Robert Suris was born in Cuba, where his family owned a women's fashion magazine before the government seized it. He moved to the U.S. with his family at age 5 in 1967. Suris attended the University of Miami but never played football due to injury. He graduated from Florida International University. His father became a general contractor and started a concrete shell construction company, which Suris joined. During the Great Recession, Suris teamed with Arnaud Karsenti to start 13th Floor Investments, buying distressed assets from lenders. Eventually, the partners went their separate ways, and Suris established The Estate Cos. in 2012, focusing on apartments.
