Summary List PlacementBen Miller, CEO and co-founder of real estate crowdfunding investor Fundrise, almost gave up on his dream of using a large pool of small investor dollars to buy up commercial real estate after an early meeting with a high-octane corporate lawyer, he told Insider. Miller had worked in finance before founding Fundrise in 2010, and had come away from the great financial crisis "disillusioned" in the financial system, which trusted private equity companies and other investors to manage Americans' savings and retirement funds.