What does it REALLY take to build homes for America's ultra-wealthy?

And how does a man who started with a van and a truck end up building some of South Florida's most extraordinary luxury estates?

On this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, host Louis Fernandes sits down with Ed Cannatelli, Founder of Cannatelli Builders, to pull back the curtain on multimillion-dollar real estate, luxury development, entrepreneurship, and the future of AI in construction.

We're talking private resort-style estates, $20 million teardown properties, high-stakes investments, and clients who demand absolute perfection.

But the real story goes beyond the money.

Ed reveals how he built his company from nothing, broke into the ultra-luxury market by taking an unprofitable project, and developed the leadership, reputation, and systems needed to manage massive construction projects.

And then there's AI.

Ed discusses technology that can turn architectural plans into construction estimates, materials lists, and project schedules in roughly 12 MINUTES.

Could AI change the economics of construction forever?

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE:

💰 The $27M estate listed for $55M

🏝️ Why wealthy buyers demolish $20M homes

🏗️ How Ed broke into ultra-luxury construction

📈 The hidden economics of multimillion-dollar development

🤝 Why reputation beats advertising

⚠️ Why hiring the cheapest contractor can be disastrous

👥 Managing 10–11 massive projects with a lean team

🤖 AI-powered estimating and construction automation

💵 Equity partnerships and development profits

🎯 40+ years of business and leadership lessons

ABOUT ED CANNATELLI

Ed Cannatelli is the Founder of Cannatelli Builders, a South Florida luxury construction and development company.

With over 40 years of experience, Ed has built a reputation for delivering extraordinary custom homes, waterfront estates, luxury renovations, and commercial projects.

From learning construction alongside his father in Connecticut to building multimillion-dollar estates in Florida, Ed's story is about resilience, relationships, craftsmanship, and relentless attention to detail.

🔗 CONNECT WITH ED

🌐 Cannatelli Builders:
https://www.cannatellibuilders.com/

🌐 Ed's Website:
https://www.edcannatelli.com/

💼 LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edcannatelli

🏢 Company LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cannatelli-builders-inc

🎙️ ABOUT THE AI EDGE PODCAST

Hosted by Louis Fernandes, The AI Edge Podcast features real conversations with founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, and operators building successful businesses.

We explore the strategies, leadership decisions, technologies, and AI innovations shaping the future of business.

💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION

What's the biggest opportunity in luxury real estate: buying the right land, controlling construction costs, or timing the market?

👇 Drop your answer below!

👍 LIKE | 🔔 SUBSCRIBE | ↗ SHARE

#TheAIEdgePodcast #EdCannatelli #LuxuryRealEstate #RealEstateDevelopment #AI #Entrepreneurship

So why can leasing it still take 12 weeks?

Emails. Phone calls. Spreadsheets. Attorneys. Site inspections. Negotiations. Documents moving between parties.

And after all of that, the signed lease often disappears into a drawer.

James Holbrook believes the problem isn't a lack of industrial real estate.

It's the infrastructure surrounding the transaction.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with James Holbrook, Founder and Executive Chairman of Warehub, to unpack how more than two decades and roughly 2,500 short-term industrial leasing transactions led him to rethink the entire process.

Warehub is building a structured operating environment designed to connect landlords, tenants, and brokers around verified property information, standardized workflows, transactions, compliance, and eventually the full lifecycle of operating industrial space.

James says a process that can traditionally take roughly 12 weeks can be compressed dramatically inside a more structured environment.

But this isn't a story about removing people from real estate.

James makes the opposite argument:

Technology should remove friction so brokers can spend more time on judgment, strategy, and relationships.

In this conversation:

• Why short-term industrial leasing remains so manual
• What 2,500 transactions taught James about recurring friction
• How information asymmetry slows commercial real estate
• Why tenants increasingly need flexibility instead of long commitments
• How landlords can monetize vacancy and underused space
• Why brokers remain critical even as transactions become faster
• How Warehub approaches verified property information
• Why James rejected a traditional SaaS pricing model
• How the platform aims to compress leasing from weeks to days
• Why businesses often implement AI before fixing their data
• How structured data creates the foundation for useful AI
• Why AI should provide guidance—but not make real estate decisions autonomously
• How Warehub could eventually connect space, labor, equipment, transportation, insurance, and services

James also shares an important founder lesson.

His biggest mistake?

Planning too long.

After years developing the thesis, Warehub is now entering the phase where theory meets the market.

And James believes that five years from now, people may look back and think it's crazy that industrial leasing ever took as long as it does today.

About James Holbrook

James Holbrook is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Warehub and Founder of Payson Smith Holbrook.

He has spent more than two decades in industrial real estate and estimates he has completed approximately 2,500 short-term lease transactions.

That experience became the foundation for Warehub—a platform designed to create a more transparent, flexible, and efficient industrial leasing environment.

Connect With James & Warehub

James Holbrook — LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jholbrookpsh/
Warehub — Website

Warehub.com
Warehub — LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/warehub-inc/

After nearly two decades pursuing one idea, Steele Clark Smith III is still fighting to answer a controversial question:

Can cannabinoids move from the dispensary counter to the prescription pad?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Steele, CEO of C3 Pharmaceuticals, for a conversation about pharmaceuticals, cannabinoids, opioids, regulation, government, AI, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to pursue a mission when the road lasts far longer than anyone expected.

Steele's story is anything but conventional.

His interest in the problem was deeply personal. After being prescribed opioids, Steele describes an extremely difficult withdrawal experience that ultimately helped shape his perspective on patients, medicine, and the difference between sympathy and genuine empathy.

Then came another defining chapter.

While incarcerated following a 2007 indictment, Steele remembered a former patient whose insurer had been willing to reimburse his cannabis expenses.

That triggered a bigger question:

What would cannabis have to become for a physician to actually prescribe and dose it like medicine?

Steele says that question ultimately led to Idrasil, which he describes as a standardized cannabinoid tablet designed around pharmaceutical dosing rather than the consumer cannabis model.

In this conversation:

• Why Steele separates pharmaceutical cannabinoids from recreational cannabis
• Why standardized dosing matters to his thesis
• How his personal opioid experience shaped his mission
• Why he says Idrasil was “born in a prison cell”
• What nearly 20 years of persistence taught him
• Why he's exploring a government-first strategy
• His vision for a roughly 100,000-square-foot pharmaceutical operation
• How he thinks about manufacturing, security and hiring at scale
• Where AI can transform pharmaceutical data and regulatory workflows
• Why humans still need final approval in high-stakes AI workflows
• How founders distinguish conviction from stubbornness
• Why Steele believes perseverance has been his greatest advantage

What makes Steele's story fascinating isn't simply the product.

It's the length of the fight.

He has faced legal battles, regulatory uncertainty, capital challenges, changing markets, and years of waiting for the environment around his idea to evolve.

Yet when asked why he hasn't quit, his answer is simple:

“I truly was born for this.”

This is a conversation about what happens when a founder refuses to let go of an idea, even when proving it takes decades.

About Steele

Steele Clark Smith III is the CEO of C3 Pharmaceuticals and the founder behind Idrasil, a cannabinoid-based tablet he has spent nearly two decades developing and advocating for within a pharmaceutical framework.

Steele's background includes experience across cannabis, pharmaceuticals, legal and regulatory matters, patient advocacy, and entrepreneurship.

Today, his focus is building the infrastructure, team, regulatory pathway, and government relationships he believes are necessary to bring his pharmaceutical vision to scale.

Connect With Steele

Website: Idrasil.com

Company: C3 Pharmaceuticals

LinkedIn: Steele Clark Smith III

Personal Website: SteeleClarkSmith3.com

Steele also says he can be found on X, Truth Social, and Facebook.

We assume the grocery store will always have food.

Kendell Lang believes that assumption is far more dangerous than most people realize.

After witnessing firsthand what happens when critical infrastructure and food supply chains fail, he's building a radically different model—one designed to make communities more food-independent while making regenerative agriculture economically viable.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Kendell Lang, CEO of mOrganic Holdings, for a fascinating conversation about food security, agriculture, technology, AI, carbon markets, and what it will take to build more resilient communities.

Ken's mission can be summarized in one sentence:

“We are making healing the planet the most profitable business in the world.”

His journey to that mission is deeply personal.

After his late wife was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2001, Ken began questioning what he understood about food, health, plants, medicine, and the systems surrounding them. That experience ultimately became part of a much larger mission around food security and the legacy he wanted to leave his children and grandchildren.

In 2016, Ken moved from San Diego to Puerto Rico, where approximately 95% of consumed food was being imported, according to his account. Hurricane Maria later demonstrated just how quickly interconnected systems can break when electricity, water, transportation, agriculture, and supply chains fail simultaneously.

Today, he's applying those lessons in Hawaii through mOrganic.

But this isn't simply farming.

Ken describes an ecosystem combining controlled-environment aquaponics, regenerative soil systems, agroforestry, livestock, renewable energy, sensors, real-time data, blockchain infrastructure, carbon measurement, and AI.

In this conversation:

• Why Ken believes food security must become hyperlocal
• What Hurricane Maria taught him about fragile infrastructure
• How mOrganic achieved 52 consecutive weekly harvests in Puerto Rico
• Why billion-dollar vertical farming companies can still fail
• How regenerative agriculture can become profitable
• Why Ken believes carbon markets need better measurement
• How sensors, blockchain and AI fit into modern agriculture
• Why food security increasingly intersects with national security
• How technology can amplify human expertise instead of replacing it
• Why Ken believes environmentalism and capitalism can work together

Kendell Lang | CEO, mOrganic Holdings

Kendell Lang is an entrepreneur, real estate developer, agricultural innovator, and CEO of mOrganic Holdings.

Ken brings decades of experience spanning sophisticated real estate development, controlled environments, agriculture, infrastructure, and capital markets. During the conversation, he describes developing more than 12 million square feet of real estate, helping take two companies public, and advising another before turning his focus toward food security and regenerative agriculture.

His mission:

Make healing the planet the most profitable business in the world.

LINKS

Connect With Kendell Lang

LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendelllang/

mOrganic Holdings: morganic.ag
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/morganically/

And you can spend years chasing an 800 score without understanding what actually makes lenders say yes.

Dave Burgio believes most people are solving the wrong problem: the goal isn’t perfect credit. The goal is becoming fundable before you need the money.

You can have a 720 credit score and still get denied.

And you can spend years chasing an 800 score without understanding what actually makes lenders say yes.

Dave Burgio believes most people are solving the wrong problem:

The goal isn't perfect credit. The goal is becoming fundable before you need the money.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Dave Burgio, Founder of Trifecta Credit Solutions, to break down what entrepreneurs, real estate investors, operators, and everyday borrowers misunderstand about credit and access to capital.

Dave's interest in credit started early.

He watched his parents struggle financially after a divorce damaged both of their credit profiles. Years later, Dave experienced the other side himself when the 2008 financial crisis hit and his own credit suffered.

Today, his work has expanded from credit education and positioning into business funding and private lending, helping clients understand what needs to happen before they urgently need capital.

In this conversation, Dave and Louis discuss:

• Why a high credit score doesn't automatically make someone fundable
• How someone with a 720 score can still get denied
• Why credit is usually an afterthought until a major opportunity appears
• The danger of waiting until you desperately need capital
• Why business owners often damage personal credit funding their companies
• What lenders evaluate beyond the score
• How entrepreneurs should think about capital readiness
• Why newer investors and founders often struggle to get financing
• How private lending is changing real estate investing
• Why banks are tightening as consumer debt increases
• What Dave learned from operating businesses in multiple industries
• How AI is helping simplify internal operations
• Why people, processes, and systems still determine whether a company scales

One of Dave's strongest lessons is simple:

Prepare for capital when you don't need it.

About Dave Burgio

Dave Burgio is the Founder of Trifecta Credit Solutions, where he helps individuals, entrepreneurs, operators, and real estate investors move from credit positioning to capital access.

His work spans personal and business credit education, funding readiness, business financing, and private lending.

Dave began working in credit as a side business in 2016 before launching Trifecta Credit Solutions in 2020. His mission is to help clients understand their financial position, become better prepared for financing opportunities, and avoid waiting until capital becomes an emergency.

Connect With Dave

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveburgiocredit/

Trifecta Credit Solutions:
www.trifectacreditsolutions.com

Two corporate careers. Two salaries. Gone.

Instead of immediately running back to another paycheck, Mike Deaton and his wife Ligia asked a much bigger question:

What if we built a life we actually controlled?

That question eventually led them to one of the simplest—and most overlooked—business models in real estate:

Buying vacant land below market value and reselling it for a profit.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Mike Deaton, Co-Founder of Flipping Dirt, to unpack how a former corporate executive went from more than 20 years inside companies including Motorola, Nokia, and Microsoft to building a seven-figure national land investing business.

Mike and Ligia entered entrepreneurship with no guarantee the model would work.

They gave themselves a runway.

They started small.

They learned the market.

And once they proved the process, they began scaling.

Today, Mike brings the same operational thinking he developed running large corporate organizations into entrepreneurship, keeping the business intentionally lean while using systems, automation, data, and AI to move faster.

His philosophy is simple:

Eliminate. Automate. Delegate.

In this conversation, Mike and Louis break down:

• What happened when Mike and his wife were laid off on the same day
• Why they chose entrepreneurship instead of another corporate job
• How vacant land flipping actually works
• Why buying cheap land isn’t enough
• How Mike evaluates markets and prices offers
• Why timing can matter as much as price
• How some investors buy land at a fraction of market value
• Why owner financing can open the buyer pool
• How Mike keeps his business incredibly lean
• Where AI gives land investors a speed and data advantage
• Why adding software too early can destroy margins
• The difference between automating and simply adding complexity
• Why entrepreneurs must become comfortable testing and failing
• How Mike thinks about freedom, control, and real job security

Mike also explains why land flipping is simple, but not easy.

The mechanics can be learned.

The harder part is making the right decisions:

Is this the right market?

Is my offer right?

About Mike Deaton

Mike Deaton is an entrepreneur, real estate investor, and Co-Founder of Flipping Dirt.

Before entrepreneurship, Mike spent more than 20 years in corporate operations, including roles with Motorola, Nokia, and Microsoft.

After he and his wife Ligia were both laid off in 2016, they pivoted into real estate and formally launched their investing business full-time in 2017.

Today, they are active land investors and coaches helping others learn how to generate cash flow by buying and selling vacant land.

Their business is built around a simple principle:

Create more control over your income, time, and life.

Connect With Mike

Mike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbdeaton/

Flipping Dirt:
flippingdirt.us

Instagram:
Mike & Ligia on Instagram

Flipping Dirt on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/flipping-dirt/

But what happens when AI removes context, accountability, and the human experience?

Brooks Saye believes companies are asking the wrong question.

The goal should not be:

“How much can we replace with AI?”

It should be:

“How can AI help people make better decisions and spend more time with the people they serve?”

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Brooks Saye, Partner at Varro Capital, to discuss why so many technology implementations fail, what multifamily operators misunderstand about AI, and why the renter must remain at the center of every operational decision.

Brooks has worked across multifamily operations, PropTech, revenue growth, partnerships, and go-to-market strategy. Today, she helps connect operators, lenders, asset managers, investors, renters, and technology founders through Varro Capital, Varro Technology, and Varro Studio.

Her perspective is clear:

The industry does not necessarily need more technology.

It needs better coordination between the technology that already exists.

Fewer disconnected dashboards.

Better workflows.

Clearer communication.

Less administrative friction.

And products built with both operators and renters in mind.

In this conversation, Brooks and Louis explore:

• Why AI should support decisions instead of replacing human judgment
• How companies confuse adding technology with creating innovation
• Why change management determines whether technology succeeds
• What separates great multifamily operators from average ones
• Where AI creates real value in rental housing
• Why PropTech companies fail despite having good ideas
• How regulation is becoming an operational challenge
• Why renter experience should remain the priority
• How technology can give on-site teams more time to build community
• Why the status quo is every technology company’s biggest competitor

Brooks also shares an important reminder:

Renters are not simply units, revenue, or expected demand.

They are people choosing where to call home.

They care whether maintenance requests are resolved, whether someone responds when something goes wrong, and whether their community actually feels like a community.

Technology should improve those experiences.

It should remove repetitive work so operators can return to service, relationships, and communication.

It should not create another login, another disconnected workflow, or another barrier between the renter and the people responsible for their home.

About Brooks Saye

Brooks Saye is a Partner at Varro Capital, where she focuses on revenue development, partnerships, go-to-market strategy, and connecting multifamily operators with technology and investment opportunities.

Before joining Varro, Brooks worked across multifamily operations and PropTech, helping companies grow while remaining focused on the real needs of on-site teams and renters.

Her philosophy is simple:

AI should help. It should not replace.

Connect With Brooks

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookssaye/

Varro Capital:
https://varrocap.com

Varro Technology:
https://www.varroportal.com

A pipe bursts. A manager starts calling plumbers. Residents wait for updates. Vendors send photos by text, sometimes. Board members have no visibility. And after the repair is supposedly finished, someone still has to ask:

“Did this actually get done?”

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Sally Hamidi, Founder and CEO of ON Property Technologies, to expose the hidden operational breakdown inside the HOA and community-association industry, and explain why better technology is no longer optional.

Sally has spent more than 25 years working across real estate, property management, maintenance operations, vendors, boards, and management companies. After building her own management company, growing it to approximately 50 HOA communities alongside a rental portfolio, and eventually selling the business, she stepped into an executive maintenance role and saw the problem from an entirely new level.

The industry was responsible for protecting people’s homes and managing trillions of dollars in aging infrastructure, but critical information was still fragmented across inboxes, spreadsheets, disconnected systems, text messages, and individual relationships.

So Sally decided to build the system she wished she had.

In this conversation, Sally and Louis explore:

• Why the biggest maintenance bottleneck is not the repair itself
• How fragmented communication creates risk, delays, and distrust
• Why managers cannot scale while buried in manual coordination
• How vendor accountability can become measurable
• Why invoices should require photos and service reports
• How AI can help managers identify patterns across repairs and asset lifecycles
• What an emergency maintenance workflow looks like when automation handles the coordination
• Why reserve studies and property data often sit unused
• How management companies can improve service without continuously adding administrative labor
• Why connected systems can strengthen relationships between managers, boards, residents, and vendors

With an automated system, the request can be triaged to the correct vendor, escalated when the preferred vendor does not respond, tracked through arrival and completion, documented with photos, and shared with the appropriate stakeholders—while the manager focuses on higher-value work.

About Sally Hamidi

Sally Hamidi, GRI, CMCA, is the Founder and CEO of ON Property Technologies, a next-generation property-maintenance platform connecting management companies, property managers, vendors, technicians, and boards through a unified operating ecosystem.

Sally brings more than 25 years of hands-on experience across real estate, property management, maintenance, and community-association operations. She previously built a property-management company from the ground up, grew it to serve approximately 50 HOA communities and a portfolio of rental properties, and sold the business in 2023.

Connect With Sally Hamidi

Sally Hamidi on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-hamidi/

ON Property Technologies
weareon.io

ON Property Technologies on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/on-proptech/

Guillermo decided to build something entirely different.

Instead of relying on off-the-shelf software, he created his own AI-powered operating system that automates research, outreach, reporting, underwriting, legal documents, and client intelligence, giving his brokerage an advantage that's difficult to replicate.

In this conversation, he explains why he believes the future belongs to businesses that build AI around their own data instead of everyone else's.

Episode Description

What happens when a commercial real estate broker decides that the software on the market isn't good enough?

He builds his own.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Guillermo, Founder & CEO of Panther Capital Group, to discuss how he's using AI to transform the way commercial real estate deals are sourced, analyzed, and closed.

After closing more than $350 million in transactions before the age of 30, Guillermo made a bold decision: instead of adding more software subscriptions, he invested in building his own AI-powered operating system. Today, that platform automates everything from CRM and reporting to personalized outreach, legal documents, market intelligence, and deal analysis, allowing his team to move faster while delivering a better client experience.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why Guillermo chose to build AI instead of buying software
• How proprietary data creates a competitive advantage in commercial real estate
• The AI workflows helping his team source more off-market opportunities
• How automation is improving client relationships instead of replacing them
• Why execution, consistency, and data are becoming the new competitive edge

Whether you're a founder, operator, broker, investor, or business owner exploring AI, this conversation offers practical lessons on using technology to build systems that create leverage, not just save time.

About the Guest

Guillermo is the Founder & CEO of Panther Capital Group, a commercial real estate investment and brokerage firm specializing in industrial outdoor storage (IOS) properties across the United States.

Since entering the industry, Guillermo has closed more than $350 million in transactions, built a growing investment portfolio, and developed proprietary AI systems that automate prospecting, underwriting, reporting, and client relationship management.

His mission is simple: combine relentless execution with technology to create a better experience for clients while building one of the country's leading industrial real estate platforms.

Connect with Guillermo

🌐 Panther Capital Group

https://panthercapitalgroup.com/

💼 LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillermo-de-nicolas-mba-sior-80b39614b/

🏢 Panther Capital Group

https://www.linkedin.com/company/panther-capital-group-llc/about/

Episode Description

Artificial intelligence is moving faster than ever—but what happens when it's making decisions based on data that can't be trusted?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Matthew Schneider, President & CEO of Building, Inc., to explore one of the biggest challenges facing AI adoption in commercial real estate and enterprise organizations: data integrity.

While much of the industry is focused on AI, automation, and tokenization, Matthew argues that the real problem isn't the technology—it's the quality, structure, and trustworthiness of the information behind it. Without verified data, even the most advanced AI systems can confidently make the wrong decisions.

Matthew explains why trust has become the missing layer in digital real estate, how fragmented data creates friction across financing, compliance, transactions, and valuations, and why organizations must build stronger data foundations before AI and digital markets can reach their full potential.

Throughout the conversation, you'll learn:

• Why AI is only as reliable as the data behind it
• The hidden cost of fragmented real estate information
• How trusted data accelerates financing, compliance, and transactions
• Why governance and transparency are becoming competitive advantages
• The future of digital markets, tokenization, and AI-powered real estate

If you're a real estate owner, investor, operator, technology leader, or executive implementing AI, this conversation will change the way you think about data, trust, and the future of decision-making.

About the Guest

Matthew Schneider is the President & CEO of Building, Inc., a PropTech company building the data infrastructure that helps commercial real estate owners, operators, lenders, and investors organize, verify, and activate property information for financing, compliance, reporting, transactions, and emerging digital markets.

Matthew is also a board director at FIBREE (Foundation for International Blockchain and Real Estate Expertise), a researcher, speaker, and recognized thought leader focused on AI, data infrastructure, digital asset readiness, and the future of commercial real estate.

His work centers on creating trusted, verifiable data systems that enable faster decisions, greater transparency, and more efficient capital markets.

Connect with Matthew Schneider

🌐 Building, Inc.
https://building.inc

💼 Matthew Schneider on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/realmattschneider/

🏢 Building, Inc. on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-proptech/

But what if the real competitive advantage isn't having more information.

It's making better decisions faster?

Most real estate investors spend hours bouncing between spreadsheets, comps, rental estimates, financing calculators, and market reports trying to answer one simple question:

"Is this actually a good deal?"

Andrew Weiss believes AI should eliminate that uncertainty—not create more of it.

Episode Description

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Andrew Weiss, Founder & CEO of HomeStream, to explore how AI is transforming real estate investment analysis by shifting the focus from raw data to confident decision-making.

Andrew's entrepreneurial journey began at just 15 years old, when he launched an e-commerce business with only $300. After scaling that business into a six-figure operation, he turned his attention to real estate investing—only to discover that evaluating investment properties was still painfully manual, fragmented, and dependent on endless spreadsheets.

That frustration became the foundation for HomeStream.

Instead of simply giving investors more property data, HomeStream combines dozens of public and private data sources with proprietary AI models to generate comprehensive investment reports in minutes—helping investors, agents, and brokerages move from analysis to action with greater confidence.

In this conversation, Andrew and Louis discuss:

• Why "more data" doesn't always lead to better investment decisions
• The biggest mistakes investors make when analyzing properties
• How AI can dramatically reduce analysis paralysis without replacing human judgment
• The difference between data platforms and decision platforms
• Building an AI-first startup in one of the most competitive PropTech markets
• Why speed matters when evaluating investment opportunities
• The future of AI-powered underwriting, property analysis, and real estate investing

Whether you're an investor, real estate professional, founder, or simply curious about how AI is changing traditional industries, this episode offers practical insights into building technology that helps people make smarter decisions, not just faster ones.

Andrew Weiss is the Founder & CEO of HomeStream, an AI-powered property analysis platform that helps residential real estate investors, agents, and brokerages evaluate investment opportunities with greater speed and confidence.

A lifelong entrepreneur, Andrew started his first business at age 15 and later applied that entrepreneurial mindset to real estate investing after experiencing firsthand how inefficient and fragmented the property analysis process could be.

Today, HomeStream combines AI, machine learning, and property data to simplify underwriting, improve investment analysis, and help users make better real estate decisions.

Connect with Andrew Weiss

🌐 HomeStream: https://www.homestream.io

💼 Andrew Weiss on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-weiss11/

🏢 HomeStream on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/homestreaminc/posts/?feedView=all

You can search for a house online, but once the search ends, the experience fractures across agents, lenders, insurers, contractors, rental platforms, service providers, and ownership tools.

Bobby Bryant believes that entire system is ready to be rebuilt.

After operating across mortgage lending, brokerage, title, education, and real estate technology, Bobby is now building Homhub: an AI-native marketplace designed to connect the entire lifecycle of homeownership in one place.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Bobby Bryant, Founder and CEO of Homhub, to examine why one of the world’s largest industries still feels disconnected, and what it would take to create an operating system for the home.

Bobby’s journey did not begin in technology.

He started as an educator, entered mortgage lending, worked his way up to becoming a successful broker, and says he became a millionaire before the age of 30.

That experience eventually led him to a much bigger question:

Why does a consumer need six to eight platforms to manage one home?

Bobby argues that today’s dominant real estate portals primarily own the beginning of the funnel.

This conversation explores:

• Why real estate is still fragmented despite looking digital
• How Bobby went from teaching to becoming a successful mortgage broker
• What the 2008 financial crisis taught him about the industry
• Why Homhub is positioning itself as an operating system rather than a listing portal
• The difference between an advertising portal and a transactional marketplace
• Why Airbnb owns more of the customer experience than traditional real estate platforms
• Why Bobby chose to build independently from MLS data
• How legacy rules can restrict product innovation
• Why companies cannot simply bolt AI onto old infrastructure
• What it means to build an AI-native company
• Why technology teams and business teams often struggle to communicate
• How AI could improve the experience for consumers, agents, brokerages, and homeowners
• Why real estate’s fragmentation may become both its greatest weakness and its greatest opportunity
• What incumbent industries can learn from Uber, Amazon, Netflix, and Airbnb

This is not just a conversation about proptech.

It is a founder’s argument for rebuilding the infrastructure behind one of the most important financial decisions people make.

About Bobby Bryant

Bobby Bryant is the Founder and CEO of Homhub, an AI-native real estate marketplace designed to connect the complete lifecycle of buying, selling, renting, investing, financing, and owning a home.

Before building Homhub, Bobby worked across education, mortgage lending, real estate brokerage, title, real estate education, and technology.

His experience operating across multiple sides of the industry shaped his belief that real estate does not need another isolated tool—it needs a connected, consumer-centered ecosystem.

Connect With Bobby

Homhub:
homhub.ai

Bobby Bryant on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-bryant-m-ed-x2-53249610/

Homhub on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/homhub-ai/

She had no money and no idea how she would make the acquisition happen.

When the owner refused to sell, Kassie gave him an answer he probably never expected:

“Okay. I’ll be your competition.”

That decision became the beginning of an extraordinary career building companies, shaping luxury destinations, and helping turn raw land into ambitious real estate developments.

Episode Overview

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Kassie Smith, Founder and President of KS Global Development, to explore what it actually takes to transform a vision into an iconic project.

Kassie has spent nearly three decades working across luxury real estate, hospitality, branded residences, private clubs, master-planned communities, capital strategy, and global development.

Her work begins before the building exists.

It begins with a blank piece of land, a complicated collection of stakeholders, and a question:

What could this become?

Kassie explains why the most successful developments are not created by buying land first and figuring out the concept later. The vision, brand ecosystem, customer experience, capital strategy, approvals, and operating model must work together from the beginning.

She also reveals why some of the hardest parts of real estate development happen long before construction starts—and why even a brilliant idea will fail without the right capital stack, government relationships, team, and execution strategy.

This conversation explores:

• How Kassie built a competing company after an owner refused to sell
• What separates an ordinary development from an iconic destination
• Why developers should create the vision before selecting the land
• How raw land can become significantly more valuable once it is entitled and shovel-ready
• Why luxury is now defined by lifestyle, service, and ecosystem—not simply architecture
• How investors evaluate complex real estate opportunities
• Why capital and approvals remain the biggest obstacles to development
• How to assemble teams across markets and jurisdictions
• Why transparency is essential when managing investor relationships
• How AI can improve infrastructure, predictive maintenance, operations, and asset value
• What entrepreneurs can learn from billion-dollar development projects
• Why bold ideas still require rigorous financial execution

Kassie’s story is a reminder that ambitious projects are rarely built by people who wait for perfect conditions.

They are built by people who see what others miss—and are willing to move before the path is obvious.

About Kassie Smith

Kassie Smith is the Founder and President of KS Global Development.

She is a third-generation real estate and construction professional with nearly three decades of experience across real estate development, hospitality, luxury branding, master planning, capital strategy, and project advisory.

Connect With Kassie

KS Global Development:
http://www.ksglobalco.com

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kassiesmith1/

Company LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ks-global-consultants/

Nick Johnson says they're looking in the wrong place.

According to Nick, the biggest failures happen long before construction begins—during planning, communication, and coordination.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Nick Johnson, Director of Business Development at RYZEC Building Group, to explore what really separates exceptional construction companies from average ones.

Nick shares why trust is the most valuable asset in commercial construction, how a 15-person team manages roughly $30 million in annual revenue, why relationships consistently outperform low bids, and how every successful project begins with operational excellence—not simply great craftsmanship.

The conversation also explores Nashville's booming commercial real estate market, AI's impact on estimating and development, why permitting delays can derail projects, and the leadership mindset required to consistently deliver successful builds.

In This Episode

• Why projects fail before construction starts
• Building trust in commercial construction
• How relationships outperform price
• Managing complex commercial projects
• The future of AI in construction
• Nashville's commercial real estate market
• Operational excellence in construction
• Leading lean, high-performing teams
• Why communication is everything
• Lessons every entrepreneur can apply

About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson is the Director of Business Development at RYZEC Building Group, a commercial general contractor specializing in ground-up construction and tenant improvements across the Southeast.

He is also the author of When the Pipeline Lies and leads the Nashville chapter of Contractors, Closers & Connections (CCC), one of the country's fastest-growing commercial real estate networking communities.

Nick focuses on helping developers, owners, brokers, and contractors build long-term relationships that drive successful projects.

Connect With Nick

Website: http://ryzecgroup.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-johnson-1abba6b2/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ryzec-building-group-llc/

David Huey believes they're waiting for the wrong solution.

After helping finance billions of dollars in residential construction and thousands of homes across America, he argues that the housing crisis isn't being driven by interest rates, it's being driven by one simple reality:

We aren't building enough homes.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with David Huey, Founder & CEO of Sound Capital, to discuss the real forces shaping America's housing market.

David shares why banks are pulling back from construction lending, how private credit is stepping in, what builders are actually struggling with, and why the next decade could determine whether an entire generation is priced out of homeownership.

The conversation also explores David's entrepreneurial journey—from building one of the first nationwide MLS aggregation companies that helped shape modern online real estate to leading a company that has financed billions in residential construction.

Whether you're an investor, builder, entrepreneur, or simply wondering where housing is headed, this conversation offers a thoughtful perspective on one of today's biggest economic challenges.

In this episode

• Why housing affordability is really a supply problem
• Why lower interest rates may not solve the crisis
• Banks vs. private credit
• The future of homebuilding
• Lessons from the 2008 housing crash
• How regulatory costs impact housing prices
• What builders actually need to succeed
• The future of construction finance
• Dave's journey building one of the earliest MLS technology companies
• Why entrepreneurship is about solving problems

About David Huey

David Huey is the Founder & CEO of Sound Capital, a private lending platform focused on financing residential construction projects across the United States.

Before launching Sound Capital, David built one of the nation's earliest MLS aggregation technology companies, helping lay the foundation for modern online real estate search before its acquisition into what became part of Zillow's ecosystem.

Today, his team works with builders, investors, and capital partners to help finance the creation of thousands of homes while addressing America's growing housing shortage.

Connect With David

Website: http://www.soundcapital.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-huey-sound-capital/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soundcapital/

GS Pannu disagrees.

He believes the better comparison is the Industrial Revolution.

Because AI isn't just creating smarter software.

It's building digital factories capable of automating entire industries.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with GS Pannu, Co-Founder & CEO of Trajan AI, to discuss why AI's future isn't about chatbots, it's about infrastructure.

GS explains how his team is building what they call an AI Factory for construction risk, automating underwriting, insurance workflows, and risk analysis by transforming fragmented data into actionable intelligence.

The conversation goes far beyond construction.

They explore enterprise AI adoption, why bad data makes AI dangerous, the future of work, digital infrastructure, and why AI companies have a responsibility that extends beyond profits.

In this episode

• Why AI is more like the Industrial Revolution than electricity
• The concept of digital factories
• Why data—not models—is AI's biggest challenge
• Automating underwriting with AI
• Enterprise AI implementation
• AI in insurance and construction
• Building trustworthy AI
• Civic responsibility in the AI era
• Future of work
• Scaling AI companies

About GS

GS Pannu is the Co-Founder & CEO of Trajan AI, an AI infrastructure company building intelligent underwriting and risk automation tools for the construction and insurance industries.

Drawing on experience in real estate development, finance, and technology, GS is focused on transforming fragmented industry data into enterprise AI systems that improve decision-making at scale.

Connect With GS

Website: https://trajan.ai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gs-pannu/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trajan-ai/about/

Very few are actually ready to use it.

According to venture investor Fabian Hediger, the biggest challenge isn't choosing the right AI model, it's whether your business has the data foundation to make AI useful in the first place.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Fabian Hediger, GP at Studio Alpha Capital, serial entrepreneur, and early-stage AI investor, to explore what separates AI-native companies from everyone else.

Fabian shares what he's seeing from the front lines of venture capital, how he evaluates AI founders before they generate revenue, why vertical AI applications continue to outperform, and why enterprise AI adoption is far more challenging than most executives realize.

In this episode

• Why AI isn't the biggest challenge—your data is
• What AI investors look for before writing a check
• Product-market fit in AI startups
• The rise of vertical AI
• Why founders need customer feedback earlier
• Enterprise AI implementation
• Using AI inside venture capital
• The future of AI-native businesses
• Building companies through weekly execution sprints
• Lessons from building and exiting software companies

About Fabian

Fabian Hediger is a General Partner at Studio Alpha Capital, where he invests in pre-seed B2B AI startups.

A serial entrepreneur and former software operator, he has built, bootstrapped, and exited multiple technology companies before focusing on venture capital and helping AI-native founders scale from idea to high-growth businesses.

Connect With Fabian

• Studio Alpha Capital
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianhediger/
• Substack (100K+ subscribers)

Property management.

Construction.

Operations.

Customer experience.

Josh Lugg built his company by doing the exact opposite.

At just 26 years old, he and his team built a vertically integrated real estate platform that sold more than $102 million in real estate while creating one of the fastest-growing companies serving the Notre Dame community.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Josh Lugg, Founder & CEO of Golden Legacy Partners, to discuss how his team is building an institutional-quality real estate company through vertical integration, elite culture, disciplined execution, and long-term relationships.

Josh shares how Golden Legacy combines investments, brokerage, property management, construction, and operations under one roof, why they sold out a 36-unit condo conversion in just 28 days, and why he believes the future belongs to companies that own the customer experience instead of outsourcing it.

In this episode:

• Building a vertically integrated real estate company
• Selling $102M in real estate
• Why culture beats growth
• Scaling without sacrificing relationships
• Condo conversions and value-add investing
• Leadership lessons at 26
• Why AI is becoming essential for real estate operators
• Building around the Notre Dame ecosystem
• Long-term investor relationships
• The future of Midwest real estate investing

About Josh

Josh Lugg is the Founder & CEO of Golden Legacy Partners, a vertically integrated real estate investment, brokerage, development, construction, and property management company serving the Notre Dame community and the broader Midwest.

Under his leadership, the company has rapidly grown while emphasizing culture, long-term relationships, operational excellence, and investor alignment.

Connect with Josh

Golden Legacy Partners

Website: https://goldenlegacypartners.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshualugg/

LinkedIn: https://www.michianahomesandland.com/

Will AI replace people?

Theresa Leatherbury thinks we're asking the wrong question.

The real opportunity isn't replacing property managers.

It's giving them more time to build relationships that technology never can.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Theresa Leatherbury, President & CEO of Rachuba, to discuss how AI is reshaping property management without losing the human touch.

As the leader of a third-generation family-owned real estate company managing more than 700 apartment units, Theresa shares how her team is integrating AI into leasing, maintenance, resident communication, and operations while keeping relationships at the center of everything they do.

We discuss:

• Why AI should support people—not replace them
• How faster response times improve resident satisfaction
• The biggest operational bottlenecks in property management
• Centralized leasing and maintenance workflows
• Creating communities residents want to stay in
• How leadership changes as companies grow
• Why communication is the foundation of great operations
• Where AI is overhyped—and where it's already creating value

Whether you're in property management, real estate, or any service business, this conversation offers practical insights on using AI to improve operations without sacrificing the customer experience.

About Theresa

Theresa Leatherbury

President & CEO

Rachuba

Theresa Leatherbury leads Rachuba, a third-generation family-owned real estate company specializing in multifamily property management, investment, and long-term asset stewardship. She oversees strategy, operations, finance, and team development while helping modernize the business through technology, AI, and resident-first leadership.

Connect With Theresa

Website

https://rachuba.com

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-leatherbury/

Major Hillard saw something different.

Starting with just $1,500, he bought a single mobile home, reinvested every dollar, and built more than $70 million in manufactured housing transactions, all while creating affordable housing and delivering strong returns for investors.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Major Hillard, Founder of MH Estates, to discuss one of the most overlooked opportunities in commercial real estate.

Major shares how he went from working three jobs and living with his parents to building a vertically integrated investment company that acquires, redevelops, finances, and manages manufactured housing communities across the Southeast.

But this conversation isn't just about real estate.

It's about discipline, perseverance, relationships, leadership, AI adoption, and building wealth while creating real impact.

Inside this episode we discuss:

• How Major turned $1,500 into a $70M real estate business
• Why manufactured housing may be one of America's strongest asset classes
• His "buy ugly and clean it up" investment philosophy
• Why the best deals are often the ones you walk away from
• Building a vertically integrated real estate company
• How AI is improving investor communication, marketing, and operations
• The systems required to scale without losing the personal touch
• Why making money is easy—but changing lives is hard

If you're interested in commercial real estate, entrepreneurship, investing, AI, or building long-term wealth, this conversation is packed with practical lessons.

About Major

Major Hillard

Founder & CEO

MH Estates

Major Hillard is the Founder of MH Estates, a vertically integrated manufactured housing investment company focused on acquiring, redeveloping, and operating communities throughout the Southeast.

After starting with just $1,500, Major has participated in more than $70 million in manufactured housing transactions while building a business centered on long-term cash flow, investor alignment, and improving affordable housing communities.

He is also the author of the international bestselling book Your Money Is Dying.

Connect With Major

Website

https://mhestates.com

Book

Your Money Is Dying https://a.co/d/05c7b1Sk

YouTube

Major Hillard https://www.youtube.com/@themajorhillard

Facebook

MH Estates https://www.facebook.com/mhestatesllc

They're actually just adding another tool.

Joel Bechtel believes the companies that win won't have better AI models, they'll have better workflows.

That's exactly what he built.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Joel Bechtel, Founder of DealFlowPro and Co-Founder & CEO of Zuma Capital Group, to explore how AI is transforming commercial real estate underwriting and why workflow, not the model, is becoming the real competitive advantage.

With more than 35 years of real estate investing experience, Joel combined decades of operational knowledge with a software background to build an AI-native underwriting platform that helps multifamily operators analyze deals in minutes instead of hours.

Rather than replacing investors, DealFlowPro removes repetitive work so operators can spend more time making better decisions.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why most underwriting software is still "spreadsheets with a login"
• How AI-native workflows are changing commercial real estate
• Building software from an operator's perspective
• The biggest bottlenecks slowing acquisitions
• How to analyze multifamily deals faster without sacrificing accuracy
• Why workflow—not AI models—is the real competitive advantage
• Where human judgment still matters in an AI-first world

If you're a real estate investor, operator, founder, or executive looking to build practical AI systems that create leverage, this conversation is packed with actionable insights.

About The Guest

Joel Bechtel

Founder, DealFlowPro

Co-Founder & CEO, Zuma Capital Group

Joel Bechtel is a real estate investor, software entrepreneur, and AI operator with more than 35 years of investing experience.

After building and exiting a software company, he combined his technology background with decades of multifamily investing to create DealFlowPro, an AI-native underwriting platform designed to help operators evaluate opportunities faster, improve consistency, and build repeatable acquisition workflows.

Connect With Joel

Website
https://dealflowpro.io

Zuma Capital Group
https://zumacapitalgroup.com

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelbechtel/

Almost nobody talks about cash flow.

That's exactly why so many investors get into trouble.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Irwin Boris explains why the smartest investors focus on predictable income, not flashy projections.

After participating in more than $5 billion in commercial real estate transactions, Irwin Boris has seen every market cycle, investment trend, and underwriting mistake imaginable.

As Head of Acquisitions at Peykar Capital, he works with family offices and high-net-worth investors who think differently. Rather than chasing the highest IRRs, they prioritize long-term cash flow, downside protection, and disciplined underwriting.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why cash flow matters more than projected IRRs
• The hidden risks behind many value-add real estate deals
• Why industrial and shallow bay flex properties continue to outperform
• How family offices evaluate investments differently
• Conservative underwriting strategies that survive market cycles
• Where AI is helping—and where it still falls short—in acquisitions and asset management
• Why transparency builds investor trust over decades, not months

If you're an investor, entrepreneur, or operator looking to build durable wealth instead of chasing hype, this episode is packed with practical insights you can apply immediately.

About The Guest

Irwin Boris

Head of Acquisitions, Peykar Capital

Irwin Boris is Head of Acquisitions at Peykar Capital, where he oversees industrial and shallow bay flex investments for a multi-generational family office.

A former CPA, lender, underwriter, and advisor, he has participated in more than $5 billion of commercial real estate transactions and specializes in conservative underwriting, long-term cash flow strategies, and investor alignment.

Connect With Irwin Boris

Website:
https://peykar.capital

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/irwinboris/

Einars Garoza is building something completely different.

His bet? As artificial intelligence automates more of our digital lives, the world's most valuable assets will be the experiences AI can never replicate.

Luxury safari camps. Conservation. Hospitality. Real estate. Human connection.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Einars Garoza, Co-Founder & CEO of Conserve Safari, to explore one of the most unconventional investment opportunities we've featured on the show.

After a career in finance and fintech, Einars moved to Tanzania to build luxury safari camps inside some of Africa's most iconic national parks. Today, Conserve Safari combines real estate development, hospitality, conservation, and investor-backed capital into a business designed to create financial returns while protecting some of the world's most extraordinary landscapes.

We discuss:

• Why experiential travel is one of the fastest-growing global trends
• The investment thesis behind safari real estate
• How scarcity inside national parks creates long-term pricing power
• Why AI is making physical experiences even more valuable
• Building and operating luxury hospitality in remote Africa
• Raising capital for an unconventional asset class
• How AI is improving operations, guest experiences, and decision-making

If you're interested in AI, entrepreneurship, real estate, hospitality, or alternative investments, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on where opportunity may be headed next.

About The Guest

Einars Garoza

Co-Founder & CEO, Conserve Safari

Einars Garoza is the Co-Founder and CEO of Conserve Safari, a company developing luxury safari real estate inside Tanzania's premier national parks.

Combining a background in finance, fintech, and entrepreneurship, he is building an investment platform focused on experiential travel, conservation, and long-term value creation while leveraging AI to improve operational efficiency.

Connect With Einars

Website:
conservesafari.com

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/einarsgaroza/

They lose deals because people forget to follow up, systems break, and consistency disappears.

Bill Beck decided to solve that with AI.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Bill Beck, Co-Founder of Rise Home Buyers and Hey Rafi, to discuss why the future of sales isn't replacing humans—it's eliminating inconsistency.

After spending years building one of New Jersey's leading real estate acquisition companies, Bill realized the biggest bottleneck wasn't marketing.

It was human inconsistency.

That insight led him to build Hey Rafi, an AI-powered sales platform designed to improve follow-up, qualification, and operational consistency without sacrificing the human element.

In this conversation we discuss:

• Why most sales teams fail
• The psychology behind high-converting conversations
• How AI can remove operational bottlenecks
• Why follow-up is still the biggest competitive advantage
• Building systems that outperform individuals
• The future of AI in sales and real estate
• Why culture always comes before systems

Whether you're building a real estate company, a sales organization, or any service business, this episode is packed with practical lessons on scaling without losing consistency.

About The Guest

Bill Beck

Co-Founder, Rise Home Buyers

Co-Founder, Hey Rafi

Bill Beck is a real estate entrepreneur, sales leader, and AI operator focused on helping businesses build scalable acquisition systems.

Through Rise Home Buyers and Hey Rafi, he combines sales psychology, operational discipline, and AI automation to improve consistency across every stage of the customer journey.

Connect With Bill Beck

Website:
risebuysfast.com

Hey Rafi:
https://heyrafi.com/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-beck/

Most people use AI to save a few hours each week.

Kenny Kane is using it to help cancer patients at 2 AM, build custom software without engineers, write books, grow multiple companies, and rethink how organizations operate.

The question isn't whether AI will change your business.

It's whether you'll adapt before everyone else does.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Kenny Kane, CEO of FirmSpace, CEO of the Testicular Cancer Foundation, CTO & Co-Founder of Grit Health, author of Own Your Name, and one of the most practical AI operators we've interviewed.

Rather than chasing AI hype, Kenny explains how he's using AI to solve real business problems—from patient support and digital identity to commercial real estate operations and custom software development.

We discuss:

• Building an AI patient navigator for cancer support
• Why AI should amplify humans—not replace them
• Running multiple organizations with AI-powered systems
• The future of custom-built software
• How digital identity is changing in the AI era
• Why trust is becoming the most valuable business asset
• The opportunities—and dangers—of AI becoming mainstream

Whether you're a founder, executive, operator, or simply trying to understand where AI is heading, this episode offers practical insights you can apply today.

About The Guest

Kenny Kane

CEO, FirmSpace

CEO, Testicular Cancer Foundation

CTO & Co-Founder, Grit Health

Author of Own Your Name: A Practical Guide to Digital Identity in the Age of AI

Kenny Kane is an operator who has spent his career improving systems across commercial real estate, healthcare, nonprofits, and technology. His work focuses on combining AI with human expertise to create better customer experiences, stronger organizations, and scalable operational systems.

Connect With Kenny Kane

Website:
https://kenny-kane.com/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennykane/

FirmSpace:
http://www.firmspace.com

Testicular Cancer Foundation:
https://www.testicularcancer.org

Grit Health:
http://grythealth.com

• AI-powered cognitive digital twins
  
• Local LLMs that capture institutional knowledge
  
• IoT sensors and intelligent infrastructure
  
• Energy optimization that can reduce costs by 10–30%
  
• Real-time building intelligence
  
• Digital experiences that transform hotels, retail, and cities
  

Jack explains why the future of real estate is not just about owning physical assets — it’s about owning intelligent assets.

We also discuss:

• Why old buildings risk becoming stranded assets
  
• The hidden connection between AI, energy, and property value
  
• How data centers, smart infrastructure, and digital ecosystems are reshaping communities
  
• Why AI won’t replace humans — but people who understand AI will replace those who don’t
  

If you own real estate, operate properties, develop communities, invest in infrastructure, or simply want to understand where the built world is headed…

This conversation will change the way you see every building around you.

👤 ABOUT THE GUEST

Jack Illes is the Founder & Managing Partner of Smart City Labs, a real estate technology company focused on creating intelligent infrastructure for buildings, districts, and cities.

With a career spanning real estate development, urban planning, retail destinations, hospitality, and emerging technology, Jack sits at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds.

Through Smart City Labs, he helps owners transform traditional properties into intelligent assets using AI, digital twins, IoT networks, immersive media, and connected infrastructure.

----------------------------------------

🔗 FOLLOW JACK ILLES

LinkedIn:   / jackilles  

Smart City Labs: https://smart-citylabs.com/

Email: mailto:jack@smart-citylabs.com

A failed HVAC system. A leak nobody can find. A medical facility forced to shut down operations.

By the time the emergency happens, the real mistake was made months earlier.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Jamie Baker explains why the best property managers don't just respond to problems — they predict and prevent them.

Jamie Baker is the President of Lee & Associates Property Management and leads a rapidly growing platform serving commercial real estate owners across North and South Carolina.

After navigating personal tragedy, a major business merger, and the expansion of a 34-person team, Jamie shares the lessons he learned about resilience, leadership, scaling operations, and building partnerships where everyone's incentives are aligned.

We discuss:

• The biggest mistake commercial property owners make
• Why preventative maintenance saves millions
• How AI is eliminating manual work inside property management
• Why communication separates average operators from great ones
• The challenges of scaling a people-first service business
• Lessons from leading through loss, change, and growth
• How technology will reshape the future of commercial real estate operations

Whether you're an investor, owner, operator, or entrepreneur, this conversation is a masterclass in building resilient systems and long-term relationships.

About The Guest

Jamie Baker

President, Lee & Associates Property Management

Jamie Baker has over 20 years of experience in property and asset management.

He leads Lee & Associates Property Management's expansion across the Carolinas, overseeing retail, industrial, office, medical, and specialized facilities.

His team combines local ownership with national reach, delivering high-touch property management focused on operational excellence, preventative maintenance, and long-term client partnerships.

Connect With Jamie Baker

Website:
https://www.lee-associates.com/raleigh/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-baker/

Company:
https://www.lundygroup.com/

When Christopher Pardo saw it happen, his reaction was simple:

"This is the future."

On this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Christopher Pardo, Managing Partner of Invictus Real Estate Partners.

Chris has spent decades navigating real estate cycles as a developer, lender, investor, and operator. Today Invictus invests across private credit, construction lending, bridge financing, and multifamily real estate opportunities throughout the Eastern United States.

In this conversation we discuss:

• Why AI is dramatically changing commercial real estate underwriting
• How one operator compressed a process from 8 weeks to 3 days
• What separates disciplined lenders from reckless lenders
• The biggest mistakes developers are making right now
• Why Chris believes relationships and discipline matter more than speed
• How Invictus evaluates risk in today's market
• The future of multifamily, private credit, and development

If you're involved in commercial real estate, lending, development, capital raising, or AI, this conversation is packed with practical insights from someone actively deploying capital in today's market.

Christopher Pardo
Managing Partner
Invictus Real Estate Partners

📧 Chris@Invictus-REP.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-pardo-23495a1b/

🌐 Invictus Real Estate Partners

#CommercialRealEstate #AI #PrivateCredit #Multifamily #RealEstateInvesting #Development #CapitalMarkets #AIinCRE #TheAIEdgePodcast

Brian Ker believes the opposite.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Brian Ker, President of Snowball Developments, explains why too much money chasing the same deals is creating mediocre returns across commercial real estate.

We dive into:

• Why industrial remains his highest conviction asset class
• The hidden risks of today's capital markets
• Why many developers are building the wrong projects
• The difference between market hype and market reality
• How Snowball scaled to nearly 2 million square feet with a lean team
• Why relationships still beat algorithms in commercial real estate
• Where AI can actually create leverage (and where it's massively overhyped)
• Why Brian believes Hartford, Connecticut may be one of the most overlooked markets in America

Brian brings a rare combination of operator experience, market discipline, and long-term thinking that every investor, developer, broker, and capital raiser can learn from.

If you're involved in commercial real estate, private equity, development, or capital raising, this conversation will challenge the way you think about risk, opportunity, and growth.

🎧 Listen now.

Guest:
Brian Ker
President, Snowball Developments

Connect with Brian:
Website: https://www.snowball-dev.com
Email: bker@snowball-dev.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-ker-5024899/

#CommercialRealEstate #IndustrialRealEstate #RealEstateInvesting #CapitalRaising #PrivateEquity #CRE #AI #TheAIEdgePodcast

In this episode, Matt Kramer explains why many operators misunderstand growth capital, how sale-leasebacks actually work, and why smart expansion isn't about opening more locations—it's about structuring growth correctly.

We also discuss development financing, operator mistakes, AI in commercial real estate, and why some businesses scale while others collapse under their own success.

Growth doesn't usually fail because of a lack of opportunity.

It fails because of poor capital structure.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Matt Kramer, Founder and Managing Partner of Century Partners, a firm that has facilitated more than $1.6 billion in transactions helping operators grow through real estate.

We discuss:

• How sale-leasebacks actually work

• Why many operators grow too aggressively

• The biggest mistakes businesses make with expansion capital

• Why structure matters more than funding

• How development financing has evolved

• Automotive services, retail, and emerging opportunities

• AI's role in commercial real estate

• Why operators should think differently about owned real estate

Matt also shares insights from hundreds of transactions across the country and explains how smart operators use real estate as a strategic growth tool rather than simply an asset sitting on the balance sheet.

If you're a business owner, franchise operator, developer, investor, or commercial real estate professional, this episode delivers practical lessons on scaling intelligently.

Matt Kramer

Founder & Managing Partner — Century Partners

Century Partners specializes in:

• Sale-Leaseback Advisory

• Development Capital

• Growth Financing

• Operator Real Estate Strategy

• Portfolio Recapitalization

• National Retail Real Estate Advisory

Over $1.6 Billion In Transaction Volume

Connect With Matt Kramer

Website:
CenturyPartnersRE.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-kramer-a625a2b2/

Email:
mkramer@centurypartnersre.com

#CommercialRealEstate #SaleLeaseback #BusinessGrowth #GrowthCapital #RealEstateInvesting #Development #Entrepreneurship #TheAIEdgePodcast

Joe Brady says the ribbon cutting isn't the end of a project anymore—it's the beginning.

In this conversation, we discuss why consumer behavior is reshaping office, retail, and development, how AI is changing decision-making, and why the future belongs to operators who can adapt faster than the market.

Joe Brady has spent more than three decades building companies, leading real estate portfolios, developing retail projects, and helping organizations navigate change.

As CEO of LRG Investors and author of Workshop: The Consumer Driven Transformation of Commercial Real Estate, Joe believes commercial real estate is entering a new era—one driven not by buildings, but by consumer behavior.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, we discuss:

• Why ribbon cuttings are now the beginning of the job, not the end

• The consumer-driven transformation of commercial real estate

• Why physical retail is more important than ever

• The future of office, retail, multifamily, and development

• How AI is becoming a force multiplier for operators

• Why curiosity may become the most valuable skill in business

• The relationship between technology, community, and the future of work

Joe also shares his perspective on leadership, mentorship, decision-making, and the opportunities emerging for those willing to embrace change.

If you're involved in commercial real estate, development, investing, technology, or AI, this conversation is packed with insights.

Joe Brady

CEO — LRG Investors

Author — Workshop: The Consumer Driven Transformation of Commercial Real Estate

University of Florida Bergstrom Real Estate Center Advisory Board

President — Pi Kappa Phi National Fraternity

Commercial Real Estate Executive | Investor | Developer | Author

Connect With Joe Brady

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joebrady03/

Website: LRGinvestors.com

Book: Workshop: The Consumer Driven Transformation of Commercial Real Estate

#CommercialRealEstate #AI #RetailRealEstate #Development #RealEstateInvesting #Leadership #PropTech #TheAIEdgePodcast

It's you?

Most brokers, investors, and operators don't have a lead problem.

They have a leverage problem.

They're buried in follow-ups, admin work, underwriting, LOIs, marketing, and transaction coordination while the relationships that actually drive revenue sit untouched.

In this episode, Kevin Hanan breaks down how top-performing commercial real estate operators are using AI, virtual talent, and operational systems to remove themselves as the bottleneck and scale faster with less overhead.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Kevin Hanan, Co-Founder of CRE Task Wizard.

Kevin and his team help commercial real estate operators build lean, scalable back-office systems using trained virtual assistants, AI-powered workflows, and operational automation.

With over 200 CRE clients, Kevin has a unique view into where operators lose time, where deals get stuck, and why many founders unknowingly become the biggest bottleneck in their own business.

Topics discussed:

✅ Why founders become the bottleneck

✅ The hidden cost of admin work

✅ How brokers should be using AI today

✅ Virtual assistants vs AI agents

✅ Building a lean back office

✅ Scaling without adding overhead

✅ Why data quality matters more than automation

✅ The future of commercial real estate operations

If you're a broker, investor, acquisitions professional, operator, or entrepreneur looking to scale more efficiently, this episode is packed with practical insights.

Connect with Kevin:

Website:
https://www.cretaskwizard.com/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhanan/

Email:
kevin@cretaskwizard.com

Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, investors, and business leaders building real companies in the AI era.

They're wrong.

The real danger starts after the contract is signed.

Liens. Title defects. Communication breakdowns. Missing documents. Last-minute surprises that can delay or kill a transaction entirely.

In this episode, Samuel Weiner pulls back the curtain on what actually happens between contract and closing, where deals break down, and what smart operators do differently to get transactions across the finish line.

If you're buying, selling, developing, raising capital, or actively investing in real estate, this conversation could save you time, money, and a massive headache.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Samuel Weiner, Managing Partner of Brooklyn Land Title.

Samuel has a front-row seat to real estate transactions across multiple asset classes and markets. From multifamily and commercial assets to development projects and financing transactions, his team helps operators navigate the complex path from contract to closing.

Topics discussed:

✅ Why deals fail at the last minute

✅ The biggest communication mistakes investors make

✅ What title insurance actually does

✅ Common issues operators never see coming

✅ Liens, judgments, encumbrances, and deal killers

✅ Why communication is the most overlooked skill in real estate

✅ The future of title companies and transaction management

✅ Where AI may impact the closing process

Whether you're an investor, developer, lender, operator, or syndicator, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most critical parts of every real estate transaction.

GUEST INFO

Samuel Weiner

Managing Partner, Brooklyn Land Title

Brooklyn Land Title is a national title insurance firm handling residential and commercial transactions across the United States.

Connect with Samuel

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-weiner-3a10a3117/

Website:
https://brooklynlandtitle.com

Buy the property.

Hire management.

Collect checks.

Colby Carlson learned the hard way that the real work starts after closing.

Everyone talks about finding deals.

Almost nobody talks about what happens after you close.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Colby Carlson, Managing Partner at Tier One Capital, breaks down what real multifamily operations actually look like behind the scenes.

From sleeping in a vacant apartment during a major renovation project to managing contractors, property managers, lenders, budgets, tenant issues, and capital improvements, Colby shares lessons most investors never learn until it's too late.

We discuss:

• How Colby got started in commercial real estate at 22 years old
• Building broker relationships and sourcing deals
• Why operations create returns, not acquisitions
• The truth about property management
• Common mistakes new investors make
• What actually breaks inside apartment deals
• Why some operators succeed while others fail
• Northwest Arkansas and emerging market opportunities
• Development vs acquisitions
• AI, automation, investor relations, and scaling operations

If you're investing in multifamily, syndications, commercial real estate, or trying to build a real estate business, this conversation is packed with practical lessons from someone who has lived inside the operations, not just the spreadsheets.

Guest:
Colby Carlson
Managing Partner, Tier One Capital

Connect with Colby:

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdcarlson20/

Website:
https://t1-capital.com

Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, investors, and business leaders building real companies through execution, systems, and discipline.

#MultifamilyInvesting #CommercialRealEstate #RealEstateInvesting #ApartmentInvesting #PassiveIncome #Syndication #AIEdgePodcast #RealEstateOperator

It's not.

According to veteran developer Wesley DeFoor, the fastest way to lose money, time, and years of your life is choosing the wrong partner.

What actually kills real estate deals?

Most people blame interest rates, construction costs, lenders, or market conditions.

Veteran developer Wesley DeFoor says they're looking in the wrong place.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Wesley breaks down the hard lessons learned from 30+ years in commercial real estate development, including why bad partnerships destroy great deals, how disciplined operators survive downturns, why most developers take unnecessary entitlement risk, and what separates successful projects from expensive mistakes.

We also dive into:

• How Wesley evaluates development opportunities
• The biggest mistakes developers make with LOIs and partnerships
• Why location still matters more than almost anything else
• Retail, medical office, and mixed-use development trends
• Capital markets, LP equity, and today's financing environment
• Development risk management and underwriting discipline
• AI in real estate development and where it actually creates value
• The future of commercial development over the next 12–24 months

If you're a developer, investor, capital partner, sponsor, or commercial real estate operator, this conversation is packed with practical lessons from someone who has lived through multiple market cycles.

Guest:
Wesley DeFoor
Principal, DeFoor Ventures

Connect with Wesley:
Website: https://defoorventures.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesley-defoor-443a8a50/

Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, investors, and business leaders building real companies and solving real problems.

#CommercialRealEstate #RealEstateDevelopment #CRE #RealEstateInvesting #AIEdgePodcast #Development #Multifamily #RetailDevelopment #CommercialDevelopment

Mark Perry disagrees.

After completing more than 1,000 real estate transactions and generating a $500,000 payday on a single deal, Mark believes the biggest obstacle isn't market conditions, interest rates, or competition.

It's mindset.

In this episode, Mark breaks down creative financing, wholesaling, subject-to deals, seller financing, off-market opportunities, and why he believes your beliefs ultimately determine your results.

Mark Perry is a real estate investor, entrepreneur, educator, and author with more than a decade of experience across wholesaling, creative financing, lease options, subject-to transactions, buy-and-hold investing, and multifamily opportunities.

In this conversation, Mark shares how he got started in real estate, completed his first wholesale deal, built a portfolio using creative financing strategies, and eventually generated over $500,000 on a single transaction.

We also dive into:

• How to identify opportunities others miss

• Creative financing strategies that require little or no money down

• Subject-to deals, lease options, and seller financing

• The current state of today's real estate market

• Off-market opportunities and relationship-driven deal flow

• Why mindset may be more important than strategy

• Daily habits that create long-term success

• How gratitude, visualization, and belief influence results

• The future of AI in real estate investing

Whether you're a new investor, experienced operator, or entrepreneur looking to level up your thinking, this episode delivers practical insights on both the tactical and mental side of building wealth.

🎙 Hosted by Louis Fernandes
Co-Founder, Edge Partners AI
Host of The AI Edge Podcast

👤 GUEST INFO

Mark Perry

Real Estate Investor | Entrepreneur | Educator

Follow Mark:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-perry-94b682101/
• Facebook: Search "Mark Perry"
• YouTube: Mr. Perry The REI Guy

What they actually have is a data infrastructure problem.

In this episode, Saad Shah, Founder of RentViewer, breaks down how owner-operators are leaking money through bad data, missed collections, stale workflows, delayed make-readies, and dashboards nobody actually uses.

Most real estate operators think AI will magically solve their operational problems.

Saad Shah says that’s wrong.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Saad Shah, Founder of RentViewer, to break down the real operational bottlenecks inside multifamily and manufactured housing portfolios — and why clean, trustworthy data matters more than flashy dashboards or AI-generated presentations.

Saad explains how RentViewer helps owner-operators managing 2,000–20,000 units move beyond spreadsheets and manual reporting into live operational visibility.

The conversation dives deep into:

• Why dashboards alone don’t solve operational problems
• The hidden money leaks inside multifamily portfolios
• How AI is changing acquisitions, reporting, and investor presentations
• Why most operators still can’t trust their own data
• How owner-operators are using AI incorrectly today
• The operational realities behind make-ready delays, collections, occupancy, and resident experience
• Why “dirty data” is one of the biggest threats to AI adoption in real estate
• How real estate companies can use AI without creating risk

This is not a hype conversation.

This is an operator-to-operator discussion about systems, workflows, infrastructure, analytics, and what actually matters when scaling real estate operations.

About Saad Shah

Saad Shah is the Founder of RentViewer, a real estate analytics platform helping multifamily and manufactured housing operators gain real-time visibility into portfolio performance.

RentViewer helps owner-operators automate reporting, centralize data, improve KPI visibility, streamline acquisitions analysis, and eliminate operational blind spots across thousands of units.

Saad operates at the intersection of real estate operations, analytics, AI, and data infrastructure, helping operators move beyond spreadsheets into scalable operational intelligence.

⸻

🔗 Connect with Saad Shah & RentViewer

🌐 Website:
https://www.rentviewer.com

💼 LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/rentviewer/

👤 Saad Shah:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/saadshah/

⸻

📌 Connect with Edge Partners AI

🌐 https://www.edgepartnersai.com

📅 Book a Discovery Call:
https://calendly.com/edgepartnersai/ai-discovery-call

🎙 Podcast:
https://youtube.com/@theaiedgepodcast

#AI #CommercialRealEstate #Multifamily #RealEstateInvesting #PropTech #DataAnalytics #ArtificialIntelligence #CRE #PropertyManagement #BusinessSystems

Jill Ferrari believes AI is about to completely change how housing gets built in America — from land acquisition to zoning, permitting, financing, and occupancy.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with commercial real estate attorney, developer, and entrepreneur Jill Ferrari for a deep operator-level conversation on the future of housing development, AI, and affordability in America.

Jill has spent nearly 30 years solving some of the hardest development problems in commercial real estate — from brownfield redevelopment and complex capital stacks to workforce housing and public-private partnerships.

But what makes this conversation different is where it goes next.

Jill breaks down how AI is beginning to reshape the housing development process itself:

• Site selection
• Land banking
• Municipal permitting
• Zoning analysis
• Construction workflows
• Housing affordability
• Income-qualified housing placement
• Developer operations
• Public-sector bottlenecks

This is not a hype conversation.

It’s a real discussion about where AI is actually creating leverage inside real estate development — and where the industry is still completely unprepared.

We also dive into:

• Why affordable housing is so misunderstood
• The hidden friction slowing down development
• Why municipalities may resist AI adoption
• How developers are quietly building their own AI tools
• The future of workforce housing
• Why operational efficiency matters more than ever

If you’re a developer, investor, operator, architect, municipality, proptech founder, or anyone building in the real world — this episode is packed with insight.

👤 GUEST INFO

Jill Ferrari

Commercial Real Estate Attorney | Developer | Founder | Housing & Economic Development Strategist

Jill Ferrari specializes in complex commercial real estate development, brownfield redevelopment, public-private partnerships, affordable housing strategy, and incentive-based financing structures.

She is also co-founder of Renovare Development and creator of Homeverse, an AI-driven platform designed to connect income-qualified renters and homebuyers with housing opportunities.

Jill recently moderated a national Urban Land Institute panel focused on AI and housing development.

Connect with Jill Ferrari:

LinkedIn:
Jill Ferrari https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-ferrari-6729891/

Firm Website:
sbdetroit.com

Podcast:
Breaking Ceilings, Breaking Ground

Justin Spillers built a vertically integrated machine that:

• Underwrites 1,200 deals a year
• Renovates units in 7 days
• Runs 97% occupancy
• Uses AI across leasing, underwriting, hiring, and operations
• Is scaling toward 2,500 units

This is what real operational scale actually looks like.

Description

Most real estate operators think growth comes from finding more deals.

Justin Spillers believes growth comes from fixing operational bottlenecks faster than everyone else.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Justin Spillers, co-founder of Real Estate Alpha and VSF Rentals, to break down how his team built a vertically integrated multifamily operation managing 700+ units across Ohio.

They discuss:
• How Justin’s team renovates apartment units in 7 days
• Why speed is their competitive advantage
• Building in-house leasing, construction, and maintenance teams
• Underwriting 1,200+ deals per year
• AI inside leasing, hiring, underwriting, and operations
• Scaling systems before things break
• Why most operators fail at execution, not acquisitions

This is not theory.
This is operator-level execution at scale.

Guest Info / Follow Justin

Justin started as a real estate attorney before moving full-time into multifamily investing and operations. Instead of outsourcing management and construction like most operators, he and his partner built everything in-house.

Today their company:
• Owns and manages 700+ apartment units
• Operates with a 60-person in-house team
• Underwrites over 1,200 deals annually
• Renovates units in as little as 7 days
• Maintains 97% occupancy
• Uses AI across acquisitions, leasing, hiring, underwriting, reporting, and operations

What stood out most about Justin is how operationally obsessed he is.

Every process is tracked.
Every KPI is monitored.
Every bottleneck gets attacked.

This conversation goes deep into:
• Building systems that survive scale
• Why leasing is really a sales organization
• The hidden operational failures killing most multifamily operators
• AI’s real role inside real estate businesses
• Why speed is becoming the ultimate advantage

This wasn’t a motivational podcast.
This was a masterclass in execution.

• Website:
realestatealpha.io

• LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinspillers/

• Email:
jspillers33@gmail.com

• Phone:
419-305-3732

AI Edge Podcast #68 w/ Matthew Wallach

25+ years.
Billions in transactions.

And one brutal truth:

“Developers will do whatever it takes to close the deal…
even if they know they’ll have to write checks later just to save it.”

In this episode we break down:

• Why deals are collapsing right now
• How fake underwriting gets exposed
• Why most operators underestimate risk
• The hidden danger inside capital stacks
• What actually kills deals during execution
• Why sponsors lose projects after closing
• The AI tools changing underwriting forever
• What smart operators are doing differently in 2026

This wasn’t theory.
This was real operator-level insight from someone who’s lived through multiple market cycles.

One of the strongest real estate conversations we’ve had on the show.

Follow Matthew Wallach:

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-wallach-8ba8427/

#RealEstate #CommercialRealEstate #Multifamily #AI #CRE #RealEstateInvesting #CapitalMarkets #Development #Underwriting #AIinRealEstate

If your company doesn’t have an AI champion right now… you’re already behind.

The top companies in the world are spending billions to avoid becoming obsolete.

AI is no longer optional.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Guy Varble, Principal & Fund Manager at Momentum Wealth Fund, to break down how AI is transforming self-storage, underwriting, operations, investor communication, and commercial real estate investing as a whole.

Guy explains:
• How his team underwrites massive deal volume across the U.S.
• Why operational systems matter more than deal flow
• The future of AI-driven underwriting
• How automation is replacing manual workflows
• Why every company needs an “AI Champion”
• How smart operators are using AI to dominate local markets

This is one of the most practical AI + CRE conversations we’ve had on the show.

👇 Connect with Guy Varble
Website: https://momentumwealth.fund
Email: guy@momentumwealth.fund

👇 Follow RentViewer
Website: https://momentumwealth.fund

🎙 Hosted by Louis Fernandes
Co-Founder, Edge Partners AI
Host of The AI Edge Podcast

#AI #CommercialRealEstate #SelfStorage #Automation #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessSystems #CRE #Investing

It’s removing the learning layer that built entire industries.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Scotty Galloway — President of DressGrey, industrial developer, and construction operator who has led over 5M+ square feet of development — to break down what’s really happening as AI enters construction and operations.

What we uncovered is bigger than automation.

It’s a shift in how people learn, grow, and lead.

👉 If entry-level work disappears…
👉 If AI handles the repetition…
👉 If no one learns the fundamentals…

What happens when that person is expected to lead?

🔥 What We Cover:

• Why AI is eliminating entry-level learning opportunities
• The real risk no one is talking about in workforce development
• How construction actually runs behind the scenes (managed chaos)
• Where AI is already showing up in operations
• Why systems will outperform capital in the next decade
• What breaks first when companies try to scale

🔥 Key Insight:

“You’re going to be expected to operate at a senior level… without ever learning what right looks like.”

🎯 Who This Is For:

• Operators
• Founders
• CRE investors
• Construction leaders
• Anyone thinking about AI beyond the hype

🔗 Connect with Scotty:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottygalloway/
Email: Scotty.Galloway@dressgrey.com

🔗 Follow The AI Edge Podcast:

👉 Subscribe for more operator-level conversations
👉 Share this with someone building a real business

In this episode, Majid Radaei breaks down the brutal realities of hospitality finance, distressed assets, capital stack restructuring, and how AI is changing CRE underwriting forever.

If you own, finance, broker, or invest in commercial real estate, this episode could save you millions.

What really happens when hotel owners face foreclosure, loan maturities, broken partnerships, or collapsing capital stacks?

Majid Radaei operates where most brokers fail.

As a CRE capital markets specialist with $1.2B+ in closed volume, Majid specializes in:

• Distressed hospitality rescue plans
• Capital stack restructuring
• Debt + equity advisory
• AI-powered underwriting and lender matching
• Hotel portfolio acquisitions and dispositions

Inside this conversation:

• Why most CRE borrowers sabotage themselves
• The #1 mistake causing investors to lose massive equity
• How Majid’s “Rescue Plan” saves distressed hotels
• Why structure matters more than interest rate
• How AI is reshaping commercial lending
• What separates elite operators from failing sponsors

This is one of the most tactical CRE episodes we’ve released.

👤 Guest Info

Majid Radaei
Commercial Real Estate Advisor

Capital Markets Specialist
Hospitality Finance Expert
Founder, RAD CRE / RAD Capital Group

🔗 Follow Majid

🌐 Website: https://radcre.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/majid-radaei-mba-award-winner-6055a516/
📧 Email: info@radcre.com

🎙️ Hosted By

Louis Fernandes
Co-Founder, Edge Partners AI
Host, The AI Edge Podcast

📌 Subscribe for more operator-level conversations:

Real Estate • AI • Systems • Capital • Scale

#CommercialRealEstate #HospitalityInvesting #AIinCRE #CREFinance #HotelInvesting #CapitalMarkets #RealEstatePodcast #TheAIEdgePodcast #LouisFernandes

What if your business looks successful on paper… but you're actually bleeding cash?

In this powerful episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Michael Glaspie, CEO of G2 Business Solutions, Green Beret, fractional CFO, CCIM, and financial strategist for real estate investors, to uncover the hidden financial leaks destroying operators from the inside out.

Michael breaks down:

• Why revenue does NOT equal profit
• The financial mistakes most operators never catch
• How bookkeeping errors silently kill businesses
• Hidden profitability strategies real investors use
• Where scaling actually breaks operationally
• Why most entrepreneurs avoid their numbers
• How AI is changing finance and operations
• What healthy real estate businesses should look like in today’s market

If you're a founder, investor, or operator serious about keeping more of what you earn, this is a must-watch.

👤 GUEST INFO

Michael Glaspie
CEO, G2 Business Solutions

Fractional CFO | CCIM | Real Estate Financial Strategist | Former Green Beret

Michael helps real estate operators uncover hidden profitability, optimize cash flow, improve tax strategy, and scale with financial precision.

🔗 FOLLOW MICHAEL GLASPIE

🌐 Website: https://www.g2businesssolutions.com
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-glaspie/
📺 YouTube: Michael S. Glaspie
📸 Instagram: @michael.s.glaspie

🎙️ FOLLOW THE AI EDGE PODCAST

📺 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theaiedgepodcast
🔗 LinkedIn: Louis Fernandes / Edge Partners AI

🚀 HASHTAGS

#AIEdgePodcast #RealEstateInvesting #BusinessGrowth #CFO #FractionalCFO #CommercialRealEstate #Entrepreneurship #FinancialFreedom #Profitability #AIForBusiness #CashFlow #Leadership #WealthBuilding #SystemsThinking #EdgePartnersAI

Most people are using AI completely wrong.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Kyle Balkissoon, Managing Partner at Stance Capital, to break down what actually creates real competitive edge in investing, machine learning, and business systems.

Kyle has spent over a decade building machine learning models, forecasting systems, and investment infrastructure that directly impacts portfolio performance in real markets.

This conversation uncovers:

• Why data quality matters more than AI tools
• Why most businesses are overusing language models
• The hidden flaws in ChatGPT, Claude, and modern AI systems
• How institutional investors actually use machine learning
• Why better data beats better models
• What separates real operators from AI hype

If you’re serious about AI, investing, business systems, or building real operational advantage, this episode is a must-watch.

👤 GUEST INFO

Kyle Balkissoon
Managing Partner & Portfolio Manager
Stance Capital

Kyle operates at the intersection of:

• Quantitative Investing
• Machine Learning
• Forecasting Systems
• Institutional Asset Management
• AI-Powered Portfolio Design

🔗 FOLLOW KYLE

🌐 Website: https://stancecap.com
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-balkissoon/
📧 Email: kyle@stancecap.com

🎙️ FOLLOW THE AI EDGE PODCAST

📺 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theaiedgepodcast
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-fernandes-011860286/
🌐 Edge Partners AI

📌 HASHTAGS

#AI #MachineLearning #Investing #WallStreet #BusinessSystems #AIEdgePodcast #EdgePartnersAI #Forecasting #DataScience #Entrepreneurship

They’re wrong.

It’s either fueling your growth… or quietly killing it.

In this episode, Bill Himmelstein breaks down how the best operators use real estate as a strategic weapon and why most companies leave massive value on the table.

📝 Description

Most companies treat real estate like a transaction.

The best operators treat it like a growth strategy.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Bill Himmelstein, Founder and CEO of Tenant Advisory Group, with over 25 years in commercial real estate and hundreds of transactions across the country.

They break down:

• Why relationships outperform transactions in CRE
• The hidden mistakes business owners make when buying or leasing space
• How top CEOs use real estate to drive growth, not limit it
• Why most brokers fail their clients
• Where AI is actually impacting commercial real estate today
• The real reason businesses lose leverage in negotiations

Bill also shares how his firm delivers better outcomes by focusing on long-term relationships instead of short-term deals and why that changes everything when negotiating.

If you’re an operator, investor, or business owner, this episode will completely change how you think about real estate.

👤 Guest Info

Bill Himmelstein
Founder & CEO, Tenant Advisory Group

25+ years in commercial real estate
Specializing in tenant representation, acquisitions, and strategic real estate advisory for growing businesses

Recognized multiple years as:

• Brokerage Firm of the Year (Finalist)
• Broker of the Year (Illinois Real Estate Journal)

🔗 Links to Follow

👉 Website: https://www.tagcommercialbroker.com
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhimmelstein/
👉 Podcast Channel: https://youtube.com/@theaiedgepodcast

It’s not.

The real game is happening before the house even exists.

And if you don’t understand this shift…

you’re already late.

📝 DESCRIPTION

Most people are chasing deals.

Smart operators are creating them.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Joe Rosinski, founder of Palms and Tides Land Development, to break down how the real estate game is actually played at a higher level.

This isn’t about flipping houses.

This is about controlling land, navigating regulation, and positioning yourself where the real money is made.

We cover:

• Why land is the ultimate leverage play in real estate
• The hidden complexity behind entitlement and development
• How regulation is quietly reshaping the entire market
• Where the biggest opportunities are moving geographically
• Why systems (not capital) will determine who wins next
• How AI is becoming a force multiplier for operators

If you’re still thinking like a traditional investor…

this episode will change how you see the game.

Because the next wave of wealth won’t be built on buying assets…

It will be built on controlling opportunity.

👤 GUEST INFO

Joe Rosinski
Founder, Palms and Tides Land Development

Joe transitioned from finance, consulting, and enterprise risk into land development, where he now focuses on acquiring, entitling, and packaging land for investors and builders.

His model centers on controlling risk, reducing capital intensity, and positioning deals before they hit the market.

🔗 LINKS

Connect with Joe:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-rosinski-3218517/

Website:
https://www.palmsandtides.biz

🎙️ Subscribe to The AI Edge Podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheAIEdgePodcast

And the worst part?

Leaders think they’re “implementing strategy”…

when they’re actually creating resistance.

📝 DESCRIPTION

Everyone is talking about AI.

No one is talking about what it’s doing to people.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Greg Zlevor, President of Westwood International and Founder of HopeMakers, to break down what’s actually happening inside organizations right now.

This isn’t a technical conversation.

This is about leadership, human behavior, and why most AI initiatives are quietly failing.

We cover:

• Why employees are resisting and even sabotaging AI
• The biggest mistake leaders are making right now
• Why AI is amplifying dysfunction, not fixing it
• The dangerous illusion of “AI strategy”
• How to actually integrate AI without breaking your team
• Why human connection is becoming MORE valuable, not less

If you're a founder, operator, or executive trying to implement AI…

You need to hear this.

Because if you get this wrong, AI won’t scale your business…

It will expose everything that’s broken inside it.

👤 GUEST INFO

Greg Zlevor
President, Westwood International

Founder, HopeMakers Collective

Greg has spent decades working with global organizations, Fortune-level companies, and leadership teams to develop high-performance cultures, strengthen leadership, and drive real behavioral change.

He now sits at the intersection of leadership and AI, helping organizations integrate technology without losing the human foundation that actually drives results.

🔗 LINKS

Connect with Greg:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregzlevor/

Learn more:
https://www.westwoodintl.com
https://hopemakerscollective.com

🎙️ Subscribe to The AI Edge Podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheAIEdgePodcast

…but if you don’t have an answer…

👉 buyers walk.

Everyone is talking about AI in deals.

Almost nobody understands where it actually matters.

In this episode, Michael Lamm breaks down:

• what buyers actually care about
• where deals really break
• how AI is changing M&A behind the scenes
• and why relationships still decide everything

This is not theory.

This is how deals are actually getting done right now.

🧠 DESCRIPTION

Most founders think selling a company is about finding a buyer.

It’s not.

It’s about preparation, positioning, and execution.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Michael Lamm, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Corporate Advisory Solutions, to break down how modern M&A is actually evolving.

Michael shares what’s really happening inside deal processes today, where AI is accelerating execution, and where it still falls short.

From buyer psychology to valuation dynamics, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what separates deals that close from deals that fall apart.

If you’re building, scaling, or thinking about exiting your business, this is required listening.

👤 GUEST INFO

Michael Lamm
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Corporate Advisory Solutions

Michael leads M&A advisory, valuation, and strategic consulting across tech-enabled business services, healthcare, BPO, and financial services.

With over 25 years in investment banking, he operates at the intersection of deal execution, regulatory reality, and market timing.

🔗 LINKS TO SHARE

🎙️ Podcast: The AI Edge Podcast
🌐 Guest: https://www.corpadvisorysolutions.com
🤝 Connect with Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaellamm/

They chase rooftops…

but the real game is jobs.

What if everything you’ve been told about real estate development is wrong?

In this episode, Paul breaks down the simple equation most investors miss:

👉 Every 1.8 jobs creates a household
👉 Households drive retail, healthcare, infrastructure
👉 Jobs are the real asset

From billion-dollar projects to AI-driven energy demand, this conversation exposes how real operators actually think.

No theory. No fluff. Just how things really get built.

🧠 DESCRIPTION

Most real estate investors focus on land, location, and capital.

But the best developers in the world focus on something else entirely:

Jobs.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Paul McKee Jr., a seasoned developer and operator behind major mixed-use projects, to break down the real drivers of development.

You’ll learn:

• Why “jobs → households → everything else” is the only model that matters
• How billion-dollar developments actually get anchored
• The biggest mistakes developers make with timelines and capital
• Why energy is the real bottleneck in the AI race
• How microgrids and localized power will reshape development
• How AI is replacing consultants, analysts, and legal review in real time

This is a masterclass in thinking like an operator.

If you care about real estate, capital, AI, or building anything at scale…

this one hits different.

👤 GUEST INFO

Paul McKee Jr.
Owner, Property Services

Real Estate Developer, Operator, Community Builder

• Led billion-dollar development projects
• Focused on economic development and job creation
• Expert in mixed-use development, infrastructure, and energy strategy

📩 Email: pmckee@mps-stl.com

🔗 LINKS TO SHARE

🎙️ Podcast: The AI Edge Podcast
🔗 Guest Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-mckee-jr-52837412a/

Website

mpropertyservicespr.com (Company)

mps-stl.com (Company)

This operator built one for 20+ years… and only THEN layered AI on top.

Most people talking about AI have never actually built anything real.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Burke Allen, COO of Squeegee Clean, a 20+ year service business that scaled from window cleaning routes into a full-scale residential and commercial operation with trucks, teams, systems, and now… AI.

We break down what actually happens behind the scenes when a business grows:

– What breaks first
– Where operators lose money
– Why consistency beats “growth hacks”
– How real companies are using AI (not just talking about it)

Burke walks through how they:

• Built a multi-truck operation from scratch
• Systemized customer experience from first call to repeat business
• Integrated AI into communication, operations, and decision-making
• Are now pushing into drone-based commercial cleaning

This is not theory.

This is what real operators are doing.

If you’re building, scaling, or trying to turn chaos into systems… this one will hit.

👤 GUEST INFO

Burke Allen
COO, Squeegee Clean

Burke helped scale Squeegee Clean from a small window cleaning operation into a full-service exterior cleaning company serving residential and commercial clients for over two decades.

The company now operates multiple specialized trucks, handles large-scale jobs, and is pushing into drone-based commercial cleaning.

His focus:

• Systems & execution
• Customer experience
• Operational consistency
• Practical use of AI in a real-world service business

🔗 LINKS TO SHARE

🌐 Website: https://www.squeegeecleansc.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burke-allen-39364826/

That’s why most operators are drowning in inefficiency.

Arleen Garza runs a $650M multifamily platform and is doing something different:

👉 replacing back-end operations with AI
👉 reducing reporting from 2 weeks to 2 hours
👉 and turning leasing teams into revenue drivers, not paperwork processors

If you think real estate is about buying deals…

You’re missing where the money is actually made.

📄 DESCRIPTION

Most operators focus on acquisitions.

The best ones focus on operations.

Arleen Garza, founder of REEP Equity and REEP Residential, oversees a vertically integrated multifamily platform with over $650M in assets and nearly 200 team members.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, we break down:

• why operations, not acquisitions, define performance today
• how AI is eliminating inefficiencies across leasing, reporting, and maintenance
• how one process went from 2 weeks to 2 hours
• why retention is the most important driver of NOI
• and how top operators are using data to make faster, smarter decisions

One insight stood out:

👉 There are 47 steps to lease a single unit today

And most of them don’t need to be done by humans anymore.

This is not theory.

This is how real operators scale without breaking their teams.

👤 GUEST INFO

Arleen Garza
Founder, REEP Equity & REEP Residential

Arleen leads a vertically integrated multifamily investment and management platform across Texas, overseeing:

• $650M+ in assets
• 24 properties
• nearly 200 team members

Her focus is on operational excellence, data-driven decision making, and leveraging AI to reduce friction and improve performance at scale.

🔗 LINKS SECTION

Connect with Arleen Garza:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arleen-garza/

Ryan Nelson has seen the worst of it:

• family deals collapsing
• personal guarantees on the line
• navigating the 2008 crash from the inside

And still built a $115M platform.

In this episode, we break down:

• why deals aren’t closing right now
• how serious operators actually survive cycles
• and what it really takes to raise capital and scale

If you think real estate is just about buying deals…

You haven’t been through a cycle yet.

📄 DESCRIPTION

Most people only see real estate when it’s working.

Ryan Nelson has seen it when everything breaks.

From:

• losing his father in the middle of active development deals
• navigating the 2008 financial crisis firsthand
• leaving a career at Credit Suisse and JPMorgan

To building Sweetwater Companies, a real estate platform with:

• $115M+ assets under management
• a $750M+ pipeline
• active deals across development and acquisitions

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, we go deep into:

• why deals are stuck in today’s market
• the real reason buyers and sellers can’t agree
• how institutional capital actually behaves
• what separates operators who survive vs disappear

This is not theory.

This is how real operators think when the market gets hard.

👤 GUEST INFO

Ryan Nelson
Founder & CEO, Sweetwater Companies

Ryan is a multifamily operator with a background in:

• U.S. Air Force pilot
• Investment Banking at Credit Suisse
• Asset Management at JPMorgan

Today, he leads Sweetwater Companies, focused on multifamily development, acquisitions, and long-term asset management, with over $115M AUM and a growing national pipeline.

🔗 LINKS SECTION

Connect with Ryan Nelson:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanjnelson1/

The best ones?

👉 They’re obsessed with NOT losing money.

In this episode, Fernando breaks down:

• how he scaled 50+ self-storage facilities
• why off-market deals are everything
• and the exact system behind raising capital from 1,000+ investors

If you think real estate is about finding deals…

You’re already behind.

Most real estate investors are focused on one thing: returns.

Fernando Angelucci built a completely different model.

Instead of chasing upside, he engineered a system around:

• downside protection
• tax advantages
• operational discipline

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, we break down how Fernando built a nationwide self-storage platform with:

• 50+ facilities
• 1,000+ investors
• a machine for sourcing off-market deals

We go deep into:

• how real operators actually find deals before they hit the market
• why most investors misunderstand risk
• the systems behind raising and managing capital at scale
• how AI and automation are quietly changing operations

This is not theory.

This is how real operators build durable wealth.

👤 GUEST INFO

Fernando Angelucci
Founder of SSSE

Fernando leads a nationwide self-storage investment platform focused on capital preservation, tax-efficient structures, and long-term value creation.

With:

• 50+ facilities
• 1,000+ investors
• nearly a decade in self-storage

He has built a system designed to protect downside first and let upside follow.

🔗 LINKS SECTION

Connect with Fernando:

• Website: https://www.SSSE.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernandoangelucci/

Chris Reece did the opposite.

👉 While others chased operators and got burned…
👉 He focused on the one asset nobody talks about:

The real estate underneath it.

No banks.
No traditional financing.
Massive demand for capital.

That creates:

👉 12–15% returns
👉 Built-in downside protection
👉 Zero direct cannabis risk

This is what happens when you operate where capital doesn’t exist.

Chris Reece, Founder and CEO of MJ REIT, breaks down one of the most misunderstood opportunities in today’s market: cannabis real estate.

While most investors associate cannabis with volatility and failed operators, Chris takes a completely different approach.

Instead of betting on businesses, he focuses on the underlying real estate and structures senior debt deals that generate consistent double-digit returns.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Why cannabis remains one of the most capital-starved markets in the U.S.
• How regulatory constraints create massive inefficiencies
• Why traditional banks refuse to lend in this space
• The difference between high yield and high risk
• How to structure deals with real downside protection
• Why this opportunity won’t last forever

This is a masterclass in operating where capital is scarce and structure matters more than hype.

👤 GUEST INFO

Chris Reece, CFA
Founder & CEO, MJ REIT

Chris is a seasoned institutional asset manager with nearly 30 years of experience across public and private markets.

He built MJ REIT to capitalize on one of the largest inefficiencies in the U.S. financial system, providing real estate-backed financing in the cannabis sector where traditional banks cannot operate.

His strategy focuses on:

• Senior debt lending
• Hard asset protection
• Consistent income generation
• Risk-adjusted returns in capital-constrained markets

🔗 LINKS

🌐 MJ REIT:
https://www.mj-reit.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-r-reece/

👉 without ever defining the problem first.

That’s how companies end up in what Billy Holder calls:

👉 “Digital purgatory”

Where tools pile up…
but nothing actually improves.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Billy Holder, Founder of Project AIDRA, to break down one of the most overlooked operational problems in business today:

👉 Manual documentation

While most companies are chasing AI hype, Billy exposes what’s actually happening on the ground:

• Teams spending 70–80% of their time documenting instead of doing real work
• Thousands of hours lost to inefficient systems
• Millions in hidden costs from poor data and missed maintenance
• And why most AI implementations fail before they even start

Billy introduces the concept of “digital purgatory”, where organizations cycle through tools without ever solving the real problem.

We also dive into:

• How AI actually creates leverage in operations (not hype)
• Why documentation hasn’t evolved in 3,400 years
• The hidden cost of unplanned downtime (11% of revenue)
• How facility teams are being pulled away from real work
• And how AI can give time, clarity, and control back to operators

This is not a tech conversation.

👉 It’s an operator conversation about execution, efficiency, and scale.

👤 GUEST INFO

Billy Holder, CFM
Founder & CEO, Project AIDRA

Billy brings 28+ years of experience across construction, maintenance, and facility management. His company, Project AIDRA, is redefining how inspections, documentation, and asset management are done using AI-powered visual intelligence.

🔗 LINKS

🌐 Project AIDRA: https://www.linkedin.com/company/project-aidra-llc/
🔗 Connect with Billy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-holder-project-aidra/

It’s not.

👉 Most companies should NEVER take venture capital
👉 Most founders don’t understand what investors actually expect
👉 And AI is making bad businesses easier to build… and faster to fail

This is what real investors are actually looking for.

Raising venture capital is not the goal… and for most founders, it’s actually the wrong move.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Matt Ober, Managing Partner at Social Leverage, to break down what actually matters at the seed stage in today’s AI-driven market.

This is not a hype conversation. This is a fundamentals conversation.

We cover:

• Why most startups should NOT raise venture capital
• What investors are really looking for (and what kills deals instantly)
• Why distribution and sales matter more than product today
• The biggest mistake founders make with AI
• What makes a company actually investable in 2026
• Why simple software is dying and what replaces it

Matt shares real, operator-level insights from investing in hundreds of companies and working inside hedge funds and data-driven environments.

If you’re building, raising, or scaling…

This episode will reset how you think about growth, capital, and execution.

🎥 Watch now and build something that actually works.

👤 GUEST INFO

Matt Ober
Managing Partner, Social Leverage

Matt is a seed-stage investor focused on FinTech, data, and AI-driven businesses. He has a background across hedge funds, data strategy, and financial markets, with experience at firms like Bloomberg and Third Point.

Today, he invests in early-stage companies and writes The Roll Up, a newsletter on investment tech and data.

🔗 LINKS

🌐 Social Leverage: https://www.socialleverage.com
📰 The Roll Up: https://www.mattober.co
🔗 Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obermattj/

But there’s one problem nobody is talking about:

👉 It can’t give you the same answer twice.

In an industry built on precision, legality, and trust…

That’s a massive flaw.

Until now.

AI is transforming commercial real estate… but not in the way most people think.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Raymond Dozier, MAI, founder of Valuexpose Software, to break down one of the biggest hidden problems in the industry:

👉 AI is probabilistic, not deterministic

Which means:

• The same input can produce different outputs
• It can’t be used in court
• It can’t be trusted for true valuation

That’s a problem.

Raymond shares how his system is solving this by creating what may be the first deterministic AI underwriter, bringing consistency, transparency, and real-world application to valuation.

We also dive into:

• Why appraisal workflows are fundamentally broken
• The real bottleneck in CRE valuation (it’s not what you think)
• Why most AI underwriting tools are misleading
• How separating development from reporting changes everything
• The future of appraisers, and why they’re not going away

If you’re an operator, investor, or decision-maker in real estate…

This episode will change how you think about AI, underwriting, and risk.

🎥 Watch now and see where the industry is actually going.

👤 GUEST INFO

Raymond Dozier, MAI
Founder, Valuexpose Software

Raymond brings over 50 years of experience in commercial real estate, appraisal, development, and expert witness work.

He has worked through multiple market cycles and is now building technology designed to fundamentally change how valuation is developed, analyzed, and reported.

🔗 LINKS (fill in yours)

🌐 Learn more about Valuexpose: https://www.valuexpose.com
🔗 Connect with Raymond: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-dozier-mai/

But almost nobody understands what actually creates it.

In this episode, we break down:

→ Why most people stay stuck in W-2 thinking
→ How high-income professionals build real cash flow
→ And what “leverage” actually means when done right

Most people think real estate investing means flipping houses or owning properties themselves.

That’s where they get it wrong.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Chutima Barrios, Founder of RentRoll Capital, to break down how busy professionals and working parents can build real passive cash flow without taking on another full-time job.

Chutima shares how her journey from corporate finance to multifamily investing was driven by one thing:

👉 The need for freedom, flexibility, and financial security

We go deep on:

• Why most investors misunderstand passive income
• How to think about leverage beyond just debt
• Conservative underwriting in today’s market
• Where operators are overreaching (and getting burned)
• How to protect downside while still creating cash flow
• And where AI actually fits into real estate operations

This is not hype.
This is disciplined, operator-level thinking.

If you’re serious about building income that doesn’t depend on your time, this episode will change how you think.

👤 GUEST INFO

Guest: Chutima Barrios
Title: Founder, RentRoll Capital

Chutima Barrios is a multifamily investor and capital partner with over 15 years of experience in finance, private equity, and corporate development.

She specializes in helping busy professionals and working parents build passive income through conservative, cash-flow-focused real estate investing, with a strong emphasis on downside protection and disciplined underwriting.

Her approach is rooted in one principle:

👉 Leverage through assets, teams, and systems, not speculation.

🔗 LINKS

Connect with Chutima:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chutima-barrios/
Website: rentrollcapital.com

They fail because something breaks when they try to scale.

And by the time they realize it…
the money is already gone.

Scaling in real estate sounds simple.

Do more deals. Make more money.

But in reality, scaling is where most investors break.

In this episode, we sit down with Mark Hayes, President of Bridge South Investments, to break down what actually happens when investors try to grow, and where things fall apart.

This is a real operator conversation, not theory.

We cover:

• Why speed and certainty matter more than rate
• The hidden risks most borrowers don’t understand
• What lenders actually look for when funding deals
• Why construction is where deals quietly fall apart
• The biggest mistake investors make mid-project
• What separates real operators from tourists
• How to scale without creating chaos

If you’re doing deals, or planning to scale…

This episode will save you time, money, and stress.

👤 GUEST INFO

Mark Hayes
President, Bridge South Investments

Mark has been investing in real estate since 2002, completing over 100 builds and renovations while building a rental portfolio across multiple Tennessee markets.

Today, he helps investors scale through bridge loans, construction financing, and DSCR rental loans across the Southeast, bringing an operator’s perspective to capital and deal execution.

🔗 LINKS TO FOLLOW

Website: https://www.bridgesouthinvestments.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-hayes-bridge-south/

That’s not the problem.

The problem is…
you don’t know if it’s right.

And that’s where real risk begins.

AI is already transforming commercial real estate.

But there’s a problem no one is talking about:

👉 Speed without defensibility creates risk.

In this episode, we sit down with to break down what’s really happening inside valuation, underwriting, and decision-making as AI takes over more of the process.

This is not a surface-level conversation.

We go deep into:

• Why AI-written reports can quietly introduce massive risk
• The difference between data, judgment, and defensibility
• Why “tech as a moat” is disappearing faster than people realize
• How networks will replace software as the real advantage
• What lenders and investors must understand about valuation in the next 24 months
• The future of appraisers, underwriting, and decision authority

This episode will change how you think about:

👉 Risk
👉 Valuation
👉 AI in real estate

If you’re making investment decisions, this is not optional knowledge.

👤 GUEST INFO

Ashton Rowles, MAI
Founder, Canyon Data

Ashton is a commercial real estate valuation expert with nearly two decades of experience. As the founder of Canyon Data, he is building a national network focused on scalable, defensible valuation powered by human judgment and AI systems.

His work sits at the intersection of technology, underwriting, and decision-making in modern real estate.

🔗 LINKS TO FOLLOW

Website: https://canyondata.tech
Website: https://canyonvaluation.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/royce-ashton-rowles-mai-a489747/

Because real estate isn’t just numbers,
it’s negotiation, timing, and understanding what people actually want.

Most people get that wrong.

Theresa Mueller has been winning deals for 30+ years… and she’ll tell you exactly why.

Most real estate deals don’t fail because of bad underwriting.

They fail because people don’t understand negotiation.

In this episode, we sit down with to break down what actually separates average operators from elite dealmakers.

With over three decades in commercial real estate and a global network of investors, Theresa shares how deals really get done across markets, cultures, and personalities.

We go deep into:

• Why deals fall apart even when numbers make sense
• How to structure true win-win outcomes
• The biggest mistakes buyers and sellers make
• How negotiation actually works in real life
• What’s changing in global commercial real estate
• Why relationships still dominate in an AI-driven world

This is not theory.
This is how deals actually close.

If you’re serious about operating at a higher level in real estate, this episode will sharpen how you think, negotiate, and execute.

👤 GUEST INFO

Theresa Mueller, CCIM
CEO, Trelleum Real Estate

Theresa is an international commercial real estate broker with over 30 years of experience across residential, commercial, and global investment markets. She leads Trelleum Real Estate and specializes in connecting investors, structuring deals, and navigating complex negotiations across borders.

Known for her persistence and relationship-driven approach, Theresa operates at the intersection of global opportunity, negotiation strategy, and execution.

🔗 LINKS TO FOLLOW

Website: https://trelleum.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresamueller/

Most people think that’s impossible.

John Laine is doing it right now.

Most investors are fighting over thin margins, praying for cap rate compression, and hoping the market turns.

John Laine is playing a completely different game.

In this episode, we break down a model that:

• Buys distressed multifamily at deep discounts
• Converts units into affordable homeownership
• Partners with nonprofits at scale
• Still delivers strong investor returns

This is not theory.
This is execution.

We go deep into:

• How he sources deals no one else sees
• The exact capital stack behind his model
• Why “impact investing” doesn’t mean lower returns
• The real bottlenecks in scaling housing solutions
• And why most operators are solving the wrong problem

If you’re an investor, operator, or builder trying to understand where real estate is actually going, this episode will shift how you think.

👤 GUEST INFO

John Laine
Founder, StarterHome.fund

John is a veteran real estate operator with nearly 40 years of experience and over $200M+ in closed transactions.

After losing everything during the 2008 cycle, he rebuilt with a new mission, solving housing affordability through what he calls “compassionate capitalism.”

Today, he leads StarterHome.fund, a model that transforms distressed multifamily into affordable homeownership while delivering strong investor returns.

🔗 LINKS TO FOLLOW

Website: https://starterhome.fund
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-laine/

“No one. It’s an AI assistant reading your deal in real time.

Most AI tools feel like demos.

This one feels like a real employee.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Jeremiah Taylor, Co-Founder of Ribera AI, to break down what happens when AI moves from being a tool… to becoming part of your team.

We go deep into:

• Why most AI in real estate fails
• How BrokerBot acts like a trained employee, not a chatbot
• The hidden bottleneck inside brokerages that kills scale
• Why compliance is the real barrier to AI adoption
• How AI can read your documents, answer calls, and operate in real workflows

At one point, a client called back and said:

“What is this… this is witchcraft.”

That’s when you realize this isn’t hype.

This is what happens when AI is built for operators.

If you’re in real estate, brokerage, mortgage, or any service-based business… this is where things are going.

👤 GUEST INFO

Jeremiah Taylor is the Co-Founder of Ribera AI, building vertical AI systems for real estate and mortgage.

With over 20 years of experience across real estate, mortgage operations, and technology, Jeremiah sits at the intersection of business and product, helping companies scale through systems, automation, and intelligent infrastructure.

He is currently building BrokerBot, a compliance-safe AI assistant designed to integrate directly into brokerage workflows, policies, and day-to-day operations.

🔗 FOLLOW + LINKS

Follow Jeremiah Taylor:
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtaylorrealtor/
👉 Ribera AI: https://brokerbot.ai/
👉 BrokerBot: https://brokerbot.ai/

Follow Louis Fernandes:
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-fernandes-011860286/
👉 Edge Partners AI: https://edgepartnersai.com/

They fail because of capital, structure, and what no one sees behind the scenes.

In this episode, Steven Stein breaks down:

• why deals collapse late
• what lenders actually care about
• and the hidden rules that separate closers from everyone else

If you’re raising capital, structuring deals, or scaling in CRE…

👉 this is the part of the game nobody teaches.

What really determines whether a commercial real estate deal closes… or dies?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis sits down with Steven Stein, President of Capital Markets at Tauro Capital Advisors, to break down what actually happens behind the scenes of debt and equity in today’s market.

Steven has spent decades in commercial real estate across multiple cycles, working on thousands of transactions. His perspective is simple but powerful:

👉 Capital doesn’t just fund deals. It determines whether they survive.

We go deep on:

• Why most deals fall apart late in the process
• The truth about interest rates vs. what actually matters
• How lenders think (and what sponsors miss)
• The hidden risks inside loan covenants
• Why AI helps speed, but not solve, real estate deals
• What separates sponsors who get capital from those who don’t

If you’re an operator, investor, or capital raiser…

This episode will change how you think about deals.

👤 GUEST INTRO

Steven Stein is the President of Capital Markets at Tauro Capital Advisors, a national commercial real estate advisory firm specializing in structured debt and equity across all asset classes.

With a career spanning multiple market cycles and thousands of transactions, Steven has worked across investment sales, leadership, and capital markets. His approach is deeply execution-driven, relationship-led, and focused on solving complex capital challenges for sponsors nationwide.

At Tauro, Steven and his team focus on simplifying capital markets, creating competition among lenders, and structuring solutions that help clients close deals in any market condition.

🔗 SHOW NOTES

📌 Connect with Steven Stein
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-d-stein/

📌 Tauro Capital Advisors
Website: https://www.taurocapital.com

📌 Connect with Louis Fernandes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-fernandes-011860286/

📌 Book a Discovery Call (AI Systems for Operators)
https://calendly.com/edgepartnersai/ai-edge-podcast

📌 Subscribe to The AI Edge Podcast
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theaiedgepodcast

They fail because the system behind the deal breaks.

In this conversation, Matt Hagar exposes where deals actually slow down, why most brokers never scale, and how AI is quietly reshaping the future of commercial real estate faster than the industry can keep up.

Just wrapped a powerful conversation with Matt Hagar, co-founder of AI CRE Partners, on what’s really happening behind the scenes in commercial real estate.

This isn’t surface-level.

This is how deals actually get done… and where they fall apart.

We break down:

• Where deals actually die in the process (it’s not where you think)
• The difference between working in the business vs on the business
• Why most brokers hit a ceiling and can’t scale
• The hidden inefficiencies slowing down deal flow
• How AI is giving smaller, faster operators an edge over legacy firms

If you’re an operator, investor, or building in CRE, this is a conversation you need to hear.

🎧 Watch now and rethink how deals really get done.

🎙️ GUEST INTRO

Matt Hagar is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of AI CRE Partners.

With over 15 years in commercial brokerage, Matt has been a top producer, scaled regional brokerage operations, and now leads a platform focused on how AI and systems are reshaping how deals get done.

His edge comes from a non-traditional path, combining deep operational experience with a systems-first mindset that challenges how the industry has always operated.

Connect with Matt Hagar

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hagar-sior-ccim-msre-8375a51b/
• Company: AI CRE Partners

Connect with Louis Fernandes

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-fernandes-011860286/
• Podcast: https://youtube.com/@theaiedgepodcast

Want to optimize your deal flow with AI?
→ Book a call: https://calendly.com/edgepartnersai/ai-edge-podcast

But right now, deals are dying for a completely different reason…

Insurance.

And if this keeps going… it’s going to reshape the entire housing market.

What if the biggest threat to real estate right now… isn’t interest rates… but insurance?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis sits down with Robert Feldman, CEO and Co-Founder of WoW’s Insurance Services, who has spent nearly three decades in high-risk property insurance.

This conversation goes deeper than insurance.

It exposes a system-level problem affecting:

• Homeowners
• Investors
• Brokers
• Entire real estate transactions

Inside this episode:

• Why insurance is becoming the #1 deal killer in real estate
• How rising premiums are destroying affordability
• The hidden reason property values are starting to drop
• What “fire hardening” is and why it’s becoming mandatory
• Why some homes are becoming completely uninsurable

Robert breaks down what’s actually happening behind the scenes…

and why most operators aren’t prepared for what’s coming next.

If you’re involved in real estate in any way… this is something you need to understand.

🔗 Connect with Robert Feldman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertfeldman1/
Company: WoW’s Insurance Services
Website: wowsinsurance.com

🎙️ Follow The AI Edge Podcast

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theaiedgepodcast
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ai-edge-podcast-cre-ai/id1867613089
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Website: https://theaiedgepodcastcreai.riverside.com/

🎙️ GUEST INTRO

Today I’ve got Robert Feldman with me, CEO and Co-Founder of WoW’s Insurance Services.

Robert has spent nearly three decades in the insurance world, specializing in high-risk properties and fire zones across the Western United States.

What makes this conversation especially important is this…

When insurance breaks… real estate breaks.

Transactions slow down, financing becomes harder, and property values start getting impacted.

Robert is right in the middle of that shift, helping brokers, homeowners, and investors navigate a market that’s becoming increasingly difficult to insure.

Robert, welcome to the show.

Today’s guest is solving that at a $3.5 trillion level…
and what he’s building could completely change how real estate gets owned.

What if the biggest problem in commercial real estate isn’t deal flow… but broken capital flow?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis sits down with Alex Bell, Founder & CEO of AVKI, who is building the infrastructure layer for tokenized real estate at an institutional level.

This isn’t another crypto conversation.

This is about:

• Why deals fall apart even when they should close
• The disconnect between capital, timing, and execution
• How banks and asset managers will offer fractional real estate ownership
• What “tokenization” actually means in the real world
• Why this shift could impact a $3.5 trillion private CRE market

Alex breaks down how his platform is creating the rails for ownership, liquidity, and access, while staying compliant and aligned with regulators.

If you’re an operator, investor, or developer, this conversation will change how you think about capital, scale, and the future of real estate.

🎙️ GUEST INTRO

Today I’ve got Alex Bell with me, Founder and CEO, building the infrastructure layer for tokenized real estate at an institutional level.

We’re not talking about hype or marketplaces.

We’re talking about the actual rails, the legal, technical, and compliance systems that allow banks, asset managers, and financial platforms to offer real ownership in real assets.

Alex is focused on solving one of the biggest problems in commercial real estate…

the disconnect between capital and execution.

Alex, welcome to the show.

🔗 Connect with Alex Bell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vostretti/
Website: https://www.av-ki.com

Company: AVKI

🎙️ Follow The AI Edge Podcast

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theaiedgepodcast
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ai-edge-podcast-cre-ai/id1867613089
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1S0tOQ0G68MCoBKbs6xemA
Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/1eb1bc13-3a3b-4706-8147-473a0a2ac62b/the-ai-edge-podcast-cre-ai
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Deezer: https://link.deezer.com/s/32pb138lB41qTj51V1F1B
Website: https://theaiedgepodcastcreai.riverside.com/

In this episode, we break down what actually moves money…
and why most operators are getting this completely wrong.

Just wrapped a powerful conversation with Linda Holtz, a real estate development and finance operator with experience across institutional capital, underwriting, and large-scale project execution.

We went deep into what’s actually happening behind the scenes in real estate deals, from capital raising and equity structuring to why so many opportunities never make it across the finish line.

This is not theory. This is how deals actually get done.

If you’re an operator, investor, or builder trying to scale, this conversation will change how you think about capital, execution, and growth.

In this episode, we break down:

• What really determines whether a deal gets funded
• Where most operators lose capital without realizing it
• The hidden bottlenecks in development and deal execution
• How institutional players evaluate risk and opportunity
• Why capital flow, not deal flow, is the real constraint

The AI Edge Podcast is where operators, founders, and investors share how they actually build, scale, and execute in the real world.

🎙 Hosted by Louis Fernandes, Co-Founder of Edge Partners AI

👤 GUEST INTRO

Linda Holtz is a real estate development and finance professional with deep experience across capital structuring, underwriting, and large-scale project execution.

She is the Founder of Save The Chat Group, where she advises developers, family offices, and institutional capital partners on acquisitions, financial structuring, and development strategy.

Linda has worked across hundreds of millions in transactions, including multifamily, student housing, medical office, and mixed-use developments, and has played a key role in underwriting, capital formation, and deal execution at scale.

Her background includes institutional-level underwriting, asset management, and capital markets strategy, giving her a unique perspective on what actually drives successful real estate deals.

https://married2realestate.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-holtz-1493495a/

Today's guest has placed talent inside startups, PE-backed companies, and scaling operators, and he's here to tell you exactly where most founders get it wrong before they even post the job.

In this episode of the AI Edge Podcast, Louis sits down with Justin Dixon, founder of Hire Tomorrow, to break down what most founders completely get wrong about talent, and why those mistakes compound fast.

Justin has spent his career placing people inside startups, private equity portfolio companies, and scaling operators. He's seen what separates the teams that scale from the ones that stall, and it almost always comes back to hiring decisions made too fast, too late, or with the wrong criteria.

In this conversation, Louis and Justin get into:

• Why trying to hire one person to fill three roles is quietly killing your growth
• The real cost of a bad hire in a startup versus a large company
• How PE-backed operators approach talent differently from everyone else
• What "key man risk" is and why it tanks your valuation at exit
• Where AI is actually helping in recruiting and where it's just hype
• The fake applicant problem flooding job postings right now
• Why your first sales leader hire might be the most important decision you make

If you're a founder, operator, or investor thinking about scaling, this episode will change how you think about people as a business asset.

Subscribe for new episodes every week featuring operators, investors, and founders who are actually building.

GUEST INTRO SECTION

About Justin Dixon

Justin Dixon is the founder of Hire Tomorrow, a boutique recruiting firm that works with startups, private equity firms, and scaling operators to solve one of the hardest problems in business, finding the right people at the right stage.

With nearly two decades of experience across large corporations like Comcast, early-stage startups, and M&A advisory shops, Justin brings an operator's lens to talent strategy. He specializes in helping founders build repeatable hiring systems, navigate PE-backed growth, and think about succession before they need to.

He also hosts the Growth Capital Podcast, where he covers business building, capital, and growth.

Connect with Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmdixon15/

Podcast: Growth Capital Podcast (available on all major podcast platforms)

Company: Hire Tomorrow

I’ve seen organizations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on software that changes nothing.

In this episode, we break down why that happens, and what actually needs to be fixed first.

Most companies think their problem is tools.

It’s not.

It’s process.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Santiago Cortés, Founder and CEO of Lab Cortex, to break down why organizations waste tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars on software that never delivers results.

This conversation goes deep into what actually breaks inside growing companies:

• Why adding more people stops working
• How poor process design destroys efficiency
• Where automation fails without clear ownership
• Why compliance should speed you up, not slow you down
• The real role of AI in regulated and complex environments

If you’re scaling a business, managing operations, or thinking about AI, this episode will challenge how you think about systems.

AI is not magic.

It’s leverage, but only if the foundation is right.

🔥 KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Tools don’t fix broken processes
• Hiring more people is not a scalable solution
• Lack of adoption kills most tech investments
• Compliance, done right, accelerates execution
• AI without structure creates risk, not efficiency

🎙️ CONNECT WITH SANTIAGO

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santiago-cortes/
Website: https://labcortex.com

🚀 ABOUT THE SHOW

The AI Edge Podcast features real conversations with operators, founders, and investors building businesses using systems, AI, and execution.

No hype. No theory. Just what actually works.

👤 GUEST DESCRIPTION (FOR YOUTUBE + CLIPS)

Santiago Cortés is the Founder and CEO of Lab Cortex, where he helps regulated and mission-driven organizations design process-first systems that scale with clarity, compliance, and control.

With a background in mortgage servicing and operations, Santiago specializes in identifying inefficiencies, restructuring workflows, and implementing automation and AI in a way that actually works in the real world.

His approach is simple:

Start with the process.

Then apply the tools.

In this episode, distressed debt investor Bill Bymel breaks down why banks have been masking real stress in mortgages, how “extend and pretend” has delayed the pain, and why both homeowners and commercial real estate operators may be walking into the next wave blind.

If you care about housing, private credit, commercial real estate, or protecting capital in a shaky market, this conversation will change how you see the cycle.

What’s really happening in mortgages, distressed debt, and commercial real estate right now?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Bill Bymel, Founder and CEO of First Lien Capital, distressed debt investor, special situations advisor, host of the Debt Doctor Podcast, and author focused on the secondary mortgage market.

Bill pulls back the curtain on what most investors, operators, and even the media are missing:

• Why low default rates may be hiding the real stress in the market
• How “extend and pretend” became the system’s way of delaying pain
• Why lenders avoid foreclosure even when loans are clearly broken
• What actually causes loans to fail in commercial real estate
• How borrowers can create better outcomes before it’s too late
• Where AI can help in servicing, loss mitigation, and decision-making
• Why the next 12 to 24 months may reshape how investors think about risk

This is not a surface-level conversation. It is a real look at how debt markets function when pressure builds, and what smart investors should be watching now.

If you are an operator, lender, investor, or anyone trying to understand where real estate risk is actually building, this episode is for you.

Guest: Bill Bymel
Founder & CEO, First Lien Capital
Host, Debt Doctor Podcast

Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, and investors building in real markets.

#RealEstate #DistressedDebt #CommercialRealEstate #MortgageMarket #PrivateCredit #Investing #BillBymel #TheAIEdgePodcast

Guest Introduction

Today’s guest is Bill Bymel, Founder and CEO of First Lien Capital, a distressed mortgage investment platform focused on acquiring and resolving sub-performing and non-performing mortgages across residential and commercial real estate.

He is also the founder of First Lien Resolutions, a special situations advisory group serving banks and private lenders, host of the Debt Doctor Podcast, and author of Win Revolution, an insider’s guide to investing in the secondary mortgage market.

Bill brings nearly two decades of experience in distressed debt, workouts, servicing, and special situations, with a perspective that cuts through headlines and gets to what is actually happening beneath the surface of the market.

No renovation. No construction. No risk-heavy development.

Today’s guest has built over $100 million in real estate using one principle:

The money isn’t in the deal…

it’s in the structure.

Most real estate investors are chasing deals.

Cherif Medawar built a $100M+ portfolio by doing something different…

He creates value before he buys.

In this episode of the AI Edge Podcast, Cherif breaks down:

• How he turned a $600K property into $1M instantly
• The exact strategy behind single-tenant triple net deals
• Why most investors struggle with capital raising
• The real difference between syndications vs funds
• How structure creates generational wealth
• The biggest mistakes investors make (and how to avoid them)

This is not theory.

This is real-world deal mechanics from someone who has done it for 35+ years.

If you’re an investor, operator, or builder…

This episode will change how you think about real estate.

🎯 Key Takeaway:

The deal doesn’t make you wealthy.

The structure does.

👤 ABOUT THE GUEST

Cherif Medawar is a commercial real estate investor, fund manager, and educator with over 35 years of experience.

He has:

• Built a portfolio exceeding $100M in real estate
• Launched SEC-filed investment funds
• Trained thousands of investors worldwide
• Specialized in deal structuring, capital raising, and scaling portfolios

Cherif is widely known for his philosophy:

👉 “The money is in the structure.”

🔗 GUEST LINKS

🌐 Website: https://www.cmrei.com
📺 YouTube: Search “Cherif Medawar”
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherifmedawar

🎙️ PODCAST LINKS (Keep this block consistent)

▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theaiedgepodcast
🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ai-edge-podcast-cre-ai/id1867613089
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1S0tOQ0G68MCoBKbs6xemA

They don’t.

They have a broken system behind it.

In this episode, we break down how one simple shift took conversion rates from 3% to 21%… without burning trust or spamming people.

Most outreach doesn’t fail because of effort.

It fails because the system behind it is broken.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Troy Hipolito, founder of Troy Agency and creator of Skoop, to break down how relationship-driven systems outperform brute force outreach every time.

This is not about scripts, hacks, or sending more messages.

It’s about structure, timing, and building a system that creates a buying environment instead of forcing a sale.

Inside this conversation:

• Why “more outreach” actually kills conversions
• The 3% → 21% conversion shift using simple video + context
• How to build multi-channel systems that work together
• Why most founders are selling the wrong thing (and don’t realize it)
• The difference between automation that scales vs. automation that destroys trust
• How to turn content, email, events, and DMs into one unified pipeline

If you’re a founder, operator, or sales leader trying to scale without burning your market, this episode will change how you think about outreach, systems, and conversion.

🎯 This is for people who want real results, not noise.

👤 GUEST INFO

Guest: Troy Hipolito

Founder of Troy Agency and creator of Skoop, Troy specializes in building multi-channel relationship systems that help founders and operators scale outreach without sacrificing trust.

With a background in systems, gamification, and software development, Troy has helped businesses move from inconsistent deal flow to predictable, relationship-driven pipelines.

His approach focuses on structure, human connection, and transformation, not just tools or tactics.

🔗 Connect with Troy on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/troyhipolito/

🌐 Learn more about Skoop:
https://skoopapp.com

What if your business is overpaying payroll taxes every single pay period and you do not even realize it?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Dr. Sean Wilson, founder of Manoah Consulting, to unpack what he calls the silent tax leak, the hidden dollars many organizations lose through outdated payroll and benefits structures.

Sean explains how companies can redesign their benefits strategy to improve employee healthcare access, reduce payroll tax expense, and increase take-home pay for employees, often without increasing total spend.

This conversation is especially valuable for:

• business owners
• CFOs
• HR leaders
• nonprofit executives
• school systems
• municipalities
• operators trying to control rising healthcare costs without hurting people

Sean also shares:

• the most common myths leaders believe about payroll taxes and benefits
• why smart organizations still miss these savings
• how benefits impact trust, retention, and employee morale
• where AI and automation are already improving enrollment, access, and communication
• what great leaders do differently when margins get tight

If you are squeezed by healthcare costs, payroll tax burden, and pressure to do more with less, this episode is worth your time.

Connect with Dr. Sean Wilson:
Website: thesavings.manoahconsulting.com
Phone: 817-271-7766

Guest Introduction
Today’s guest is Dr. Sean Wilson, founder of Manoah Consulting. Sean helps organizations uncover what he calls the silent tax leak, hidden payroll tax dollars that quietly drain margin year after year.

He works with business leaders, nonprofits, municipalities, and schools to redesign benefits in a way that improves employee healthcare access while lowering costs for the employer.

If you have ever felt trapped between rising benefits expense and taking care of your people, this conversation is going to hit home.

They only talk about the upside.

But according to acquisitions and capital markets expert Eitan Holder, the fastest way to lose investor trust is pretending there’s no downside.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Eitan Holder to break down the real mindset behind winning deals, raising capital, and underwriting commercial real estate with conviction.

Most sponsors focus on selling the upside.

The best operators earn trust by being honest about the risks.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes speaks with Eitan Holder, a commercial real estate acquisitions and capital markets operator responsible for sourcing deals, raising capital, and managing assets across retail and industrial properties in major U.S. markets.

Eitan recently helped close Lakeshore Plaza in West Palm Beach, and in this conversation he breaks down what actually separates operators who win deals from those who simply analyze them.

This discussion covers underwriting discipline, certainty of close, investor psychology, and how AI may reshape acquisitions over the next few years.

Key topics include:

• The mindset required to win competitive deals
• How conviction shows up in negotiations with sellers
• Why sophisticated LP investors care most about track record
• The biggest mistakes sponsors make when presenting deals
• Why retail visibility doesn’t always equal customers
• How underwriting discipline creates certainty of close
• The role AI may play in acquisitions and deal analytics

If you’re a commercial real estate operator, investor, or capital allocator, this episode offers a rare look at how disciplined dealmakers actually think.

About the Guest

Eitan Holder is a commercial real estate acquisitions and capital markets professional focused on sourcing deals, raising investor capital, and supervising asset management across retail and industrial assets in major U.S. markets.

He recently helped close Lakeshore Plaza in West Palm Beach, and specializes in connecting institutional-quality opportunities with investor capital while applying deep underwriting discipline and market analysis.

Eitan is known for his operator-first perspective on acquisitions, conviction in deal structuring, and transparency with investors around both upside and risk.

Connect with Eitan Holder on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eitan-holder/

In this episode, John Crossman breaks down the leadership habits, resilience, discipline, and people-first mindset that matter most in commercial real estate, especially when markets get uncertain.

What does it really take to lead through uncertainty in commercial real estate?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with John Crossman, President of Crossman Services, speaker, author, mentor, and longtime CRE operator, for a powerful conversation on leadership, resilience, disciplined decision making, market cycles, team building, mental health, and long-term success in commercial real estate.

John shares how he got started in CRE, the hard lessons that shaped him, what resilience really looks like in down markets, how great leaders think under pressure, where the real opportunities are today, and why relationships, empathy, and showing up still matter more than ever.

This is not just a conversation about deals. It is a conversation about how to lead, grow, and finish well.

In this episode, we cover:

• How John got started in commercial real estate
• The mindset that helped him survive brutal market cycles
• Why resilience matters for every CRE operator
• The leadership mistakes executives make
• How great investors evaluate risk
• What younger investors are getting wrong today
• Where the real opportunities are in the current market
• Why relationships still drive real estate success
• How AI can help in CRE without replacing the human side
• The career advice that helped shape John’s success

If you are a commercial real estate operator, investor, broker, founder, or leader trying to grow through uncertainty, this episode is for you.

Guest intro

John Crossman is the President of Crossman Services, a commercial real estate advisory, brokerage, and investment firm based in Central Florida.

He has spent more than three decades in commercial real estate, building teams, advising clients, navigating multiple market cycles, and mentoring the next generation of industry leaders. Beyond real estate, John is also a speaker, author, leadership coach, and host of The Crossman Conversation.

Bill Eshenbaugh has spent decades in Florida land brokerage, through boom cycles, crashes, government slowdowns, and complex entitlement battles. In this episode, he breaks down what really moves land deals and what most investors still get wrong.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Bill Eshenbaugh, founder and senior advisor at Eshenbaugh Land Company, to unpack the real-world complexity behind land brokerage, entitlements, market cycles, and long-hold seller psychology in Florida.

Bill has spent decades at the center of major land deals in the Tampa Bay market and has seen what happens when liquidity disappears, regulations tighten, insurance costs rise, and development timelines stretch from months into years.

This conversation goes deep into what actually drives value in land, why so many deals stall, what hidden risks most buyers miss, and why relationships still matter more than ever in a world rushing toward automation.

They also discuss Florida growth, infrastructure pressure, transportation, insurance, political risk, legacy projects like hospitals and history centers, and how technology and AI may help the land business without replacing the human judgment it still requires.

If you are a land investor, developer, broker, builder, or operator trying to understand where the Florida market is really headed, this episode is packed with hard-earned insight.

In this episode:

• Why Florida land deals can take 24 to 36 months
• Why sellers still resist major price reductions
• The hidden deal killers buyers often miss
• How entitlement, zoning, title, and environmental issues delay closings
• What Bill learned from the RTC era and past market crashes
• Why relationships still drive land brokerage
• How to think about roads, utilities, and future value
• What AI can and cannot replace in land deals
• Why Florida cattle country and development are more connected than people think

Guest Introduction

Today’s guest is Bill Eshenbaugh, founder and senior advisor at Eshenbaugh Land Company, one of the most respected land brokerage and advisory firms in the Tampa Bay market.

Bill holds both the CCIM and ALC designations, has worked through multiple market cycles, served during the RTC era, and has been involved in major land transactions and legacy projects across Florida for decades. He also recently released his historical novel, Up to Shenandoah.

Connect with Bill Eshenbaugh:

• Email: bill@thedirtdog.com
• Book: Up to Shenandoah, available on Amazon

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to The AI Edge Podcast, like the video, and share it with an operator, investor, or developer who wants the real truth about land cycles and getting deals done.

• Bill Eshenbaugh
• Florida land deals
• Florida land investing
• land brokerage
• land entitlement
• Tampa real estate
• Tampa land broker
• land development Florida
• commercial real estate Florida
• Florida development
• entitlement process
• zoning and land use
• market cycles real estate

#CommercialRealEstate #LandDevelopment #FloridaRealEstate #LandBrokerage #AIEdgePodcast

In this episode, Carol Schultz breaks down why founders become the bottleneck, why delegation often fails, and how the right Chief of Staff model can help CEOs reclaim leverage, reduce chaos, and get back to leading the company instead of drowning in it.

What happens when the CEO becomes the bottleneck?

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Carol Schultz, Founder and CEO of Vertical Elevation, bestselling author of Powered by People, and host of the Evolving Your Workplace Podcast.

Carol helps CEOs escape operational overwhelm through her Chief of Staff Scaffold System, a model designed to help founders step out of the weeds, regain leverage, and build companies that can grow without everything depending on them.

This conversation goes deep into the real reasons delegation breaks down, why so many leaders stay trapped in meetings and people management, and how blind spots inside the business keep CEOs from scaling effectively.

You’ll also hear Carol’s perspective on founder syndrome, executive coaching, leadership development, talent strategy, AI risk, and what separates companies that thrive from companies that stall.

If you are a founder, CEO, or operator who feels like the business cannot move without you, this episode will hit home.

In this episode:

• Why CEOs become the bottleneck
• Early warning signs a founder is trapped in the business
• Why delegation breaks down
• The difference between an Executive Assistant, Chief of Staff, and COO
• Carol’s Chief of Staff Scaffold System
• The hidden 20 to 25 percent CEOs cannot see from the outside
• How to build a culture of feedback
• What strong operators do differently
• Where AI helps leaders, and where it becomes dangerous

Connect with Carol Schultz at VerticalElevation.com and on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to The AI Edge Podcast, share it with a founder or operator, and stay tuned for more conversations on leadership, systems, AI, and operational growth.

Guest Introduction

Today’s guest is Carol Schultz, Founder and CEO of Vertical Elevation, bestselling author of Powered by People, and host of the Evolving Your Workplace Podcast.

Carol has spent more than three decades working with startups, founders, and executive teams, helping leaders build stronger companies through better talent strategy, leadership development, and operational clarity.

Her work today centers on helping CEOs reclaim leverage through her Chief of Staff Scaffold System, a structured model that helps founders get out of the weeds, reduce chaos, and scale without becoming the bottleneck.

Student housing is not broken because demand is low, it is broken because the economics do not work in the exact markets that need it most.

Charles Williams, CEO of Pioneer Realty Capital, explains why many developers avoid tertiary markets, why affordability pressure hits harder in student housing, and the overlooked reality that your customer often does not have a job.

We break down the supply and demand mechanics, what happens when universities cannot house students, and how housing insecurity becomes an education problem, then an economic problem.

Charles also walks through how public private partnerships can succeed, where they usually fail, and why alignment of incentives is the difference between a project that serves students and a project that becomes a long-term liability.

We cover the role of low-cost capital, the structure behind tax-exempt municipal bonds, and the operational guardrails that matter when you are building at scale.

Finally, we get into Project PRC, the nonprofit layer that creates a safety net for students and helps de-risk the platform, and why impact and returns do not have to be at odds if the model is built correctly.

Connect with Charles and learn more:
Project PRC: projectprc.org
PRC Equity Fund: prcequityfund.org

Most investors do not lose because they cannot find deals, they lose because they waste time on the wrong ones.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Agostino Pintus, Chief Information Officer at Day Street Capital. Agostino has led large enterprise IT teams, navigated tough turnarounds, and now he is building a modern, tech-enabled investment firm focused on single tenant net lease real estate.

We get into how AI is being used to accelerate deal screening and underwriting, why net lease can create predictable, risk-adjusted returns, and the real operating principles behind turning chaos into order.

We also cover partnerships, operating agreements, leadership, team dynamics, and the practical reality of using AI without replacing human judgment.

If you are an operator, investor, or decision maker who wants practical systems that scale, this episode will hit.

Connect with Agostino:
LinkedIn: Search “Agostino Pintus”

Subscribe for more conversations with founders, investors, and operators using systems, strategy, and smart tech to create real world results.

real estate investing, net lease, single tenant net lease, underwriting, deal screening, ai underwriting, commercial real estate, investment firm, capital markets, investor returns, real estate automation, real estate systems, CIO, operational leadership, turnaround, operating agreement, partnerships, due diligence, CRE

AI is everywhere, but most of it is not sustainable.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Gregg Bauer, Managing Partner at Scale Up Labs and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Spinnaker Venture Partners. Gregg has been building in the connected economy long before it was a buzzword, across industrial IoT, analytics, and real world AI systems.

We talk about the difference between AI hype and AI that actually creates outcomes, why “prompts on top of an LLM” is not a moat, and what happens when AI becomes a true virtual coworker inside a business.

We also unpack industrial use cases that create real ROI, like energy optimization with 20 to 25% efficiency gains, predictive maintenance using vibration sensors, and how founders and operators should think about AI native versus AI enabled businesses.

If you are an operator, investor, or founder who wants the real truth on AI in the physical economy, this one is for you.

Guest links:
Scale Up Labs: https://scaleuplabs.vc
LinkedIn: Search “Gregg Bauer” (Gregg with two Gs)

Subscribe for more conversations with founders, investors, and operators using systems, strategy, and smart tech to create real world results.

AI hype, AI coworker, industrial AI, industrial IoT, connected economy, predictive maintenance, energy optimization, venture capital, Scale Up Labs, Spinnaker Venture Partners, AI native, AI enabled, automation, smart manufacturing, generative AI, real estate AI, operations, founders, investors, enterprise innovation

Wally Wang has built products, deployed capital, and evaluated hundreds of early stage teams. In this conversation, we strip away the hype and talk about what is actually working in AI, what is mostly noise, and how serious operators build companies that survive real markets.

In today’s AI hype cycle, storytellers get attention, builders create outcomes.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Wally Wang, Managing Partner at Scale Asia Ventures, a Silicon Valley based early stage venture firm focused on enterprise software and AI enabled vertical industries.

Wally has lived on both sides, operator and investor. He built real systems in product and data, worked in fraud detection and anti money laundering, then transitioned into venture to back founders building durable companies. We dig into how he evaluates teams, how cross border pattern recognition changes the way you see markets, and what is real in AI right now versus what is mostly noise.

We cover:

• How to recognize real entrepreneurial operators vs great storytellers
• What founders get wrong about AI, trust, adoption, compliance
• Cross border investing, US vs Asia, procurement, trust, distribution
• Why vertical AI is a powerful wedge
• The universal truths great companies share across markets
• What matters more now, speed, learning, execution, and what matters less, raising massive capital

Connect with Wally:

• LinkedIn, search “Wally Wang”
• Email, wally at sav (as shared in the episode)

Host:
Louis Fernandes, Co Founder, Edge Partners AI
The AI Edge Podcast, conversations with operators, founders, investors, and builders using systems and technology that hold up under pressure.

If you got value from this episode, share it with a founder, operator, or allocator who’s trying to separate signal from hype.

Subscribe for weekly operator level conversations.

Tags

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Venture Capital, VC, Startups, Entrepreneurship, Founders, Operators, Enterprise Software, Vertical AI, Automation, Business Systems, Go To Market, GTM, Fundraising, Investing, Cross Border Investing, US Asia, Pattern Recognition, Compliance, Trust, Adoption, Workflow Automation, Real Estate Podcast, The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes, Scale Asia Ventures, Wally Wang

#AI #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #Startups #EnterpriseAI

Ken Doble has run 23,000 units, survived 2008, and says that 9 times out of 10, it’s people, process, and discipline.

And the next evolution? Digital employees that outperform human leasing agents.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Ken Doble, apartment investor and partner at Quantitative Realty Capital, to break down what actually drives performance in multifamily.

Ken started onsite managing 24 units and eventually oversaw 23,000 units across 11 states. He lived through the 2008 collapse, saw $1.5B in valuation shrink dramatically, and rebuilt his operating philosophy around discipline, reserves, and execution.

This is not theory. This is field-tested operations.

Inside this conversation:

• The 5 P’s of Property Management, People, Pricing, Product, Promotion, Process
• Why most owners misunderstand the “management gap”
• How incentives can instantly change performance
• The truth about revenue management and lost-to-lease
• What 2008 really taught operators about leverage and reserves
• The Lotto Principle in value-add investing
• How AI will create digital leasing agents that outperform humans
• Why most AI tools only remove headaches instead of driving revenue
• The coming death of SaaS as custom AI workflows emerge

Ken also breaks down where AI actually works in multifamily:

Collections workflows
Operational audits
Underwriting automation
Inspection systems
Digital employees

And where it still falls apart due to hallucinations, legal risk, and lack of context.

If you operate apartments, this episode will sharpen how you think about:

Execution
Capital structure
Operational discipline
Technology leverage
Leadership under pressure

👤 Guest Introduction

Ken Doble is an apartment investor and operator and partner at Quantitative Realty Capital based in Atlanta. Over his career, he has been involved in more than 30,000 units and led over $233M in renovations.

He previously served as COO overseeing 23,000 units across 11 states and survived the 2008 collapse, rebuilding his investment philosophy around reserves, discipline, and operational execution.

📌 Key Takeaways

• The management gap between corporate expectations and onsite reality
• Why 90 percent of underperformance traces back to people and process
• How incentives can triple leasing velocity instantly
• Why you cannot fix a bad market with operations alone
• The real mechanics of lost-to-lease
• Why capital stack mistakes kill good properties
• Digital employees will eventually replace leasing workflows
• AI is powerful, but hallucinations still create risk
• Discipline in boring basics wins cycles

🏷 SEO Tags

Multifamily investing
Apartment operations
Property management systems
Real estate AI
Digital leasing agent
NOI growth strategies
Revenue management multifamily
Real estate underwriting
Value add apartments
Commercial real estate podcast

Steven Ludwig has lived that journey for 23 years, building a full stack platform across investing, property management, construction, materials, and lending.

In this episode we break down what vertical integration really costs, what it unlocks, and what can become a drag if you do it wrong.

Vertical integration sounds clean in a pitch deck, but in the real world it means people, projects, permits, capital, and constant execution pressure.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Steven Ludwig, Founder and CEO of Coastline Real Estate Advisors, to break down what it really takes to build a vertically integrated real estate platform and why investors are increasingly rewarding operators who control their execution.

Steven shares how the 2008 financial crisis exposed the weakness of relying on third party property management, why he built an in house platform as a lifeline through fee income, and how that decision expanded into construction and building materials to solve real operational problems like renovation cost visibility, supply chain delays, and inconsistent product specs across a portfolio.

This conversation is for operators, founders, and capital partners who want scale without chaos, and who understand that controlling cost, timing, and reporting becomes the game when markets tighten.

If you are thinking about building your own property management arm, launching in house construction, or integrating materials or lending, this episode gives you the real tradeoffs, where it works, where it fails, and what must be true before you add complexity.

Steven Ludwig is the Founder and CEO of Coastline Real Estate Advisors. Over more than 20 years, Steven has built a vertically integrated family of companies across multifamily and industrial value add investing, property management, construction execution, building materials, and lending.

His work is centered on delivering strong risk adjusted returns through tighter operational control, better cost visibility, and faster execution.

Key Takeaways

• Why 2008 pushed Steven from syndicator to full platform operator
• The real advantage of vertical integration, cost control and time control
• How in house property management created a fee income lifeline
• Why renovation cost tracking is broken in most operators’ models
• How material stockouts quietly destroy operations and consistency
• The hidden risk in vertical integration, spreading leadership too thin
• How investors evaluate alignment across multiple entities and fees
• What to focus on in operating agreements, especially when things go wrong
• Where AI is actually useful today, and where it is still mostly noise

Vertical integration real estate, multifamily operations, property management strategy, real estate private equity, real estate syndication, construction management, value add multifamily, family office investing, commercial real estate investing, investor reporting systems

If you got value from this episode, subscribe for more operator level conversations on scale, systems, and execution.
Comment below, are you building a vertically integrated platform, or staying lean and outsourcing
Want to map your workflows and identify leverage inside your operation, book a 20 minute working session with my team at Edge Partners AI here: https://calendly.com/edgepartnersai/ai-discovery-call

Episode Description
Texas is still one of the most active growth markets in the country, but turning raw land into finished lots is getting harder, slower, and more expensive. In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis sits down with Mike Yantis, President and CEO of Yantis Land LLC, a third generation operator who has managed over $2 billion in civil infrastructure and scaled a major construction business from 180 employees to nearly 600.

Mike shares the real mechanics behind land development in the I-35 corridor, what makes a deal viable, and the fastest ways projects lose time or money, from utilities and entitlements to municipal rules and carry costs. He also explains how he structures deals today, owner, JV, or fee developer, and why patience and buying right matter more than chasing deals.

Then we go into AI, including the new tools Mike is using to evaluate land, pull zoning and utility data, and even generate early site plans in minutes. If you’re a developer, builder, landowner, or investor who wants a grounded look at how Texas land development works in the real world, this episode is for you.

Guest Intro
Today’s guest has helped shape the growth of Central Texas from the ground up. I’m joined by Mike Yantis, President and CEO of Yantis Land LLC.

Mike has managed over $2 billion in civil infrastructure projects across the region, including airports, military bases, DOT road work, industrial sites, commercial developments, and large scale subdivisions. As a leader at Yantis Company, he helped grow the business more than 200%, scaled the team from about 180 people to nearly 600, and drove major gains in profitability.

Today, Mike focuses on land development and fee development, delivering single family, build to rent, and manufactured housing opportunities for top builders across Texas. We break down what it really takes to move projects from raw dirt to finished lots, how to avoid the mistakes that destroy deals, and where AI is starting to change the land game.

Welcome back to The AI Edge Podcast, where we sit down with operators, investors, and builders shaping the future of real estate, capital, and the built world.

Today’s guest is Anthony Sandoval, Founder of Terra Firma Global Advisory, working at the intersection of regenerative real estate, impact finance, and large scale development across multiple regions. We talk eco communities, hospitality, longevity villages, climate aligned capital, and why data centers are becoming critical infrastructure for the AI era.

In this conversation, Anthony breaks down what is changing in global real estate, what sophisticated investors are looking for right now, how cross border execution really works, and why sustainability and profitability can, and should, scale together.

Topics we cover
• What regenerative real estate actually means, and why it is becoming a major shift
• Why nature, community, and remote work are reshaping demand globally
• Data centers, AI, robotics, and the infrastructure behind the next wave
• What family offices and institutional capital want today that they did not want five years ago
• Executing deals across borders, culture, speed, transparency, and risk
• The real drivers of returns in regenerative development
• Anthony’s long term vision, and what he believes the next decade looks like

Connect with Anthony
LinkedIn: Anthony Sandoval
Terra Firma: terrafermaglobal.com
Vesper Stone: vespastone.com

If you got value from this episode, subscribe to The AI Edge Podcast, and share it with one operator or investor who is thinking about the future of real estate and infrastructure.

Guest Introduction Script

Today’s guest is Anthony Sandoval, Founder of Terra Firma Global Advisory, focused on regenerative real estate and climate aligned capital, with active work spanning multiple markets and development themes, from eco communities and hospitality to next generation data center infrastructure.

Anthony brings a global perspective on where real estate demand is moving, how capital is shifting, and why the future is being built at the intersection of sustainability, execution, and infrastructure.

Description:
In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Logan Freeman, Managing Broker at Midwest Commercial Real Estate Advisors, also known as the KC CRE Guy. Logan is a broker, investor, and developer with $350M+ in executed transactions and a clear philosophy, he doesn’t just list commercial real estate, he launches it.

Logan breaks down how he reads real estate cycles in real time using the 18.6 year real estate cycle and Ricardo’s law of economic rent, why he believes we are currently in the winner’s curse, and what operators are underestimating heading into 2026.

We also dig into his Spotlight Strategy for marketing and selling CRE, how he builds organic demand through content and live deal launches, what changes in a soft leasing market, and where AI actually creates leverage in underwriting, positioning, and execution (including why Gamma has become a non negotiable tool in his workflow).

If you are a broker, owner, investor, or developer looking for a sharper framework to position assets and stay ahead of the market, this episode will help you think more clearly, move faster, and make better decisions through this cycle.

Guest, Logan Freeman (KC CRE Guy)
Managing Broker, Midwest Commercial Real Estate Advisors
Website: https://wcreadvisors.com
Email: logan@wcreadvisors.com
Phone: 573-694-9669
LinkedIn: Logan Freeman (KC CRE Guy)

If you got value from this episode, send it to a broker or operator who is still treating listings like commodities when they should be engineering outcomes through positioning, leasing strategy, and execution.

Description

Property management is undergoing a massive transformation, and AI is at the center of it.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Maor Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder of PickSpace, to discuss how full-stack AI property management platforms are reshaping commercial, residential, and self-storage operations worldwide.

Maor shares the journey from marketplace startup to AI-powered operations company, the real operational bottlenecks property managers face, and why the next generation of real estate operators will rely heavily on automation, intelligent workflows, and data-driven execution.

You’ll learn:

• How AI is replacing up to 80% of traditional property management workflows
• The biggest operational inefficiencies still holding real estate back
• Why many operators resist automation, and what happens next
• Lessons from building a global PropTech marketplace
• Where AI-driven property operations are heading in the next decade

If you are a commercial real estate operator, investor, property manager, or PropTech founder, this conversation delivers real execution-level insights you can apply immediately.

Subscribe to The AI Edge Podcast for operator-level conversations on real estate, capital, and technology.

Guest

Maor Cohen
CEO & Co-Founder, PickSpace
AI-Driven Property Management & PropTech Marketplace
Website: https://pickspace.com

Episode Description

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast: CRE & AI, I sit down with Vince Baiera, Chief Growth Officer and co-owner of Homehop Property Management, real estate fund manager, entrepreneur, and bestselling author.

Vince has built across multiple industries, healthcare, SaaS, consumer products, and now short-term rentals, and he breaks down what actually creates scale when you move past the mom and pop phase.

We cover:

• Why most operators hit a wall at 6 to 10 listings, and what to build before you break
• The systems and SOP engine Homehop uses to manage 100 plus properties
• Where AI is real leverage vs pure hype, and how operators should evaluate new tools
• How Vince thinks about capital raising, LP trust, and what investors actually care about
• The mindset shift from fear to execution, including the phone skills that still win

If you are building operational leverage, scaling a portfolio, or trying to grow deal flow through systems, this one is for you.

Guest Intro

My guest today is Vince Baiera, Chief Growth Officer and co-owner of Homehop Property Management, real estate fund manager, entrepreneur, and bestselling author.

Vince started as an ICU nurse, built and exited a consumer product company, worked in SaaS and go to market leadership, and now helps scale a short-term rental platform managing over 100 properties. This is a real operator conversation on systems, execution, and using AI as leverage, not noise.

Description

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, I sit down with Neil Henderson, General Partner at Nomad Capital, to unpack what a real pivot looks like, from nearly two decades in defense contracting to building a commercial real estate career in self storage syndications.

Neil shares the truth most beginners miss, cashflow keeps you alive, appreciation builds wealth. We go deep on self storage as a recession resilient asset, the real risks operators overlook, why conversions can win on cost and time, and what separates responsible investor communication from hype.

We also talk systems, CRM discipline, using AI as leverage for investor relations, and what freedom actually means when you are building a portfolio for the long game.

If you are a GP, LP, or operator thinking about self storage, capital raising, or making your own pivot, this one is for you.

About the guest

Neil Henderson is a General Partner at Nomad Capital. After 18 years supporting the U.S. Air Force as a defense contractor, he transitioned into real estate, built experience across rentals, and ultimately moved into commercial syndications with a focus on self storage.

At Nomad Capital, Neil has helped raise over $11 million in equity from passive investors and supports the growth of a multi state portfolio of stabilized storage assets.

In reality, the largest deal pipelines are built through deliberate relationship systems, curated mastermind networks, and distribution engines that accelerate opportunities before they ever hit the market.

In this episode, Rick Lackey reveals how curated CRE networks have helped accelerate more than $10B in transactions, how operators can stay “three calls away” from any global resource, and why relationship infrastructure is one of the most underrated competitive advantages in commercial real estate today.

Episode Description

What actually drives deal flow in commercial real estate?
Not just contacts. Not just capital. Structured relationship systems.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Rick Lackey, commercial real estate broker, entrepreneur, and founder of CRE Network USA and Real Professionals Network, to break down how curated mastermind groups, distribution platforms, and disciplined relationship management can accelerate deals, capital connections, and operator growth.

Rick shares the playbook behind deliberate networking, how curated CRE communities generate real transactions, why most operators misunderstand capital relationships, and how AI-driven distribution is beginning to reshape how CRE professionals nurture relationships at scale.

If you are a CRE operator, GP, LP, broker, investor, or capital partner, this episode provides a practical blueprint for building relationship leverage, referral pipelines, and long-term deal velocity.

About the Guest

Rick Lackey is a commercial real estate broker, entrepreneur, and founder of Real Professionals Network and CRE Network USA, relationship-driven platforms designed to accelerate deal flow through curated mastermind communities and strategic industry connections.

Over his career, Rick has led national brokerage teams, worked on large-scale tenant representation assignments, and built networking systems that have contributed to the acceleration of billions of dollars in commercial real estate transactions.

His work focuses on helping CRE operators, investors, and professionals build meaningful connections that convert into real opportunities.

If you are building deals, raising capital, or scaling your CRE platform, subscribe to The AI Edge Podcast for weekly conversations with operators and innovators shaping the future of commercial real estate and AI-driven systems.

Description
In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Rob Presbrey, Co-Founder and President of KPIs, a business intelligence platform built specifically for the multifamily industry.

After more than two decades operating multifamily portfolios, Rob experienced firsthand the frustration of fragmented reporting, manual Excel work, and delayed decision-making. That experience led him to build a platform designed to aggregate property, leasing, maintenance, and operational data into a single real-time intelligence system, helping ownership groups, asset managers, and operators shift from building reports to executing strategy.

Rob shares how integrated data visibility can return hours of productivity each week, improve retention forecasting, uncover hidden revenue opportunities, and help operators make faster, smarter decisions across large portfolios. The conversation also explores how AI, integrations, and smarter KPI design are reshaping the future of multifamily operations.

If you are an owner, operator, asset manager, or multifamily leader looking to move from reporting overload to operational clarity, this episode delivers practical insight you can apply immediately.

About the Guest
Rob Presbrey is the Co-Founder and President of KPIs, a multifamily-focused business intelligence platform that transforms fragmented operational data into actionable performance insights. With more than 25 years of experience in multifamily operations, including regional and director-level leadership roles overseeing large portfolios, Rob brings an operator’s lens to data, performance management, and technology adoption across the industry.

Episode Description
Commercial real estate leasing still runs on slow, risky workflows, emailed tax returns, messy PDFs, and manual review that drags deals out for weeks. In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, Louis Fernandes sits down with Josh Feinberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Otso, an AI powered underwriting as a service platform helping landlords make better tenant decisions, faster.

Josh spent over a decade as a broker, owner, and investor with more than $1B in transaction experience before building the platform he wished existed as an operator. We dig into why “credit” is the leg most landlords don’t truly have nailed, how Otso modernizes tenant financial collection and compliance, and why the real win is not just speed, it’s fewer defaults and stronger asset value.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why tenant screening is broken for retail, office, and industrial leasing
• The real bottleneck after the LOI, and how it kills deals
• How Otso helps move deals from prospect to profit in days, not weeks
• Where AI actually belongs in underwriting workflows, and where humans must stay involved
• Why SOC 2, “do not train, do not cache,” and cold storage matter for tenant PII
• What institutional owners should ask vendors about security and AI use

Today’s guest sits at the intersection of commercial real estate and practical AI. Josh Feinberg is the CEO and Co-Founder of Otso, an AI powered underwriting as a service platform that helps institutional owners and leasing teams execute better tenant financial due diligence, close leases faster, and protect asset value.

Before building Otso, Josh spent more than a decade as a commercial broker, owner, and investor with over one billion dollars in transactions, so he has lived the pain of slow tenant screening, messy diligence, and risk decisions made with incomplete data.

In this conversation we talk leasing operations, why credit is still the broken leg in underwriting, what modern tenant diligence should look like, and how AI can speed up decisions without compromising security.

Josh, welcome to the show.

Ray shares why the 2 to 200 unit space is so underserved, how Terra targets properties where the work scares everyone else off, and why their strategy centers on operational execution, not hype. They dig into what it means to “institutionalize” small multifamily, why Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Indianapolis can still offer strong value add margins, and the deal signals that separate real opportunity from a future headache.

You will also hear Ray’s blunt take on the biggest GP mistakes, what actually builds trust with LPs, and how Terra is approaching AI, not as a replacement for humans, but as leverage for operations, tenant communication, and off market sourcing.

If you are an operator, LP, or rising GP trying to build a durable investing business, this one is a masterclass in discipline, systems, and picking markets that do not break when the cycle shifts.

Introduce the Guest

Today’s guest is Ray, Managing Director at Terra Capital, a private equity firm focused on sub-institutional, value add multifamily across Midwest markets like Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Indianapolis.

Before Terra, Ray built a foundation in the institutional world, working in real estate and macro analysis, then carrying that discipline into the smaller asset space where execution and systems matter even more. At Terra, he is focused on a long-term mission, bringing institutional quality to the overlooked 2 to 200 unit segment by combining deep renovations, vertical integration, and portfolio scale.

This conversation is about how to win where most people are not looking, and how to build a real moat in multifamily.

In this episode of The AI Edge, I sit down with Brandy Tomlinson, Multi Site Community Director at Evergreen Real Estate, to unpack what affordable housing operations really look like behind the scenes.

Brandy shares how property management found her, why she knew from day one LIHTC was her lane, and how affordable housing differs from conventional communities. We dive into the reality of compliance, audits, staffing challenges, and the manual processes that still eat up time, plus where tech is finally catching up, including online applications, resident communication, and integrated property management systems.

We also cover the biggest misunderstandings people have about affordable housing, the difference between income restricted and income based housing, and why the human connection matters, even as AI starts entering property management.

If you work in multifamily, operations, community development, or you want to understand how housing stability changes lives, this episode will hit home.

Guest Introduction

Today’s guest is a strong operator and an even stronger mission driven leader in affordable housing. Brandy Tomlinson is a Multi Site Community Director at Evergreen Real Estate with deep expertise in LIHTC, compliance, lease ups, resident services, and building partnerships with homeless services across Greater Nashville.

She’s in the work every day, leading teams, managing complex systems, and helping families find stability through housing.

Most investors fall in love with the story. Jeff Koenig falls in love with execution. In this episode, Jeff breaks down why the team matters more than the idea in startups, why real estate is “painfully simple” when you know what to look for, and what GPs must fix right now to keep LP trust, especially around capital calls and overly complex deal structures.

Jeff Koenig has one of those careers that only makes sense when you hear the throughline. He’s owned and sold multiple small businesses, spent nearly two decades as a fractional CEO and CFO, became a seasoned angel investor, and quietly built a major LP real estate portfolio across roughly 16,000 doors in multiple states.

In this conversation, Jeff explains how he evaluates risk across asset classes, why most founders and operators underestimate the capital plan, and why the best investors are actually risk averse. We also get into what separates venture backable companies from lifestyle businesses, how Jeff screens real estate deals fast, and the biggest GP mistakes that cause LPs to lose trust, including capital call misalignment and deal structures that get too complicated to understand.

If you’re an LP, a GP, a founder, or an operator building your next chapter, this episode will sharpen how you think.

Guest Introduction

Today’s guest brings a rare mix of perspectives, small business owner, fractional CEO and CFO, angel investor, and LP in institutional real estate across multiple markets. He’s the Chair of the Board at Desert Angels, co founder of Startup Ecosystem, and the owner of Open For Business, where he helps businesses with strategic planning and financial discipline from early stage to exit.

He describes his career journey in one word, unpredictable.

Chapters (copy/paste starter):
0:00 It’s not the idea, it’s the team
2:00 “Unpredictable” career path and relationships
4:00 Risk discipline and why great investors are risk averse
7:30 What angel investing is, explained simply
9:10 What makes a startup venture backable
13:30 What Jeff looks at first as a fractional CEO/CFO
16:20 Why real estate is “painfully simple”
18:20 How Jeff became an LP and scaled to 16,000 doors
23:00 How he evaluates a real estate deal fast
30:20 Biggest lesson from angel investing
33:00 GP mistakes that lose LP trust, capital calls
35:15 Deal structures that get too complex
39:00 Jeff’s view on AI, what it will and won’t replace
42:30 Advice to new LPs, apprentice first
45:30 How GPs build real investor trust
47:20 Where to find Jeff

Private real estate is massive, but it’s still an imbalanced market. LPs usually see what’s in the deck, and when things go wrong, the number one complaint is simple, communication.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:
In this episode, I sit down with Pat Zingarella, CEO of Invest Clearly, a platform bringing transparency to private real estate by collecting verified LP reviews and sponsor track records, think Yelp, but for real estate operators.

We break down what LPs are reporting right now, what separates great operators from the rest, why negative reviews follow predictable patterns, and how verified reviews could change incentives across private markets.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:
• Why private real estate is still an inefficient market, and how information asymmetry creates distrust
• The number one reason LPs leave negative reviews, even more than returns
• The biggest gap between pre investment and post investment communication
• What smart LP due diligence looks like in 2025, and how to ask second and third level questions
• Why Invest Clearly does not take a piece of any deal, and why neutrality is the moat

Guest: Pat Zingarella, CEO of Invest Clearly
Learn more: investclearly.com

If you got value from this episode, share it with an LP, GP, or operator who cares about trust and transparency in private real estate.

Guest

Today’s guest is Pat Zingarella, CEO of Invest Clearly. He’s building what you could call the Yelp for private real estate, a platform where limited partners can leave verified reviews of sponsors, so investors can see what actually happens after the wire, not just what’s promised in the deck. If you care about trust, transparency, and protecting LP capital, this episode is for you.

In this episode, Sasha Deneux breaks down how real estate teams are building AI-driven deal flow systems, connecting CRM, inbox, forms, enrichment, and follow up so leads get captured, qualified, and worked automatically.

AI in real estate is not about shiny tools, it is about building an automated backbone so your pipeline runs fast, clean, and consistent.

In this episode, Sasha Deneux, Co-Founder of Next Automation, explains what “90 percent automated deal flow” looks like in practice, and how real estate teams are connecting lead capture, CRM, enrichment, outreach, and follow up into one system.

We cover the real automation stack, including Zapier, Make, n8n, and Clay, why speed to lead matters, how to qualify and enrich leads automatically, and how to scale without adding headcount. If you are overwhelmed by AI, this episode gives you the framework to start with process clarity first, then automate what repeats.

Sasha Deneux is the Co-Founder of Next Automation, a company that installs done-for-you automation systems that turn outreach, onboarding, and reporting into scalable growth engines. His team helps real estate firms connect CRM, communication, and lead flow so every inquiry is captured, qualified, enriched, and followed up automatically, reducing manual work and increasing conversion speed. Sasha also runs an AI community and shares practical templates and guides for real estate operators who want real systems, not hype.

Commercial real estate is entering a new era where carbon is no longer a philosophy, it’s a financial liability. In this episode, Robert Politzer, Founder and CEO of Green Street Global, breaks down how property owners can turn decarbonization mandates into a profit engine.

We cover Robert’s 28-year journey from pioneering green building projects in NYC to building a platform that combines cost-savings audits, vetted vendor marketplaces, and curated financing to deliver building upgrades with zero net cost. Then we go deeper into the idea that blew our minds, algae biofarms producing crude algae oil that can power generators, create renewable aviation and shipping fuels, and use existing petroleum infrastructure.

If you’re an owner, operator, investor, or developer trying to understand where regulation, NOI, and climate tech are headed, this one will sharpen your edge.

Robert Politzer is the Founder and CEO of Green Street Global, a climate tech company helping commercial property owners decarbonize buildings while cutting operating costs, increasing NOI, and improving asset value, often with no out-of-pocket cost. He has been a pioneer in green building for nearly three decades, founded one of New York City’s early green building firms, and has chaired multiple sustainability initiatives including the New York State Sustainable Business Task Force and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Green Buildings Committee. Today, Robert is building an AI-powered platform he calls DeCarb IQ, and exploring algae-based fuels as a major driver of scalable, profitable decarbonization.

🎙️ BRIEF EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Ben Nelson shares how he transitioned from producing world-class Red Bull action sports events to building over $100M in multifamily real estate, without sacrificing family, values, or integrity. This conversation goes deep on operator mindset, disciplined execution, community-first investing, and why time freedom is the real metric of success. If you’re building something serious and want it to support your life, not consume it, this episode is for you.

🎧 GUEST INTRO

Ben Nelson is a Partner at Wild Oak Capital with over $100 million in multifamily assets under management and more than 1,000 doors acquired. Before real estate, Ben spent nearly two decades producing high-stakes global action sports events for brands like Red Bull, where failure wasn’t an option. Today, he applies that same precision, leadership, and systems thinking to multifamily operations, investor communication, and building communities that last.

In this episode, Demetri Stakias shares what it really means to operate in distressed real estate with integrity, compassion, and conviction. From foreclosure and divorce to vacant commercial buildings and overleveraged assets, Demetri explains how relief isn’t just a transaction, it’s a responsibility.

Today’s guest is Demetri Stakias, Founder of Real Estate Relief, Hire Jets, and host of The Relief Podcast.

Demetri works directly with distressed residential and commercial property owners across multiple markets, helping them exit difficult situations with dignity, transparency, and speed. His work spans retail, mixed-use, industrial, storage, multifamily, land, and redevelopment assets, often involving complex emotional and financial circumstances most investors avoid.

What sets Demetri apart is not deal volume, but values. He operates with a mission rooted in service, faith, and long-term community restoration, not extraction.

In this episode of The AI Edge Podcast, we explore the reality behind distressed real estate, not from a tactics-first mindset, but from an operator who has lived it.

Demetri Stakias walks through his journey from accounting and construction into distressed real estate investing, and why he chose relief over exploitation. We discuss the psychology of sellers in crisis, why so many investors get it wrong, and how integrity, speed, and honesty create better outcomes for owners, buyers, and communities.

This conversation covers:

• What distressed sellers are actually dealing with emotionally and financially
• Why most real estate scripts and pressure tactics destroy trust
• The real risks inside distressed commercial and residential assets
• How integrity becomes a competitive advantage in chaotic markets
• Where AI and systems can support speed without removing humanity
• Why relief is about restoring people, not just repositioning property

This is a grounded, real-world conversation for operators, investors, and professionals who believe real estate should solve problems, not create more of them.

If you work with distressed assets, advise owners, or want a clearer moral framework for operating in real estate, this episode delivers depth, honesty, and perspective.

Mike Kondracki is the CEO and founder of Wawona Worldwide Capital, with decades at the center of global finance. From Wall Street investment banking to large-scale project finance across Latin America, to today’s commercial real estate lending market, Mike has closed over $20B in financings and currently has 30+ active loans totaling more than $1B in motion.

In this conversation, we break down what lenders care about most right now, why liquidity and net worth standards are tightening, how experienced operators navigate heavier due diligence and slower timelines, and how Mike is using AI to produce institutional-quality lender packages and outreach at speed while protecting relationships and execution.

Today’s guest is Mike Kondracki, CEO and founder of Wawona Worldwide Capital. Mike has originated and closed more than $20 billion in corporate, project, and commercial real estate financings, with experience spanning Manufacturers Hanover, Prudential Securities, Deutsche Bank, and years of structured finance work across Latin America. Today, he runs a boutique platform advising and executing loans across industrial, hospitality, retail, multifamily, and ground-up construction with a relentless focus on execution and relationships.

Most landowners believe they only have two options: sell the land early or try to become a full-time developer. In this episode, Louis Fernandes sits down with Eugene Gershman, CEO of GIS Companies and host of Real Estate Development: Land to Legacy, to break down the third path, development management for landowners and family offices who want the upside without the chaos.

Eugene walks through what a real feasibility study looks like, how value is created through forced appreciation, how to assemble the right team, and how to structure capital stacks intelligently so you don’t get crushed by leverage. If you own land, advise landowners, or want to understand how projects go from raw dirt to real numbers, this is a must-listen.

They dive deep into how tracking, discipline, and embracing “boring” consistency create lasting success — in business, investing, and health.

If you’re building a commercial real estate business and want to scale without losing control, this conversation is a playbook for doing the work that actually matters.

If you care about real returns, faster diligence, and the next chapter for malls, this conversation gives you operator level playbooks you can use.

If you’re an operator who thinks in terms of scale, cash flow, and execution, this conversation will feel like home.