Getting your money’s worth comes easy with the right investment partner, and Chicago Atlantic knows the shortcuts to success!

In the business world, investing is considered a special art that you cannot learn in a book, but it rather comes with a lot of experience.

Every investment situation is different with circumstances determined by the specific business environment and participants. For instance, debt and equity deals are two extreme sides of the same coin that require the same expertise and understanding.

The professional experience with both successful and arduous investment deals is exactly what drove Tony Cappell to create Chicago Atlantic Real Estate and develop it into a prominent credit-oriented platform.

Chicago Atlantic Real Estate is a Chicago-based investment platform that aims to prevent, identify, and exit downside scenarios with a focus on less crowded markets.

Stay with us to learn more about Tony Cappell’s impressive journey in the REFI world.

A Young Entrepreneur in the Making

First thing first, let us delve into the early years and education of the mastermind behind the concept of Chicago Atlantic Real Estate - Tony Cappell.

The 36-year-old inventor has always had his mind set on business and entrepreneurship. Ever since his earliest years in school, he stood out from his peers with an exalted notion of wit and ambition. Tony’s choice of college education further proved his interest and future skill in the business world.

For his undergraduate studies, Tony attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a reputable public research education center known for its urban nature and quality programs. There, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Afterward, Tony made an ambitious choice for his further academic journey, enrolling in the second-oldest business school in the United States - The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Psyched to be attending the prestigious business school, Tony earned himself a Master’s degree in Business Administration. Indeed, Tony was about to live up to the expectation that this university prides itself on - training business leaders with a vision to change the world.

Apart from pursuing academic knowledge, Cappell also started getting direct insight into the business world quite early. During his pre-college adolescent years and his time at university, he contributed to his family’s overhead lifting equipment business. Employees in Wisconsin Lifting Specialists were responsible for manufacturing and distributing products in the industry.

As he stated in several interviews, this job helped Tony understand most aspects of business, such as manufacturing, accounting, sales, and marketing.

The Years of Professional Brilliance

After his years of academic education and work in the family business, Tony built up 10 years of extensive experience in the finance industry.

He started his career at Wells Fargo Capital Finance and stayed there for four years, working as a Collateral Examiner and Assistance Vice-President. Cappell’s tasks at Wells Fargo included due diligence checklists for commercial loans while using EXIM loan platforms, observing the collateral adequacy of credits, and taking care of liquidation and workout agreements.

In the following years, Tony worked as a Vice President of underwriting at Gibraltar Business Capital and at First Midwest Bank. This position gave him responsibility and insight in several specialty finance aspects, such as software, technology, re-discount loans, and turnaround/distressed.

Tony’s major professional experience before founding his own company was his job as a Managing Director and Head of Underwriting at Stonegate Capital, a specialty finance brand aiming to provide collateral-backed loans to lower-middle businesses. The company’s priority was to support its clients, collaborating and agreeing with them on innovative and flexible solutions according to their needs.

The understanding of credits, underwriting, and loan growth strategy Tony got at Stonegate Capital completed the expertise he brought with himself in Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance as his unique business project.

A Successful REFI Story

Tony Cappell founded Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. in 2018 in Chicago with the idea to offer business and real estate loans secured by assets and therefore help the growth of the American cannabis business finance. The platform merges thorough expertise and entrepreneurial approach in providing multi-asset class investments.

Chicago Atlantic’s goal is to create credit-oriented solutions by using the latest technology. The success of Tony’s brainchild comes as no surprise considering the broad mindset and flexibility with which the team approaches special brands and circumstances concerning debt capital.

The company is most famous for its real estate loans, lender finance, second-lien loans, asset-based lending, and project finance. Chicago Atlantic Real Estate’s main area of expertise is following macroeconomic trends in order to accumulate outsized profits by real estate acquisition and expansion.

As Tony emphasizes, Chicago Atlantic employs the perfect balance of local finance proficiency and data analysis in every investment project. The platform is oriented towards value-add properties and opportunistic investments in different asset classes.

Potential clients targeted by the Chicago Atlantic REFI include operators and facilities with a lower-risk manner of functioning. Also, Chicago Atlantic’s field of interest spans to limited exposure to ground-up construction projects, giving loans to cannabis operators with advantageous facilities, and the assortment of distribution channels.

IPOs Make the Business Go Round

In its essence, Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance utilizes discretional committed capital varying from $500,000 to more than $50 million. This way, the company is able to rapidly take action and show adaptability in complex circumstances.

In terms of future funding, Chicago Atlantic is about to put 6.25 million shares of common stock on sale for gross proceeds of around $106 million. The planned median price is $17 per share and the overall estimated profit doesn’t include the sale of conventional underwriter options. According to the team’s calculations, senior executives will acquire common stock with a total worth of $7.5 million in a private placement.

Chicago Atlantic is supposed to give the underwriters a period of 30 days to buy up to an extra 937,500 shares of its common stock. Various factors can affect the realization of the IPO, such as the current circumstances on the market. In the case of an expected successful public offering with a midpoint price of shares, Chicago Atlantic’s enterprise value at IPO would grow to circa $304.7 million.

It is estimated that the float percentage of total shares outstanding (not considering underwriter options) will reach 35.89%.

Some of the underwriters that will contribute to the IPO include Compass Point, JMP Securities, Oppenheimer & Co, and other investment banks.

The company also filed a request for the approval and listing of its common stock on the NASDAQ under the acronym “REFI”.

Future Plans and Ambitions

As a relatively new competitor in the commercial real estate finance market, Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance has embarked on a challenging journey during the last few years. However, the company soon faced rapid growth and affluence in the industry.

Today, Chicago Atlantic stands tall with competitors like Innovative Industrial Properties, Power Reit, and Accretion Acquisition among others. The company’s headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois, numbering 23 employees.

The company currently focuses on providing senior loans for state-authorized clients in the cannabis industry connected to real estate, licenses, receivables, equipment, and other legally permitted assets.

The Chicago Atlantic’s dream team aspires to expand the company’s portfolio by following the standard track of their policy and giving loans to the largest operators and property owners in the cannabis industry. However, Tony also intends to invest in businesses outside of the cannabis industry as long as they grant return characteristics compatible with the company’s goals.

As the CEO, Tony states the overall objective of Chicago Atlantic comes down to the willingness to enter otherwise avoided niches while preserving capital at the same time.

We can safely identify Tony’s success formula as the combination of hard work and business structure, deep expertise, a contemporary approach utilizing digital marketing, and finally - realistic goals.