Nick Stromwall

Principal Fund Manager @ Oak and Vine Upstream Energy Fund | Real Estate Investing, Syndications

What if we lived on 10% and gave 90% away?

I’m an entrepreneur at heart and an alternative asset fund manager who loves educating faith-driven investors on how to invest in alternative assets like real estate and energy.

Can you multiply money and impact with your current investing strategy?

I’m on a mission to build a thriving business that propels generosity—helping investors multiply their income so they can multiply their impact.

I spent 15 years in ministry developing leaders and building systems that empowered people to thrive. Now, I help people invest, train leaders, and build scalable systems that create lasting impact.

… And I help leaders get the #TripleWin:

✅ Winning at Work – Building scalable, high-impact businesses
✅ Winning with Family – Creating financial freedom for the people they love
✅ Winning in Community – Investing in opportunities that serve a greater purpose

As the VP of Efficiency and Innovation at Rise48, I focus on:
→ Streamlining systems to help our investors and team operate at peak efficiency
→ Developing scalable processes to support growth and maximize returns
→ Optimizing investor experience so they can confidently invest in high-quality, cash-flowing multifamily real estate

As the founder of Oak and Vine Capital, I focus on partnering with world-class operators in the best asset classes. I’ve served as a General Partner and Managing Partner in multiple real estate and energy syndications. 

My mission is clear:
→ To invest in businesses that create Kingdom Impact and empower investors to do the same.

Let’s multiply your resources for greater Kingdom impact.

Principal Owner

I help people multiply their money and impact through passive real estate investing in commercial real estate and alternative asset syndications.

We closed out the year together in Phoenix at the Rise48 Christmas Party  a western-themed evening that brought our teams from Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina into the same room.

Not for meetings.
Not for metrics.
But for connection.

It was a night of conversations, shared stories, and time with the people who put in the work every day behind the scenes. The kind of environment where relationships deepen, trust strengthens, and culture is reinforced in real time.

Because great execution doesn’t start in spreadsheets.
It starts with alignment.
With shared values.
With teams who believe in the mission and in one another.

I left the event reminded of how far we’ve come as an organization and how much opportunity is ahead as we continue building, growing, and serving together in the new year.

Grateful for our teams, our leaders, and every person who plays a role in the work we’re doing.

What was one meaningful moment you experienced with your team last year?

#Rise48Group #TeamCulture #LeadershipInAction #EndOfYearReflection

I help faith driven leaders multiply their money and impact through investing in alternative assets like real estate

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I was terrified raising money for my first syndication.

Not surface level nerves.
Real fear.

Can I actually do this
What if I mess this up
What if people trust me and I fail

Up to that point, I had proven one thing.

I could buy a duplex.

But a syndication is different.
It’s not just your money anymore.

It’s a responsibility.
Stewardship.
Weight.

The McKinley project forced a new internal question.

Not “is this a good deal?”
But “am I ready to lead?”

Here’s what changed everything.

I stopped trying to do it alone.

I found partners I deeply trusted.
People with track records.
People with shared values.
People who were willing to say no if something felt off.

Then I focused on three fundamentals.

→ A growing market with real demand
→ A conservative business plan
→ Offering investors something better than what they were settling for

But the real work wasn’t underwriting.

It was identity.

I had to move from
“Can I do this?”
to
“I’m responsible to do this well.”

Once that clicked, the fear didn’t disappear.

But it stopped leading.

That first raise wasn’t about scale.
It was about obedience.
Preparation.
Integrity.

Looking back, the hardest part was never raising capital.

It was believing I was ready to carry it.

This week I’m unpacking the goals behind the deals.
And the mental barriers that came before the breakthroughs.

No hype.
No theory.
Just the real progression.

If you’re staring at your next step and asking
“Can I really do this?”

You’re probably closer than you think.

Follow along this week.

And next week
I’m opening a space to go deeper
Fundamentals
Mindset
Execution

More soon.

Would you rather play it safe
Or grow into the weight of responsibility?

(I've raised capital on 17 deals, and who you partner with is most important)

 The picture is from our McKinley project, a 48-unit multifamily apartment in Iowa

My little girl is potty trained after a holiday weekend potty training blitz! We used a secret weapon that I'm happy to share with you today.

The Potty Dance Song.

After successful poops and pees in the potty
we rewarded her with a special song.

we get down low, and sing

the potty dance
the potty dance

number 1
number 2

in the potty
(then we drumroll low to high)

and pick her up while saying
WAHOO

simple, and yet the smile gives it all away.

Should we put this to music?

What were some of your potty training tricks?

The hardest part of raising $1,000,000
Was believing I was allowed to ask.

Before that, I had raised $300,000.
Five investors.

That wasn’t small to me.

That was five families creating margin.
Five people accelerating toward freedom and impact.

So I set a new goal.
Raise my first $1,000,000.

And immediately, the doubts showed up.

I was working in ministry.
Different industry.
Different network.

I kept telling myself:

I haven’t earned the right yet
I need more touchpoints
I should steward the relationship better first

That belief almost stopped everything.

Here’s what finally clicked.

Asking isn’t pressure.
It’s an invitation.

You’re not asking for a yes.
You’re asking for interest.

Yes or no
Both are acceptable.

The real responsibility isn’t the ask.

It’s being prepared if someone says yes.

→ Clear education
→ Simple systems
→ The right team
→ A next step that serves them

Once I reframed that, the fear lost its grip.

God brought the connections.
Old relationships resurfaced.
New conversations opened.

Not because I was perfect.
But because I was willing.

If you’re stuck wondering
“Have I earned the right yet?”

You probably have.

And if you want help building the systems behind the ask
I’m teaching it live on Tuesday.

How to raise your first $1,000,000
And how to think about $10,000,000 next.

Link in the comments.

Yes or no
Is the fear more about rejection
Or believing you’re allowed to ask

I wanted my first real estate deal so badly.

Not because I wanted to be “in real estate.”
Not because I cared about titles or numbers.

I wanted it because my family was growing.
And because we were mentoring students who needed support.
And generosity requires margin.

At the time, I honestly didn’t know if I had what it takes.

I questioned myself constantly.
Am I capable of this
Am I thinking too big
Am I built for this path

That first goal wasn’t syndication.
It wasn’t raising capital.
It was owning our first duplex.

But behind that small step was a much bigger vision.

How do I create more capacity to give
How do I meet the needs around me
How do I steward what God has entrusted to us well

That single duplex changed how I saw myself.
Later came syndicating deals.
Later came raising capital for trusted partners.

But the hardest part was never the deal.

It was the mental question
Do I have what it takes

This week, I’m going to start breaking down my goals
And the mental challenges I had to overcome at each stage
Not theory
Not hype
Just the real progression

If you’re setting goals right now
Start with your vision
Not the tactic

Follow along this week as I share more.

And next week
I’ll be opening up something new
A space to go deeper
A forum built around fundamentals, mindset, and execution

More soon.

𝘗.𝘚 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘧?

Most capital raisers talk about strategy.
The ones who scale focus on results.

That’s why we built the Fundamental Forum, a live working session for capital raisers and fund managers who want real frameworks they can apply immediately.

In recent conversations, we’ve walked through:
→ The blueprint to raise your first $1,000,000 with clarity and structure
→ How to build the systems required to scale toward $10,000,000+
→ Messaging, follow-up cadence, and relationship-driven capital flows
→ Lessons from peers who are actually in the market right now

Our next session is Tuesday, January 13th at 12 PM MST / 2 PM EST.

If you’re ready to move from effort to outcomes, this is the room to be in.

👉 Register here to save your seat: https://lnkd.in/gBU2eNQq

#FundamentalForum #CapitalRaising #FundManagers #ScalingCapital #Rise48Equity

Today we're hosting this month's Fundamental Forum - 

a live conversation for capital raisers who want to scale with intention, structure, and execution.

This session is centered around one theme:
Goal Setting That Works
 

We’ll walk through:

• Building a repeatable, scalable system

• Reverse engineering your capital raise

• Investor conversion funnel

If you’re raising capital, you don’t need more noise.

You need clarity, alignment, and momentum.

We go live today at 12 PM MST / 2 PM EST.

👉 Join the session here: https://lnkd.in/gq2qidYb

#CapitalRaising #FundManagers #InvestorRelations #FundamentalForum #Rise48Equity

Implement this small hack and get more done in your day 👇

mind dump or mind purge all of your open loops into a trusted system.

I like asana.

Block out 30 minutes today and do this.

𝗗𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿:
• tasks
• ideas
• projects
• things you've delegated or been delegated
• sticky notes on your desk, fridge, etc.
• notes on your desktop
• emails you've been saving in your inbox
• notes in your notes app
• voice memos
• slack messages
• think personal and work!

→ I feel so free after getting everything down and out ... a trusted system really helps.

This mental space gives me more capacity to win at work, with family, and in my community!

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲?

Comment below 👇

P.S. - Please repost ♻️ if you found this useful

p.s.s. if you are local in Minneapolis and want to learn more I'm teaching my business systems early tomorrow, send me a DM

Closed! Apartments of Westgrove in Raleigh, NC Rebranding as “Rise Westgrove”

To learn how you can invest in multifamily properties like this, set up a call with us on our website.

#multifamilyinvesting #Arizonamultifamily

🏢 Experienced Commercial Real Estate Investor | 🗡️ Sales Samurai | 👨🏻‍💼 Entrepreneur | 💰 Fund Manager

Chris VanDeWeert is a passionate real estate investor and syndicator with over 18 years of experience in sales and finance. Throughout his career, his primary focus has always been on helping others achieve their goals. 

While being a top-performing sales leader certainly has its perks, Chris came to understand its many pain points – burnout, long stretches away from family, being tied to a sales territory, high taxes and navigating difficult mergers and acquisitions in corporate America. Several years ago, retirement planning became another worry.  After watching inflation and the stock market wreak havoc on his hard-earned money, he decided it was time for a change. Apartment investing has allowed him to gain control over his financial future!

As the Founder and CEO of Crestline Ventures, his passion is helping other high-performing sales leaders buy back their valuable time by making sure their investments are working just as hard as they are. Chris’ investors have broken free from the Wall Street rollercoaster and found financial peace of mind through real estate investing.

Chris is a proud family man, native New Yorker, Syracuse grad, sports fan, animal lover and avid traveler (15 countries across 4 continents, and counting) who also enjoys hockey, golf and hiking trails around the world.

Chris VanDeWeert

𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁.


From the outside, sales success can look incredible.  

Big income. 
Respect. 
Titles. 
 
But internally?
 
📵 Always “on”  
😴 Never fully shutting down
📊 Always thinking about next quarter  


That was my reality for 15+ years.
 
I didn’t lack drive.  
I didn’t lack discipline.
What I lacked… was 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱.


W𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 
your mind never really clocks out — even when you do.


➡️ 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜:  

✅ Cash flow showed up without constant attention.
✅ Equity grew quietly in the background.
✅ Tax advantages reduced the pressure to keep “out-earning."


💡𝗜 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.
 

👉 DM me “𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗘” if you're ready to building wealth that can support you and your family 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 needing to be "on" every minute.
 

𝗣.𝗦. — Comment “𝘆𝗲𝘀” if you're ready to gain greater peace of mind by exploring our exciting new offering in Charlotte.

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I'm on a mission to help high-performing sales leaders 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 by making sure their investments are 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦.

🗡️ 20-Year Sales Samurai ▶️ Experienced Real Estate Investor | 👨🏻‍💼 Entrepreneur | 💰 Fund Manager

🟢 Your sales and leadership are thriving. 
Make sure your future time freedom is too.


Back-to-back calls. 
Pipeline pressure. 
Q1 targets already staring you down.

I know the feeling. 
You're moving fast. 
You're winning. 

But the margin for anything outside of work? 
Feels non-existent.


That used to be me too.
Until I realized…

→ 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩-𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴… 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩:

✅ Building generational wealth that 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 dependent on my time.

✅ Investing in assets that 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵.


It didn’t require quitting. 
It didn’t require slowing down. 
It just required a shift in mindset — from income-focused to 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮-𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥.


And here’s the reminder I needed back then (maybe you do too):

🧭 The same way you prioritize a big deal, key client, or critical QBR… 

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵.


📩 DM me “𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗢𝗠” and I’ll show you how successful sales leaders like you are quietly setting up passive income streams that don’t rely on their calendars.


P.S. → Drop a "💪" in the comments if this landed. 
You don’t need to pause your career to start building your exit ramp.

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I'm on a mission to help high-performing sales leaders 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 by making sure their investments are 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦.

𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸. 


It’s what you stack 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 it.


Sales leaders like you excel at:
💰 Earning
☕ Grinding
📈 Hitting big numbers


But, here’s sales pro trap:

❌ Thinking your commission check and bonuses are 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. 


Relying on one income stream is 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦.

One corporate merger, one market shift, one comp plan change… and suddenly the “stability" disappears.

I learned that lesson the hard way.


So I started 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘀: 

✅ Cash flow that shows up whether I was working or not 
✅ Equity that compounds decade after decade 
✅ Tax advantages that help me keep more of what I earn


That’s when my definition of security changed.

Because real wealth and safety don’t come from the size of your paycheck. 

They come from 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 one another.


👉 DM me “𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗘” if you want to see how other top sales leaders are quietly building true financial resilience through strategic private real estate investments.


𝗣.𝗦. Drop a 🔐 in the comments if you believe security is more than just a paycheck.

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The Battle

Nick Stromwall

Chris VanDeWeert

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Performance ScoreNick Stromwall's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreChris VanDeWeert's LinkedIn Performance

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The Battle

Nick Stromwall

Chris VanDeWeert

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Nick Stromwall's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreChris VanDeWeert's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreNick Stromwall's LinkedIn Performance