Seth Weissman, founder of Urban Standard Capital and a former investor at Goldman Sachs and Perry Capital, shares his journey in real estate. He discusses the importance of a design-driven, relationship-first approach to lending. Seth highlights his strategy in West Chelsea before its transformation, how committed capital enables swift decision-making, and the unique advantages of private credit in today’s market. He emphasizes the blend of equity insights in loan underwriting and the culture at USC, where even Bean the office dog plays a role in fostering teamwork.
49:56
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Tight Covenants Beat Flashy Promises
Seth describes lending to a flashy Los Angeles developer who built the wrong product in the wrong location and struggled to sell units.
He used strict covenants and pricing/repayment triggers to force alignment and avoid financing a fantasy.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Early West Chelsea Bet Paid Off
Seth recounts buying in West Chelsea just before major neighborhood transformation like the High Line and Google HQ.
He focused on locations with transit access and institutional anchors to capture outsized upside from neighborhood change.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Raise Before You Need To
Do cultivate investor relationships before you need capital so you can raise quickly and fit partners' risk-return profiles.
Keep a CRM and document investor preferences to avoid scrambling when deals appear.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Season 4, Episode 9:
Jack Stone and Alex Gornik sit down with Seth Weissman, Founder and Managing Partner of Urban Standard Capital, to unpack how a former Goldman Sachs and Perry Capital investor built one of New York’s leading private-credit and development platforms.
Weissman shares how his equity background shaped Urban Standard’s design-driven, relationship-first approach to lending—and why committed, discretionary capital wins in the middle market. He also reflects on his early West Chelsea bets, the transition from developer to lender, and how disciplined underwriting and creative structuring define USC’s edge today.
TOPICS
00:00 – Introduction
05:04 – From Goldman Sachs to Perry Capital
07:44 – First Deals and the West Chelsea Strategy
13:32 – Raising Capital and Building Investor Confidence
18:03 – Why Committed Capital Changes the Game
21:59 – Inside the Middle-Market Lending Opportunity
27:23 – Private Credit’s Rise and USC’s Playbook
32:05 – Efficiency and Equity DNA in Underwriting
35:11 – Market Volatility and the Case for Credit
43:34 – Equity Returns with Credit Risk Protection
47:32 – Culture, Partnerships, and Bean the Office Dog
Shoutout to our sponsor, Lev. The AI-powered way to get real estate deals financed.
For more episodes of No Cap by CRE Daily visit https://www.credaily.com/podcast/
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NoCapCREDaily
About No Cap Podcast
Commercial real estate is a $20 trillion industry and a force that shapes America’s economic fabric and culture. No Cap by CRE Daily is the commercial real estate podcast that gives you an unfiltered ”No Cap” look into the industry’s biggest trends and the money game behind them. Each week co-hosts Jack Stone and Alex Gornik break down the latest headlines with some of the most influential and entertaining figures in commercial real estate.
About CRE Daily
CRE Daily is a digital media company covering the business of commercial real estate. Our mission is to empower professionals with the knowledge they need to make smarter decisions and do more business. We do this through our flagship newsletter (CRE Daily) which is read by 65,000+ investors, developers, brokers, and business leaders across the country. Our smart brevity format combined with need-to-know trends has made us one of the fastest growing media brands in commercial real estate.
No Cap by CRE Daily