IN THE ROOM with Arthur Weissman

Maria from R Homes started talking to investors six months ago with no background in it. She and Arthur get into what that first call feels like, what to do when you can't answer a question, and the thing most people miss: the investor on the other end is usually just as anxious as you are. Plus why a family business with everything to lose can be a stronger trust signal than a big company, and how to market without manipulating.

A Trust Moves Capital episode.

Chapters
00:00 Meet Maria from R Homes
00:46 Talking to investors for the first time
02:04 The question you can't answer
02:43 The investor is nervous too
04:35 Sharing information, not convincing
06:17 What to lead with: track record or vision
08:24 Why a family business has everything to lose
09:55 Marketing without manipulation
11:46 Authenticity and earned press
12:48 One investment, many ripple effects
14:08 Closing

Host: Arthur Weissman, LinkedIn
Guest: Maria, R Homes

In the Room is produced by AxisKey.

Capital is not the constraint. Trust is. Arthur sits down with capital raising expert and asset manager Andy Korn to look at both sides of the table: how issuers earn credibility by keeping promises, why issuers also need to trust their investors, and how that trust directly lowers the cost of capital.

A Trust Moves Capital episode.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome, meet Andy Korn
00:55 Capital is not the constraint, trust is
02:08 Long-term trust and promises kept
03:17 Why issuers must trust investors
04:26 Managing bad actors, rewarding great investors
05:17 How marketing changed capital raising
07:22 Core rules of smart investing
08:00 How trust lowers the cost of capital
10:29 Branding vs. modern investor acquisition
11:26 Closing thoughts

Host: Arthur Weissman, LinkedIn
Guest: Andy Korn

In the Room is produced by AxisKey.

Anthony Orso went from bricklaying to Wall Street to building XURA, a distributed energy network inside retail centers. He tells Arthur why energy is becoming the ultimate form of capital: store power at night when demand is low, sell it back at peak to EV chargers, tenants, utilities and the new wave of AI data centers. A boring, repeatable infrastructure business that eases the strain on an aging grid.

Originally released as The Deal Flow.

Chapters
00:00 Preview: energy is capital
00:47 Arthur welcomes Anthony Orso and XURA
02:20 The power crisis and energy arbitrage
04:00 Turning shopping centers into private utilities
06:55 Scaling a predictable, repeatable model
09:50 The next wave: AI demand and NeoCloud data centers
13:50 Fleet electrification and grid constraints
15:00 From bricklaying to Wall Street
21:00 Why the grid must evolve over the next 10 years
26:15 Expanding across the Northeast
29:15 Why the next generation is moving into energy finance
33:50 The future of energy and AI, final thoughts

Host: Arthur Weissman, LinkedIn
Guest: Anthony Orso, XURA (xura.co)

In the Room is produced by AxisKey.

Max Caruana sold his family's billboard business in Rome to Clear Channel on September 10, 2001, one day before the deal would have died. He talks with Arthur about rebuilding as a condo developer on the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio, and building condos when every broker told him not to.

Originally released as The Deal Flow.

Chapters
00:00 Cold open: timing is the deal breaker
00:51 Arthur welcomes Max
01:17 From Rome to the States: billboards, advertising and an MBA
02:14 Selling to Clear Channel on September 10, 2001
02:55 Why Texas: leaving San Diego after 2008
03:43 Billboards are a real estate model
04:15 Fifteen years in, and the second generation joins
05:50 The I-35 corridor
06:41 New Braunfels: the center of Texas growth
08:05 Building condos when every broker said no
08:43 Why the condo works as an asset
09:26 Demographic cycles and the migration south
11:03 Owners, investors and short-term rentals
11:51 Mixed-use and work-live-play in Texas
12:46 Retirees following their kids
13:30 Inside the condo regime
14:23 Why cities back developers who deliver
15:18 The risk nobody talks about: HOAs, litigation and finding a niche
16:12 Selling the lifestyle: pre-sales and the movie trailer
17:03 Rapid fire: where interest rates go in two years
18:14 Will it cost more to build?
19:48 The condo as the alternative to renting
20:30 Build-to-rent is the real competitor
21:46 The future of the condo product
22:37 Five-minute cities
23:50 Trend or bet? Texas growth and migration
25:00 Millennials and Gen Z: a generation without geography
28:58 Know your customer, your product and your cycles
29:38 From four-year margins to revenue streams
31:02 Failure, or adjustments
31:26 September 12, 2001: stranded in Halifax
33:22 How Max defines success
34:41 Unconditional commitment
36:03 Scaling and handing off to the next generation
38:40 Looking back 25 years
41:08 Closing

Host: Arthur Weissman, LinkedIn
Guest: Max Caruana, GBMC Communities

In the Room is produced by AxisKey.

Steve Rutman took over part of a 25-year family real estate business and changed how it raises money. He talks with Arthur about moving investors from long development timelines to monthly income, the gap between first and second generation, and how many no's it takes to get a yes.

Originally released as The Deal Flow.

Chapters
00:00 Intro: the shift to consistent monthly income
01:51 Why Solaris Estates changed its strategy after 25 years
04:31 The typical investor: Baby Boomers and IRAs
06:33 Monthly payments vs. traditional development projects
12:21 Taxes, depreciation and opportunity zones
18:10 Why not just go to a bank? Net present value explained
23:05 The future of Solaris: done with the old way
25:50 First-generation skepticism, second-generation change
30:51 The Direct Capital Method and the number of no's to get a yes
37:16 Closing thoughts

Host: Arthur Weissman, LinkedIn
Guest: Steve Rutman, Solaris Estates, LinkedIn

In the Room is produced by AxisKey.

Craig Studnicki has spent 32 years selling Miami to the world. The founder of ISG and creator of The Miami Report talks with Arthur about how the city became a permanent address for international capital, and why relationships still move more deals than listings.

Originally released as The Deal Flow.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to ISG and Craig Studnicki
03:05 Craig's journey in real estate
05:56 The unique Miami market
08:45 ISG's business model
12:10 Building relationships and networks
15:00 The Miami Report and its impact
18:11 Future growth and expansion
21:01 The need for capital and talent
23:49 Lessons learned from challenges
27:12 What comes next for ISG
30:07 The future of Miami and real estate

Host: Arthur Weissman, LinkedIn
Guest: Craig Studnicki, founder, ISG (International Sales Group), isgworld.com

In the Room is produced by AxisKey.