Your Guide to OZ Pitch Day and What’s Ahead for OZ 2.0

OZ Pitch Day returns on Thursday, November 13, with its 16th installment, showcasing top Opportunity Zone funds and projects from across the country. In this November 2025 episode of Opportunity Zone Office Hours, Jimmy Atkinson previews the event lineup, shares upcoming OZ Insiders activities, and answers live audience questions about strategies for the transition to OZ 2.0.

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About The Opportunity Zones Podcast

Hosted by OpportunityZones.com founder Jimmy Atkinson, The Opportunity Zones Podcast features guest interviews from fund managers, advisors, policymakers, tax professionals, and other foremost experts in the Opportunity Zones industry.

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Episode Summary

In the November 2025 edition of Opportunity Zone Office Hours, Jimmy Atkinson previews the upcoming OZ Pitch Day, shares updates from OZ Insiders, and answers live audience questions about Opportunity Zone strategies heading into 2026 and the transition to OZ 2.0.

Jimmy begins by announcing that OZ Pitch Day Fall 2025 will take place on Thursday, November 13 at 10AM Eastern. He describes it as OpportunityZones.com’s flagship event, originally launched five years ago during the pandemic to connect investors with Qualified Opportunity Funds and projects. The concept remains the same today: a virtual, day-long showcase where accredited investors, advisors, and family offices can discover deals and learn from experts across the OZ ecosystem.

This will be the 16th OZ Pitch Day, featuring more than a dozen sponsors and partners, including Green Street NYC (title partner), YourSpace America, Clear Mountain Properties, Anchorvest, Sinatra & Company, The Wyoming Reserve, Origin Investments, Capital Square, Centennial Advisors, Tideline Partners, Alternative Wealth Partners, Blueprint Local, and CA South. Professional and media partners include HCVT, Greenberg Traurig, EIG, Novogradac, OZ Pros, and OZ Insiders. Jimmy expects over 1,000 registrants for the event.

Jimmy walks through the agenda, which opens with his keynote, “Opportunity Zone Investing Explained in 15 Minutes,” followed by a full lineup of fund and project presentations:

  • Anchorvest – Class-A multifamily project in Buffalo
  • Green Street NYC – The Metropolitan Avenue assemblage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
  • Tideline Partners (Vista QOF) – Multifamily development in San Diego County
  • Alternative Wealth Partners (AWP Overmatch Fund) – Defense manufacturing operating businesses in OZs
  • YourSpace America – Ground-up self-storage project in Bakersfield, CA
  • Capital Square – Mixed-use multifamily development in Richmond, VA
  • Clear Mountain Properties – Liva, a multifamily project in Travelers Rest, SC
  • The Wyoming Reserve – Precious-metals operating business in Casper, WY
  • Origin Investments – National multifamily strategy
  • Blueprint Local – Community-focused multifamily projects
  • CA South – OZ condominium investments in Nashville

The day will also include two panels:

  • Ask the OZ Experts, featuring Blake Christian (HCVT), Jim Lang (Greenberg Traurig), and Ashley Tison (OZ Pros);
  • Previewing OZ 2.0, with Catherine Lyons (EIG) and Jason Watkins (Novogradac).

Registration is free for investors and advisors at OpportunityZones.com.

Jimmy then shifts to updates from OZ Insiders, his private Opportunity Zone mastermind community. He highlights the recent October masterclass taught by Ashley Tison on the new OZ 2.0 rural incentives, following the IRS notice clarifying rural tract designations. That session, along with 20-plus previous classes, is now available on-demand in the member library.

Coming up next, attorney Gerry Reihsen of Reihsen & Associates will teach a November masterclass titled “OZ 2.0 Prep for Qualified Opportunity Funds,” focused on new reporting requirements taking effect for the 2026 tax year. Jimmy notes that funds will likely need to prepare for updated or revised IRS Form 8996 filings due in March 2027.

Jimmy also previews the final OZ Insiders dinner of the year, to be held on Tuesday, December 2 at Border Grill inside Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip. The private dinner, sponsored by CapZone Analytics, coincides with the Novogradac Opportunity Zone Summit taking place the following day at the Four Seasons. With more than 30 RSVPs already received and capacity capped at 40, Jimmy expects the event to sell out soon.

During the live Q&A, Jimmy answers several detailed questions from viewers:

  • Deferred vs. exempt gains: He explains that Opportunity Zone investors can defer tax on their original gain but only permanently exclude the appreciation on the OZ investment after a 10-year hold.
  • Borrowing from an OZ entity: Cash-out refinances or ordinary distributions are generally allowed, but direct loans from the QOF may trigger compliance concerns.
  • 2026 gains and OZ 2.0 timing: Investors realizing capital gains in 2026 might still be able to qualify for OZ 2.0 benefits by structuring through a pass-through entity that issues a Schedule K-1, thereby shifting the 180-day investment window into 2027.
  • Availability of OZ 1.0 investments: Jimmy expects many existing funds to remain open into early 2026 to accommodate investors realizing gains before OZ 2.0 begins.
  • Entity timing strategies: The same K-1 timing election can be applied to 2025 gains, though those would still fall under OZ 1.0 rules.
  • Dissolving and re-forming entities for OZ 2.0: Jimmy says this idea has circulated in industry discussions, but warns that it could be seen as abusive by the IRS, so he would not recommend being the first to test it.

He also reflects on how OZ Pitch Day participation trends have evolved: the inaugural 2020 event drew 1,000 registrants, rising in 2021 before dipping during the higher-rate environment, and now rebounding in 2025 alongside renewed investor and sponsor enthusiasm under the new OZ 2.0 framework.

As the episode closes, Jimmy reminds viewers about several key upcoming dates:

  • November 10: “OZ 2.0 Prep for QOFs” masterclass with Gerry Reihsen
  • December 2: OZ Insiders private dinner, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
  • December 3: Novogradac Opportunity Zone Summit (use promo code OZ10 for 10% off)
  • December 8: “OZ 2.0 Designation Process” masterclass with Kenan Fikri and Catherine Lyons of EIG

Jimmy signs off by inviting listeners to join OZ Insiders at OZInsiders.com, where members gain access to expert-led masterclasses, private networking events, and ongoing strategy support for the next era of Opportunity Zones.