Cabo Capital

3 dudes and an intern investing in the stock market. Scared money don’t make money. EST. 2016

[Cabo Capital @Cabo_Capital]

The best thing I did was invest in a “brick-and-mortar” company that I believed was extremely undervalued. A few months later RC ventures announced a large stake in the same company citing my same beliefs. Today, I decided to invest in another “brick-and-mortar” company.

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

The latest Space Dirt🚀 dropped this morning. You can check it out below.

And, while you're there, subscribe to join over 1,800 hard tech founders, investors, and engineers who enjoy Space Dirt🚀 - now twice a month!

https://t.co/Uthu3VqDh8

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

In our latest Space Dirt, we highlighted 7 companies that recently emerged from stealth (including my client @habitrobotics!). For more info about how these companies are changing the world, check out Space Dirt.

@kscalelabs
Sophia Space
Schemata
@habitrobotics
@watoga_tech
@heronpower
@jeevyfab

And remember: if you're a startup coming out of stealth and want help getting the word out to your community, DM me to be featured.

-Erik

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

When Johannes and his team at Planetary Utilities lost their office in the Altadena fires, he needed to move quickly.

He couldn’t afford to wait for the typical CRE dog & pony show and then trade proposals for a few months.

So as soon as he reached out, I got right to work and set up tours all over Monrovia, Pasadena, and Glendale.

We had 3 goals:

→ Move-in ready, so they could jump right back into operations
→ A space they could grow into
→ Low rent (compared to other markets)

I located a former manufacturing facility in Monrovia (128 W Walnut Ave) that was thisclose to move-in ready, AND had enough square footage to accommodate growth, but not so much that they would end up paying for space they would never use.

Long story short: From Johannes' initial call to signed lease, all in 30 days!

And now, Planetary Utilities is back to building the foundation for space industrialization. (learn more here: https://t.co/cBZ78oMWpz)

Although it came under unfortunate circumstances, I’m proud to have helped Johannes and his team keep going in a tough time.

I’m here to make the real estate process the least stressful part of your business journey.

(That’s me with the Planetary Utilities team in the pic!)

-Erik

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

I'm in the relationship business, not in the transaction business.

There's no such thing as a deal too small for me.

While some brokers snub their noses at some of the clients I take on, I look at it a different way:

I'm building relationships.

Meeting new people.

Investing in them.

And planting seeds for future growth for the brokerage I co-founded, @CREAreal_estate .

My goal is to work with my clients for decades, not a one-off transaction in May 2025.

When I do my job right, I'm setting my clients up for growth by aligning their real estate with their business.

When you have a mindset like mine, it forces you to do things the right way, with the client's best interest in mind, not my bank account.

Because when my clients win, so do I.

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

Congrats to these 9 hard tech companies that emerged from stealth 🤫 in April.

→ @AmcaInc
→ @GallatinAI
→ Hexium
→ Applied Atomics
→ @generalmatter
→ @ScoutAI_
→ @BlueWaterShips
→ @cosmic_robotics
→ Poseidon Aerospace

You can read more about these startups in April's Space Dirt 🚀.

While you're there, subscribe and join over 1,700 hard tech entrepreneurs, investors, and engineers who enjoy Space Dirt.

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

Who needs 5k SF of office space in Smoky Hollow? DM me if you’re interested.

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

The SoCal Hard Tech Landscape map is constantly evolving. Here’s the fourth iteration since I started doing this about a year ago.

The pieces of red tape at the bottom & bottom left are blocking companies still in stealth.

Thanks for all of the feedback.

Email me for a PDF of this version. Or you can just pull it from April's Space Dirt.

-Erik

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

If you’re a SaaS company, you can set up shop almost anywhere.

If you’re a hard tech startup, your real estate needs are completely different:

→ You need lab space, R&D facilities, or high-power industrial setups.
→ Your equipment requires specific zoning, ventilation, and compliance.
→ Your lease needs to support growth, not restrict it.

Most brokers specialize in tech, but that usually means office leases for software companies.

I specialize in hard tech, helping startups find, secure, and negotiate spaces built for their needs.

In fact, I've already helped 6️⃣ hard tech companies find new homes in the first quarter of 2025.

If you’re scaling and need a space that actually works for your business…

I’m here to help.

-Erik

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

The biggest Space Dirt 🚀 ever dropped this morning. It's packed:

🚚 Anduril expands to...?
🗺 The big SoCal Hard Tech Landscape map update
🤫 Nine (9!) hard tech companies emerge from stealth
💰 14 fundings
💭 Thought pieces from top hard tech voices & more!

Read it here:
https://t.co/0GlJNyT1ZN

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

Every month in Space Dirt, I track notable VC raises across defense, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and beyond — so you don’t have to.

Here’s a quick snapshot of who raised what in March.

April’s already heating up, and we’re only halfway through.

Want the full breakdown, direct to your inbox?

Subscribe to Space Dirt (link in bio)— the easiest way to stay current on the hard tech news that matters.

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

Link to the press release: https://t.co/mWHBpVgmpV

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

I was referred to Athlete To Athlete just as they were ramping up to find their first office space early last year.

In January, they moved into a 5,800 sq ft office in the heart of Santa Monica.

When we started gameplanning our search, they had some goals:

1️⃣ Finding a place in or close to Santa Monica.
2️⃣ Not overextending their budget for office space.
3️⃣ Finding an office that their employees would enjoy coming to 5 days a week.

Lofty goals… But nothing a little market knowledge and some strategic hard work couldn’t overcome.

After we came up with a plan that aligned their business goals with their real estate, I got to work.

3 deal highlights & takeaways:

🔷 Toured all over the Westside, but ultimately chose Santa Monica because it was close to where employees lived and had a solid talent pool. 👉 Make it convenient for your employees. Live, work, and play.

🔷 I was able to negotiate the sublease rent down to 70% below market! And that included furniture. 👉 Go with a broker who knows your market and is familiar with your business needs.

🔷 Find a space for Day 1. And, Day 731. This office helps Athlete to Athlete right now, but will also accommodate its immediate growth plans. 👉 This comes back to aligning your real estate with your business needs.

It's incredibly rewarding to play a small part in helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams.

Especially when the company is doing impactful work like Athlete To Athlete. If you're a young athlete or parent of an athlete looking to play in college, check them out.

And if you’re a founder, looking for your first (or next space), I’m happy to help.

-Erik

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

I’ve been getting a lot of former prospects who chose to work with other brokers reaching out to me for favors.

Favors their broker couldn’t (wouldn’t?) help them with.

I’m happy to help.

But also, I’m purely commission-based, and favors are time, and time is money.

Anyway...

Based on the requests for favors I’ve gotten, I guess this is the way I'm different from other real estate brokers 🤷‍♂️

➔ Not stopping helping my clients after the lease is signed
➔ Selecting an architect
➔ Picking a contractor
➔ Manage the construction process
➔ Help find & hire operations and engineer employees
➔ Financial analysis
➔ Budget creation for LL vs Tenant expenses
➔ Working with city officials on permitting/zoning process
➔ Furniture - sourcing/finding
➔ Solving parking problems
➔ Short-term leases for brand new startups

If you’re reading this and I can help you with one of the above, reach out.

-Erik

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

Great read by the Maritime expert - ⁦⁦⁦@seanforrestsims⁩ https://t.co/THquMJcjlm

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

Lots of movement in the SoCal Hard Tech market last quarter. If I missed something, let me hear about it!

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

Every month in Space Dirt 🚀, we celebrate hard tech companies emerging from stealth.

Here are the companies we shared in March's newsletter:

→ @EnhancedRadar
→ @kela_tech
→ @pilgrimlabs
→ @Seagate_Space
→ @vanguard_def
→ Claros

If you want to let over 1,500 hard tech founders, engineers, and investors know you've emerged from stealth, email or DM me, and we'll get your announcement in the next Space Dirt 🚀.

-Erik

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

"Anyone can do this."

As I'm sometimes reminded, many people think a commercial real estate broker's job is easy.

That we're just "space finders."

For some brokers, this is an accurate description.

(Unfortunately, you often find out when it's too late.)

However, I like to think of it like this:  

WHAT we do does not distinguish us from our competition. HOW we do what we do is what sets us apart.

The devil is in the details.

And the proof is in the testimonials.

Here’s a testimonial I’m proud of:

“CREA exceeded our expectations throughout the entire real estate process. Their team's extensive market knowledge was crucial in identifying the right building, negotiating favorable terms, and ensuring we moved into our new space promptly. I highly recommend CREA to any hard tech company seeking new space.”

Simon Waddington
CEO, @CambiumUSA

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

March's Space Dirt🚀 dropped this morning:

🚚 Castelion's big move to...?
🤫 6!  hard tech companies come out of stealth
💰 11 fundings
📝 Thought pieces from top hard tech voices & more!

Read it here:
https://t.co/EkzyLbBFmb

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

Most pre-seed & seed hard tech startups fall into 2 camps:

1️⃣ Doing the testing out of their apartment/garage and getting a desk at WeWork (or, for the adventurous, trying to test there until WeWork cracks down on you!)

2️⃣ Raise a big round and overspend the VC's money on a building that's too big and doesn't align with its current real estate needs. The CRE broker collects a fat check, and you are stuck with way too much space.

However, there's another way.

Being naturally value-oriented myself (i.e., frugal, haha), I've helped many startups out with:

✅ Short-term leases
✅ Shared sublease deals
✅ A space that aligns with where you are in your company life cycle

I'm able to do this by taking the time to listen to your needs and goals (and lots of experience with hard tech clients).

If you don't know where you'll be in 6 months, why "bet" on where you'll be in your growth cycle?

If you need help putting together a real estate strategy, DM me.

[Erik Stiebel - hard tech cre broker @erik_stiebel]

I wake up every day unemployed.

And then I get after it.

This has been my life for 8 years now.

For the last 2 years, I’ve been fortunate to be “unemployed” at a brokerage I co-founded, CREA.

What I love most about CREA is that it’s a firm of entrepreneurs serving entrepreneurs.

And as entrepreneurs, we operate at the speed of other entrepreneurs.

We don’t get bogged down by bureaucracy.

By calls to plan calls.

We get it done.

We take the time to understand what matters to you, and make that our focus.

We don’t run the same old boring process for “corporate real estate occupiers” if we’re working with the VC-backed startups we serve.

And…

We don’t share a boss with the Landlord broker.

This frees us up to show you ALL the listings in the market that could be a fit for your business.

This allows us to truly align your real estate needs with your new space.

And most importantly...

This allows us to serve only one person: our client.

Btw, thank you to Gabrielle Diemand, Chief of Staff at @MorpheusSpace for the kind words!