In Episode 21 of the Stephen Lee-Thomas Show, we talk multifamily real estate and private lending with Ruben Izgelov, who has scaled his portfolio to over $500 million in assets under management. Ruben shares his incredible journey from humble beginnings as an immigrant in Queens, NY, to co-founding two powerhouse firms: We Lend, a tech-driven private lending company, and States Capital, a $300 million private debt fund.
Ruben takes us through his transformation from real estate flipper to institutional-grade lender. Discover why he made the leap into private lending, how he built a fund with zero losses on $700M deployed, and why private credit is one of the most scalable, time-efficient paths for investors seeking strong returns with minimal volatility.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why Ruben transitioned from flipping homes to becoming a lender
- The advantages of private lending over active real estate ownership
- How to qualify for fast funding through We Lend
- The surprising long-term benefits of holding real estate during inflation
Episode Highlights:
[00:00:00] – Introduction: Ruben’s journey from immigrant to investor
[00:04:15] – The early days: door-knocking deals in Queens
[00:12:22] – Flipping vs. lending: how Ruben found his wealth-building lane
[00:18:45] – How We Lend funds deals and supports small operators
[00:27:33] – Investment opportunities in the States Capital debt fund
Ways to Connect with Ruben Izgelov:
- Website: https://www.welendlc.com
- Email: ruben@wlndllc.com
- Phone: 917-815-1222
- Instagram (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/ruben_izgel/
- Instagram (Company): https://www.instagram.com/welendllc/
- TikTok: @WeLendLLC
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubenizgelov/
Visit www.skool.com/multfamilymasteryhub and fast-track your way to becoming a full-time real estate entrepreneur today!
Connect with Us:
- Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/multifamilymasteryhub/about
- Website: https://www.stephenleethomas.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StephenLeeThomasCapital/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenleethomas/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenleethomas/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StephenLee-ThomasCapital
Support the Show: Enjoy our content? Share with your family and friends and anyone who will benefit with the insight we shared today. Leave us a review on your preferred platform to help us grow or any suggestion.
Join Our Community: Become a part of our exclusive Skool community, Capital Raising Mastery Hub. Get valuable resources, engage in discussions, and receive support for real estate entrepreneurs. Join Now! We are live!
Contact Us: For inquiries, guest appearances, or sponsorship opportunities, contact us at info@stephenleethomas.com.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!