Jacob Sandelson believes the future of real estate depends on understanding people first, what they need from buildings, how they use them and how better operating models can create more resilient, valuable assets.
In this episode, Jacob Sandelson, Founder of Compound, explains why the traditional model of developing a building, securing a long lease and stepping away from its operation is becoming increasingly outdated. Instead, Compound combines high-quality real assets with what Jacob calls the “soft infrastructure” of people, systems, processes, technology and operations to create real estate platforms designed to perform over the long term.
The conversation explores Compound’s first platform, Comporter, a new approach to self-storage combining storage, workspace, amenities and highly considered design around the needs of individual users and small businesses. Jacob discusses why customer research sits at the centre of the model, how community engagement can become one of the most valuable forms of development due diligence, and why sustainability, social value and local economic impact should ultimately support commercial performance rather than sit separately from it.
The discussion also examines planning risk, institutional investment, operational real estate and why increasingly sophisticated investors are looking for diversified, resilient income rather than relying solely on long leases. Throughout the episode, Jacob shares a refreshingly simple philosophy: understand the customer, remain curious about people and translate those insights into better buildings, operations and investment decisions.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 - Jacob’s journey into real estate and the experiences that shaped his approach
05:02 - What Compound is and why Jacob builds real estate “platforms”
09:55 - Introducing Comporter and rethinking the self-storage model
14:33 - The lightbulb moment that revealed the opportunity in self-storage
16:28 - Designing around the user: storage, coworking and co-location
19:20 - Real estate’s two customers: occupiers and investors
22:40 - Why sustainability is fundamentally commercial
24:29 - Social value, SMEs and creating buildings that strengthen communities
27:55 - What listening to local communities can teach developers
31:06 - Why public consultation should be treated as development due diligence
33:21 - Raising capital, achieving scale and attracting institutional investors
35:42 - Planning risk and changing perceptions of self-storage
38:23 - Why institutional capital is moving towards operational real estate
40:16 - Where Jacob finds inspiration and the power of human interaction
41:18 - The books influencing Jacob’s thinking on systems, people and business
44:22 - Curiosity, communication and Jacob’s final advice for real estate leaders
About Jacob Sandelson:
Jacob Sandelson is Founder of Compound, a real estate investment and development business building operational real estate platforms in sectors where it sees strong long-term consumer and institutional demand.
Jacob began his career in residential development before moving into more operational and user-focused areas of real estate, including workspace. Those experiences shaped his belief that successful real estate must consider not only the physical building, but also how people experience, operate and interact with it.
Through Compound, Jacob has developed Comporter, a privately held self-storage platform focused on London and the South East. The portfolio comprises approximately 600,000 sq ft across seven new-build assets, combining self-storage with workspace, amenities, sustainability and locally responsive design. Compound’s approach brings together the “hard infrastructure” of high-quality buildings with the “soft infrastructure” of people, systems, processes and operations to create more resilient, user-led real estate.
