DLP Capital ranked No. 6 on the 2025 Real Leaders Top Impact Companies list for building dreams and thriving communities one home at a time.

DLP Capital is a private real estate investment firm focused on transforming lives by building thriving communities. Through its sponsored funds comprised of accredited investors, DLP finances, develops, constructs, and operates safe, attainable rental housing communities for those priced out of homeownership. Here DLP Capital Founder and CEO Don Wenner shares his knowledge and experience with Real Leaders.

Real Leaders: How do you thrive in the impact space?

Don Wenner: It takes grit, dedication, drive, and discipline to make meaningful change in anything — especially the world. It’s not enough just to want to make an impact, no matter how strong that drive is. Grit is the passion and perseverance to wake up each day and continue progressing toward the big picture, even when it feels out of reach or when you must pivot in an unexpected direction. Grit is born from clarity and fueled by authenticity. Before you can make an impact, you need to know the what, why, and how — that’s the clarity. These elements of clarity are something you can turn to again and again when you feel off course. Authenticity and truly believing and caring about the work you do are crucial to thriving in the impact space. It keeps you going. True authenticity and passion can be felt by others, drawing them in to join you and magnify your impact.

RL: What milestones have you achieved this year?

Wenner: For the 12th consecutive year, DLP was recognized by the Inc. 5000 annual list of America’s fastest-growing companies. The funds that DLP sponsors had a range of successes, including surpassing $1 billion in assets under management in the DLP Lending Fund as of June 2024.

RL: What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome?  

Wenner: Amid the interest rate hikes and other market distress, it was challenging over the last year to source and find deals that the firm was confident would make sense for investors, which is paramount in the decision to invest or not invest in an asset. Despite these challenges, the firm has continued its track record of exceeding return targets in all funds since inception.

RL: What is your best strategy for finding investors? 

Wenner: When you’re passionate about what you’re doing, when you do what you say you are going to do, when you believe in how powerful the work you are doing is, people are going to be drawn to that. The world is full of people who want to do good; they just don’t always know where to start. People lose sight of just how valuable — actually, let me go stronger with that — essential it is to create relationships. We don’t just talk to investors from behind a computer or a phone. We talk to them over dinner, in workshops, and live on webinars. The reason investors stay with DLP isn’t just about returns; it’s about the team support they feel on everything from investments to building extraordinary families and financial legacies.

RL: What is your long-term, mission-oriented dream?

Wenner: It is to make an impact on 10 million lives through the funding and building of 5,000 thriving communities.

RL: What is your best advice for fellow impact CEOs?

Wenner: Don’t lose sight of why you started. There will be pivots, challenges, and people who don’t believe in what you’re doing. Keep going. Stay true to your mission with an open mind about new opportunities that could potentially magnify your impact.