From Cold Calling to $1B: Building an AI-Proof Real Estate Platform Through Ground-Level Hustle - Dan Glaser - Managing Partner at Imperium Capital

Sam Schneider and Dan Glaser trace the arc of their two-decade real estate partnership on Inside Deal, from cold-calling interns to co-founders of Imperium Capital. Dan recounts his early exposure to Manhattan real estate through Rangers games with his father, an internship in office leasing that taught him to canvas relentlessly, and a second internship at City Habitats that introduced him to investment sales. The conversation moves quickly to their meeting at KMG Partners in 2005, the shift to Eastern Consolidated during the financial crisis, and the decision to launch Imperium in 2010 with no salary, no safety net, and desks borrowed from Centurion.

They discuss:

- Why they structured C-corp acquisitions to avoid double taxation and landed the Apple Store building in SoHo for $75 million

- How a cold call on a Chelsea apartment building turned into a same-day flip with a hidden buyer sitting in the closing room

- The origin of IG Logistics after discovering truck parking in Atlanta and tripling NOI on a Denver site while still under contract

- Why being a broker first builds the deal-sourcing skillset that AI cannot replicate

- How problem-solving under pressure across zoning codes and municipalities separates successful operators from everyone else

This episode captures the mechanics of off-market dealmaking and the mindset required to build a platform from scratch in a fragmented asset class.

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:02:00) - Growing up on Long Island
(00:03:31) - First interest in real estate
(00:04:12) - Cold calling as an office leasing intern
(00:06:25) - City Habitats and learning investment sales
(00:10:28) - Meeting at KMG Partners
(00:11:52) - The 2006 market shift
(00:14:04) - Moving to Eastern Consolidated
(00:14:17) - Learning from top brokers at Eastern
(00:19:05) - Understanding OPM and capital structures
(00:26:05) - Starting Imperium Capital
(00:32:45) - First months at Imperium
(00:34:21) - Building a sports team culture
(00:36:59) - First building on Worcester Street
(00:37:42) - The Apple Store building deal
(00:40:46) - Soho Square with Larry Gluck
(00:45:35) - The Chelsea flip transaction
(00:53:24) - Discovering industrial outdoor storage
(01:01:34) - COVID and the Nashville deal
(01:05:32) - LaPan Street Denver creative structuring
(01:09:36) - Birth of IG Logistics platform
(01:11:33) - Vision for the future
(01:13:22) - Overcoming adversity
(01:18:05) - Essential skills for real estate
(01:19:59) - Career advice for aspiring operators
Show Platforms:

  Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-deal/id1896846542?uo=4

  Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/033poSD8Wsy72Xnb2mKB4Z

Speaker Profiles:

  Sam Schneider

    LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-schneider-11234826/

  Dan Glaser

    LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-glaser-3bb06445/

Companies:

  Imperium Capital — https://www.imperiumcap.com