When Craig Carracher first met his business partner, Stephen Gaitanos, he was somewhat reluctant to team up.

“He was only a young fellow. He's 15 years younger than me, and he put his hand up and said, ‘I'd like to come across as your junior,'" Carracher recalls. “And I said, ‘Look, I'm not going to pay you for five years. I'm not sure I like you... I owe you nothing.'" 

But Gaitanos was all in. 

Twelve years since starting their joint venture, Scape – now part of the broader housing enterprise, The Living Company – the duo has dominated the student accommodation sector.

On this week’s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams finds out how this co-founder spotted a gap in the housing market to build a $20 billion empire.

This podcast was sponsored by Sinch Engage.

Further reading:

Alex Vynokur bet the house on ETFs. He won

The aspiring entrepreneur knew the odds were stacked against his start-up, Betashares. 

How this 26-year-old built a $100m robotics company

Andromeda founder Grace Brown reveals how her hi-tech companion, Abi, has disrupted an industry.

When Craig Carracher first met his business partner, Stephen Gaitanos, he was somewhat reluctant to team up. &ldquo;He was only a young fellow. He's 15 years younger than me, and he put his hand up and said, &lsquo;I'd like to come across as your junior,'" Carracher recalls.&nbsp;&ldquo;And I said, &lsquo;Look, I'm not going to pay you for five years. I'm not sure I like you... I owe you nothing.'"&nbsp;
But Gaitanos was all in.&nbsp;
Twelve years since starting their joint venture, Scape &ndash; now part of the broader housing enterprise, The Living Company &ndash; the duo has dominated the student accommodation sector.
On this week&rsquo;s episode of How I Made It, host Lauren Sams finds out how this co-founder spotted a gap in the housing market to build a $20 billion empire.
This podcast was sponsored by<a href="http://sinchengage.com/"> Sinch Engage</a>.
Further reading:
<a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/alex-vynokur-bet-the-house-to-start-betashares-it-now-manages-75b-20260728-p60j5x?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=how_i_made_it&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom">Alex Vynokur bet the house on ETFs. He won</a>
The aspiring entrepreneur knew the odds were stacked against his start-up, Betashares.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/grace-built-a-robot-buddy-during-covid-her-company-is-now-worth-100m-20260802-p60kpm?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=how_i_made_it&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom">How this 26-year-old built a $100m robotics company</a>
Andromeda founder Grace Brown reveals how her hi-tech companion, Abi, has disrupted an industry.

How I Made It is back with new hosts Lauren Sams & Yolanda Redrup. Join us to learn how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.

How I Made It is back with new hosts Lauren Sams &amp; Yolanda Redrup. Join us to learn how Australia&rsquo;s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.