almost Succeeded

47:00 Founding Zuma After COVID Destroyed Their Cashflow

59:00 Why Hiring is the Most Important and Challenging Founder Skill

01:15:00 Creating a Unique Strategy to Stand Out in Multifamily

01:31:00 Conferences and the Challenges of Early-Stage PropTech

01:50:00 Behind the Scenes of the RV Tour and Working with Strangers