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Emil
What's up, everybody? Welcome to a very special episode of Coffee's Foreclosers. Today, we're excited to spotlight Dwar Alimi, the visionary CEO and co founder of lenderprice. With over two decades in the mortgage industry, Dawar has become an irreverent figure in the financial tech sector. Under his leadership, Lender Price has surged over 300% in growth since 2015, impressively increasing sales revenue in the last 12 months despite industry downturns. This success caught the private equity sector's eye, enabling further innovation. Lender Price now leads in the mortgage space, serving 22 of the top 30 wholesale lenders and managing about $30 billion in loans through its platform. Join us as we delve into Dewar's journey and the innovative strides Lender Price is making in the mortgage space. Welcome Dwar Alimi. Thank you, Dwar, for coming in today.
Dwar Alimi
Thank you for having me.
Emil
Man. I'm so stoked. I've been trying to get you on the show for now, probably over a month and a half now. So I'm pumped that you're here. And more importantly, I'm really excited about all the massive strides that Lender Price has made in the last year. Like, you're just notifying me now and I'm very proud of you for this. Like, Ready Price is out of business. Like, they're trying to gain market share. Like, you put them out of the. Out of the game.
Dwar Alimi
Well, I don't. Yeah, I mean, it's. It's good for us. I don't like any vendor to go out, you know, go out of business. But you know what I tell everyone at our company is rather than focusing on competitors, just focus on what you do best and what we do best. Because the only thing that we can control is what we do, not what others do.
Emil
I love it. I love it. Now, the way I like to start the podcast is like, you know, I like to humanize you a little bit because everybody's like, oh, who's this big CEO that they're bringing in here? And, you know, so we're gonna dive right into it. So when you wake up every morning, like, what's your morning routine consist of?
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, so it's interesting. So I actually wake up at 4:00, so my internal clock is 4:00am I love it.
Emil
Mine too.
Dwar Alimi
And then immediately go out. I've got a very cheap coffee machine that just makes coffee.
Emil
Not a Jura. It's like a Keurig or just a regular old school coffee machine.
Dwar Alimi
A coffee maker. And I put the McDonald's coffee, right? Because, you know, before that I used to go to McDonald's every day or let's say even Starbucks. And then I looked at my bill, I was like, oh my God, I'm spending a lot of money. And then I looked at Amazon. I was like, hey, I could get the McDonald coffee at my house. That's perfect. So that's what I do is I have my McDonald coffee. I get on my computer, look at emails. Sometimes we use Gmail. I actually send out emails the night before and actually schedule it. But real quick, all I do is just look at emails and then I go work out. I do hiit training. That's my thing. I'm not a gym guy.
Emil
What time did you hit training?
Dwar Alimi
Usually around 6:00, 6:00am I went today.
Emil
Which one do you go to?
Dwar Alimi
F45.
Emil
Nice. Nike just opened their vertical of that. I think they're going to take all the market share, just like Lender Price is doing everybody else. Nike's going to put out F45. They just launched it. I'm at their pilot gym. They opened it in Santa Monica, Newport, Miami.
Dwar Alimi
So who's F45 spokesman?
Emil
It's Mark Wahlberg.
Dwar Alimi
So Mark must be pissed, right?
Emil
Yeah, he's going to be pissed.
Dwar Alimi
But I mean, like, I mean, for a while, I mean, I weighed like close to £200 today. I'm at 159. And I contribute that to obviously just eating. Right. And intermittent fasting, obviously. Right, we talked about that. So fasting and just exercising, for me, it's a way for me to have the energy that I need in the morning to get to work. It gets me through the day, but it's also allows me to focus better as a kid. And my son, you know, my son has add and I had add, so.
Emil
I have ADD too.
Dwar Alimi
You know, and then it kind of gets me to like focus better when I get to work.
Emil
Yeah, Yeah. I mean, that's something. It puts me in the zone too. I have to do it. I do it seven days a week right now. It's like an addiction.
Dwar Alimi
You okay? What, the hit training or.
Emil
Yeah, hit training.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah. I mean, I don't. I started off before doing a lot more, but I've pared it down to like literally four or five days. And I really like doing the weight training part only because I'm going to be 50 years old this year.
Emil
Nice. You look great. 50 years old. What are we doing?
Dwar Alimi
Just what I said, you know? You know, and I think the reason why I did it is because when my kids were younger, they wanted to, you know, they started playing sports, and I just couldn't keep up with them. And I said, I've got to do something about this. Plus, I've got a history of heart problems. My mother just had triple bypass surgery, and I was like, how can I reverse all this stuff? And at the end of the day, it's just doing what you're supposed to be doing, which is eating right and exercising, and just try to get your body to a point where it's healthy.
Emil
I love it. I love it. So that's, you know, I noticed that trend in leaders is they always got to take care of the human temple. Right? That's it.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah. I mean, it's like if you're not healthy, you don't have the energy and you don't have the mental capacity to actually make tough decisions.
Emil
Yeah, I love it. Great advice. So I'm going to dive into how you got started in the mortgage space, and then we'll talk about how you got started in the fintech mortgage space. Okay, so when did you start in the mortgage base? And we could dive into, like, our little history, too.
Dwar Alimi
So I've got undergrad and graduate degree in computer science. But as an undergrad, I went to Cal State San Marcos. And when I graduated from. From Cal State with an undergrad degree on the day of graduation, so I was student body president on the day of graduation, my parents were there and I was in the science section. And being Middle Eastern. Right. There's two things that your parents want.
Emil
You either a doctor or an engineer. Engineer. Those are two things.
Dwar Alimi
And then.
Emil
So we don't have a ch.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah. So then that day I, you know, I said, you know, so my mother's like, you know, my, you know, my aunts are there, like, oh, my son, he's going to be a doctor. And this and this and that. And, you know, with her accent. And I was like, well, mom, it's computers. And she said, what?
Emil
What is a computer? What did you do?
Dwar Alimi
I wasted my time. I came to this country and I. And I did all this for you. And you just, you know, you just threw your life away. Right now. She's proud, by the way. But that's how I started. And then I ended up moving back with a bunch of guys in Pasadena. We rented a place, and they were all in the mortgage industry. And I thought back then I was an engineer working at gte. Now it's called Verizon. So that kind of dates me back, right? And I started. All my roommates were in the mortgage industry, and they started bringing all these big checks, right? And then they were like, hey, look what I got, and this and that, and they had all this. And then I just had, you know, a job, had, you know, everything was fine. I had healthcare, the traditional things to do, right? And then so, you know, then I remember my friend Mike and my friend Omar and Danny, and they were looking at things, you know, I was looking at their paychecks, and I was like, that's not what you're making. That's someone's like, you know, down payment and this and that. And like, no, this is what I'm making. And because I've always had an entrepreneur spirit and heart, I decided to leave my 9 to 5 job just getting a salary and ended up working for a broker and doing it stuff. And I did that for a while, and then I learned the business and then again, Middle Eastern, opening up your own business. And I ended up a brokerage first and then grew that into a wholesale mortgage company. Then I opened up an escrow.
Emil
What was the mortgage company that you started calling?
Dwar Alimi
Cornerstone Lending?
Emil
Cornerstone. Just a quick side note, guys, if you don't know, one of my, I think it was my first mortgage company job. I was just a runt in his office working at one of his branches. He didn't even know me.
Dwar Alimi
Well, last time, like, you know, like, we had a mutual friend called, right? He goes, hey, so Emil's doing fantastic. He's got this company called emc. I'm like, really? I was like, who's Emil? He goes, dude, you remember Sleepy Joe? You're not sleepy.
Emil
Yeah, no.
Dwar Alimi
You've got more energy than anyone.
Emil
I didn't know how I got that name. That's crazy. That's so funny. So that's how you entered the business, out of the mortgage business. And when did you enter the fintech business? So you started your own mortgage company and then when did you transition to starting a fintech company?
Dwar Alimi
So after I, you know, in 2008, right before the mortgage debacle, you know, I had a wholesale mortgage company servicing brokers. And, you know, just like with everyone that crashed at that time, I crashed with them, right? Because, you know, credit market froze. You couldn't do anything. Your warehouse lenders didn't, you know, you lost all warehouse capacity. You couldn't lend, right?
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
So then. So then I couldn't really push the wholesale mortgage company. And because I had a engineering background, my wife worked at bank of America and bank of America at the time was having problems with short sales and loan modifications. The banks at the time didn't have a way to actually handle loan modifications and short sales, and they didn't have an application. CoreLogic had something. And then at bank of America, they were running everything through these things called stored procedures. SQL stored procedures. So I got brought in as a consultant. So my wife was at dinner with. With, you know, with a team of executives there, and they said that we have a problem. And then my wife's like, hey, my husband is an engineer and he knows mortgages, so maybe he might be able to help. Sure enough, I worked for them as a consultant, ended up running one of their groups that handled loan modifications and short sales. Did that for a while. The entrepreneur in me came, you know, came back and I said, I can't do this. And then, sure enough, we were actually dealing with a lot of the treasury supplemental directives that the treasury was, you know, the bank was dealing with it and getting fined and, you know, thousands of loan modifications was down to, you know, a lot lesser number. And I felt like the problem was fixed, right? And then I got recruited for, with a company called ccg. It's a tax credit company. It was one of the tax credit companies at the time. And I became CTO at that company. And there was their, you know, I got introduced to. So they had two different. They had a payroll app that competed against. That competed against Paychex and adp. And they also had a tax credit side. And again, on the tax credit side, what really attracted me to that business was, you know, the CEO said, this is how we deal with tax credits. So they have these enterprise zone tax credits. And what we do is we go with all the Fortune 100 companies and we say, look, you know, if we can save you X amount of money and tax credits. So basically, you get a tax credit if you hire a former felon. You get a tax credit if you hire someone at over the age of, I believe, 50. So the government, so the state of California, just like any other states, they have these tax credits and they would give you incentives. So all they would do is just itemize that they had an electronic signature way of actually doing it, because they got. Because our software was connected inside. What was it called wasn't adp, it was Taleo. Right? And so anytime someone would. These, let's say, foster farms would hire people, it would tally up all the tax credit and then you would go back to a company, let's say, EMC. And you go, hey, you've got $150,000 in tax credit that you can use to reduce your, you know, to use your corporate taxes. And. But if you use it, you have to give us 30% of whatever you used.
Emil
It sounds like an ERC business now. That's what they're. They. They re brought. They brought the business back like that ERC credit.
Dwar Alimi
Oh, they did? Okay.
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
So I did that for a while, and then I met my partner, Le. Lee Ku there. And the other thing that attracted me is the architecture and how well the code was written. And Lee Ku was the chief engineer there and met with him. Interesting part with that is that I combined both technology groups into one, and I let go a bunch of Lee Ku's family members that were working there. But we're still partners today, so he's our cto, so he forgave me. And then we started Lender Price.
Emil
That's awesome. So you started Lender Price. What year was that?
Dwar Alimi
2015. 2016. Really? We incorporated in 2015. We really started in 2016.
Emil
Yeah, right around when we started incorporated E Mortgage Capital. So. And then you didn't gain. Like, when did you attract the eye of, like, Kevin Costner and Glenn Stearns? Like, how did you get such big names to. To invest in your company?
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, so, you know, actually I created an LOS back in 2002 and failed at that.
Emil
And then how does Kevin Costner even know about the mortgage industry?
Dwar Alimi
Like, well, well, so he. So, so, so he didn't at the time. But the way that I got introduced to him was that when. So when I quit ccg, Lee Koo quit. At the same time, I was like, what are you doing? Right? And he goes, we're going to start this together. And we also started with a good friend, German Centeno. And he started, but then he left and he came back. And when we started it, we just started writing the code because I actually got a pass from my wife. So I said, laura, I was like, I'm going to do something that I have a passion for. I want to build software. That's what I went to school for. And this is what I love. And she said, okay, you know, and, you know, raising two kids, she's salaried, and I had no income. It was tough. And we started building the software and. And as we're building the software, we knew that we had something. And then we got introduced to Rod Lake, who's Kevin Costner's partner. He came in and he said, hey, I love this solution. He goes, I want to invest. And Kevin and Rod just wrote checks because that's what Hollywood people do. And then, so then I go, what do I do? And I contacted the top startup attorney in Pasadena, Albert Lee, and he said, you can't accept these checks. There's a process. That's the way it's done in Hollywood. You can't do this. So then I was like, okay. And then my brother in law started a company called Quantifind who they compete against Palantir today. They got investments from Andreessen and Redpoint. And he said, let me connect you with VCs. And then we got connected to various VCs. We got other term sheets there. And then we ultimately went with Rod and Kevin as our first angel investors. Then Kevin said, hey, I've got this guy that he went on a hunting trip with. He goes, it's this guy, Glenn Stearns, and he owns a mortgage company. And I don't know if you know him, but he might be another person that we may want to get invested in the company.
Emil
So Kevin Costner introduced you to Glenn Stearns?
Dwar Alimi
Kevin Costner introduced me to Kevin.
Emil
And that's so funny. It's like he's not even in the mortgage industry. And he introduces you to Glenn, but Glenn goes dove hunting in like Europe all the time. And he always goes with like different mega celebrities.
Dwar Alimi
Both love hunting. Yeah, yeah. And then, so then we had a meeting at the Sunset Marquee and then Glenn was there. And Glenn was like, you know, we were pitching him the software and he goes, I love this. And then he shortly, he invested after that.
Emil
His wife's coming on the show next week and then he's coming on the show in a couple weeks.
Dwar Alimi
So, so I think that in this situation, because we got lucky because I don't think that we're in the right time from a timing perspective, it was great. Right. But just like, you know, business, there's, there's, there's the vision and the passion of you actually doing something that you love. And then there's the, there's, there's the lock, right. Of who you meet.
Emil
That was pretty lucky. Yeah. And everything just kind of the stars aligned for you to really kick lender price off.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah. So yeah.
Emil
And then, and then you started really like gain attract the big name mortgage companies. Like I was introduced to you a couple of years ago, maybe you know, the next two guys and all the big mortgage companies and you still don't know all of them. I still got to introduce You a few of them.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah. You do?
Emil
Yeah. And I got you just for coming on the show, but now you're really like gaining steam. And now with ready price out of the space, we're working on lone sifter next.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, exactly. I've been gunning for them for a while.
Emil
Yeah. We got the software really improved and enhanced. It's ui. So that's going to be a big help. And then obviously, you know, how did you get the agreement with uwm? I mean, I could have really helped you with that, that.
Dwar Alimi
But I mean, UWM has been, they've been in our solution. You know, we're hoping to work out something with them soon. So I think by the time this airs, hopefully that that comes into fruition. But I think for us on the wholesale space, it was mainly working with the wholesale lenders and offering them a option outside of loan sifter because loan sifter is very, very, very expensive for the wholesale lenders. Very expensive. So we come at a fraction at a cost. And then for us it was like increasing the user base. That was really important. So we increased the user base and you know, gaining trust. And still, till still, till today, we have client, we have still brokers as, you know, users that use loan sifter and users that use our solutions. And we're always trying to find innovative ways to try to get some of those lone sifters away, you know, and some of them just, you know, you can't because it's just muscle memory. And we pre.
Emil
They love their UI. Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
And we've come out with 2.1 to tackle that.
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
But it's constantly.
Emil
Your new UI is superior to their existing ui.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Our UI is. And then I think that what's important is listening, especially in software and I think in any business. Right. You've got to listen to your, your customers.
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
Constantly be listening.
Emil
I think that's a superpower that you have, you know, because you're in the weeds with us. You know, like I tell you, Dewar, I just walked you up to my recruiter. Like, what don't you like about, you know, like, I just, like that's, that's the kind of partner we need.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah.
Emil
You know, someone who's in the weeds, like helping us get better, innovating with us. Like, and I tell my people all the time, like, I'm not going to work with a CEO that doesn't play ball.
Dwar Alimi
Well, also because you don't know what you don't know. Right. It's like, you know, you know, especially in software, like you think that you're building something, right? And then you find out that what you built is not what people like. You know, there's a great book in software, it says, don't make me think the easiest software, the best software are the ones that you don't have to use a lot that you could go in and out.
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
So we're constantly, you know, obsessed about how can we make things easier, how can we make things more efficient? Because if we can make things more easier and efficient, it'll drive ROI for you.
Emil
Yeah, I love that. And I love that you, you think like that because the experience that people have with Lone Sifter is nothing close to that. And Lone Sifter has not, is not always innovating. It's not, they're not coming up with creative solutions with the brokers, they don't. There is no tech team or support team or any team that really help us get better or improve our. The way we're quoting or, you know, I love it with you. I'm like, bior, let's build this API. Let's figure this, let's tag it to this. You know, like, here you go. Yeah, well, you'll make it happen. So that, that's the kind of mindset that we need to grow. You know, these, the problem with the mortgage industry that we see as a whole, like whether it was Calix Point, whether it's Loan Sifter, whether it's Optimal Blue or Encompass or these big companies that don't, they've, they've kind, they're, they're maintaining the status quo with their technology.
Dwar Alimi
And we do that not just for the brokers too, but we also do that for the lender. So for, so as you know, like the space right now, you know, conventional financing is tough. You know, you got a lot of people that have refinanced and during the sugar high, I call it the sugar high in 2020, like that time where you could find anyone to refinance. Now you're looking for innovative products. And a good example of that is our relationship with Deep Haven. Because when we got into, when we started dealing with Deep Haven. Deep Haven is a pricing engine client, they're an enterprise client. They helped us understand how to build user interfaces and functionality that's needed for the non QM space. So we do that as well, is that we partner. It's a true partnership. Because the hardest thing, I think, in the non QM space is educating loan officers and how to sell. Right. How to sell non QM loans. Yeah. And it's also listening to our enterprise clients and letting you know, ask, listening to them and them telling us this is how the UI should work, this is how the user experience should be and hopefully that trickles down to other loan officers using it.
Emil
So that just brings me to this question. Like you're working with the investors, direct these non QM investors and figuring out how to really optimize the pricing solution for non QM lenders because.
Dwar Alimi
Absolutely. So we came up with a thing called a configurable ui. Right. Because non qm, you know, you, you, it's different in the sense that if you look at legacy pricing engines, the UI was very, you know, you know, you couldn't make any changes. Right?
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
So we came up with a configurable UI where think of it like a, you know, like your, you know, like what are some of those websites that you could just drag and dropping?
Emil
Jotform.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah.
Emil
Or something like that.
Dwar Alimi
That's our ui. So you can actually just create your.
Emil
Own UI for non qm or can you do it for hard money too? The hard money has nothing for anything.
Dwar Alimi
It's false. So when you got to help these.
Emil
Hard money guys out, they're just stuck. I got to get introduced you to Valkyrie Great bank. But they're just archaic.
Dwar Alimi
So. So, yeah, so. Well that's the whole thing is like. So when we, when we first architected our application, it's not just for, you know, mortgages, it's for all consumer lending products. So it's everything from, you know, I mean we've got a fantastic home equity.
Emil
A ui, you know, there's, you gotta dominate. There's no, there's no market in the auto.
Dwar Alimi
We want to get into.
Emil
Love it.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah.
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
And like especially our banking clients, you know, like, you know, this is.
Emil
Matter of fact, I'm just gonna invest, just get me a partnership interest and I'm just gonna go balls to the wall and make all the intros.
Dwar Alimi
So you know what we're doing and I think this will be out by the time you guys have this live is we've had a great relationship with Chase, Chase Retail. So Chase Correspondent Lending is now our client. Sorry. So we've expanded that relationship to Chase Correspondent. So the portal that everyone uses today, that if you're not going to sell loans to the agencies, Fannie, Freddie, Ginny, and if you're going to sell to Chase, you've got to use that portal. That portal is our Portal and that's going to be released at the end of the year.
Emil
That's amazing. That's amazing. So let me ask you this. You know, you've been an entrepreneur, you've had several journeys in the, in your entrepreneur, you know, lifeline. What do you think has been like your biggest inspiration to start your entrepreneur journey?
Dwar Alimi
I mean, the inspiration is mainly just to be able to build a product that people can use. Because I could tell you this, like earlier on when we're developing and coding the application, John, who's my brother in law, came to the, you know, came to our office and I was like, John, I go, you know, quantifying is doing so well and you got so much money invested and you know, I can't wait till the company gets to that point. And he goes, dwar, he goes, what you're doing right now where you have no money and then you're buying like you're paying $1.50 for, you know, for a hot dog at lunch.
Emil
Still, they haven't changed the price. Costco is still a buck fifty. Still one of the best deals. It is the best deal deal in America.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, but, but that, but that would be a launch. And then he goes, this is the time that you're going to remember and you're going to cherish the most is there is when you don't have clients, you don't have anything else and you're doing what you love, which is building software.
Emil
You know, I would also, I'm going to tell you because I saw this the other day, like keep that immigrant or that, I don't know if you're an immigrant. I'm an immigrant.
Dwar Alimi
I came as a refugee.
Emil
Yeah. Yeah, me too. So I came at five. And I've always maintained that immigrant poverty mentality and people have always made fun of me. I saw something that really was cool to see. It was LeBron James is actually the cheapest person in the NBA. And it. And in this video they have like LeBron James, he packs his own lunch, he packs his own snacks. He doesn't pay for anything. He makes people, when he goes to dinner with the other guys, they all buy him lunch. And I'm like, that's why he's the richest guy in the NBA. You know, it's like he's maintained that he packs his own snacks. He doesn't buy snacks at the game. Like it's, it's unreal.
Dwar Alimi
You know, we be that his, you know, his snacks are probably healthy.
Emil
Yeah, yeah, that's right. Yeah, he's he's probably packing like, you know, pistachios.
Dwar Alimi
I think that, you know, like you said, you know, you're an immigrant and I came here as a refugee and I think that when you come here, you don't have the network.
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
So, like, you know, when my parents came here, they had nothing. You know, my, my father was a Maytag repairman, my mother was a hairdresser. And then, so then my mother ended up opening up her own shop because, you know, that's what immigrants do. Like you can't find jobs, so it's like you got to open up your own business. So that.
Emil
And then hustle in your community.
Dwar Alimi
So then, so then that's what you do.
Emil
Yeah. And it's just instilled in us. Yeah, it's instilled in us. So you've seen a lot of, like, success, a lot of challenges. What do you, what do you foresee, like in the fintech space in the future, like with the advent of AI and you know, I just told you about all the different AI platforms we're using. Like, what do you foresee? How is this going to impact.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, Enterprise number one, you know, so I've got a graduate degree in computer science, but the emphasis is, is an AI machine learning. Right. So that's where I mean, I love even.
Emil
That's changed. Right. So much it's changed.
Dwar Alimi
But if you look at AI, AI is really about correlating data, looking at patterns. And now you're seeing chat GPT. So one of the things that we did in, back in 2016 when nobody knew what natural language processing is, is we implement an NLP on our rules management side of things on our back end. So now you know what NLP is because everyone's using ChatGPT. But I think that AI is great because I think it's going to enhance the ability for you to get things done faster.
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
It's not going to replace loan officers, it's not going to replace underwriters. It is going to make it so that, you know, underwriters can process loans faster or, you know, get through loans faster. It's going to help in terms of regulating the regulation side of things.
Emil
Yeah, regulations. Now the regulators are asking for 10 times more data because you can get it because of the technology, but they could read it faster.
Dwar Alimi
Borrower. And I think Ali Carty is a good example of a person out there that promotes how Gen Z, you know, consumers think.
Emil
Who's Ali Carty?
Dwar Alimi
She's, she works for. I think, I think I think company called Comply IO I believe. And she's kind of like in the industry, teaching the industry how Gen Z borrowers, you know, operate.
Emil
Okay.
Dwar Alimi
And you know, Gen Z borrowers from my understanding is I'm not Gen Z, but they're really about getting as much information online as they can. Right. And I think that with AI and being able to ask questions like, you know, it's amazing that you can ask ChatGPT questions about a mortgage and it gives you answers. Right. Have you done that?
Emil
I asked ChatGPT everything. Like I was, I was, I. Chat GPT is like, you know, I was, I, I'm an assistant coach for my, my kids baseball team and I asked ChatGPT what can 8 year old boys do in the dugout to just keep motivated. And it gave me like 10 things. I'm like this is great. Like everything.
Dwar Alimi
Oh, I do the same, you know.
Emil
Like, I don't know, like I couldn't come up with ways to keep like 8 year old boys sitting down. They're waiting to batter, they're waiting to you know, catch or they're you know, whatever it is, they're waiting for their position. Like they're losing their mind. You know, they're all, and they're all, you know, this generation. So you know, how do you keep them motivated? And Chat GPD answered with great suggestions.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, well that's what I'm saying is that I think it's going to be ubiquitous in terms of how it's used. You're seeing it inside Microsoft products with Gemini, I don't know if you've, you know, enabled that. You're seeing it.
Emil
Gemini is its own CHAT GPT.
Dwar Alimi
Oh no, no, I'm sorry. Gemini is through Google. It's through, it's offered in there. If you ever have like Google, we.
Emil
Switched off of Google and to Microsoft.
Dwar Alimi
Okay, so, so, so Microsoft I think has their own, you know, their own version. Everything is going to have a version of AI.
Emil
Yeah. And that we're building our own AI too for emc.
Dwar Alimi
So that's what I'm saying. Every, you have to incorporate in, you have to incorporate it in somehow Ancillary just did that. They're a CRM product out there. Everyone's doing it. I think that the most important piece for us is that because we're part of a regulatory environment is hyper regulatory. Hyper regulatory is that if you're going to use any API frameworks like let's say ChatGPT's OpenAI's framework, you got to understand that Whatever you. All of the inputs within the solution that you build is that's pushing it to ChatGPT's API and depending on what you're going to do, that may not work. So for us, we're building our own LLM and SLM small language models within our company because pushing pricing data or any type of NPI data or any type of sensitive data is not something that you want to push to OpenAI's framework. So.
Emil
But is it sensitive if it's generic?
Dwar Alimi
Because what you send, right, you can't send loan information, you can't send FICO Score, you can't send all that stuff there. Right. Which is why, like some of our banking clients, like when we mentioned AI and they're like, well, how are you using it? You know, their biggest concern was like, I hope you're not sensitive.
Emil
Yeah, you're using pinging it to Chat GPT or. Yeah, so you have to build your own.
Dwar Alimi
Exactly, yeah.
Emil
Avoid that.
Dwar Alimi
I mean, we're not, you know, we're really focusing on small language models and the algorithms that incorporate that's incorporated in the small language models. Yeah.
Emil
I can't imagine what ChatGPT is repurposing my questions for now. They know like everything that I'm thinking.
Dwar Alimi
And it's getting better and better, right? Yeah.
Emil
Now what kind of data they got on us.
Dwar Alimi
But it's exciting. I mean.
Emil
Yeah, it is. I mean, it's really. We're doing what 20 companies are doing now.
Dwar Alimi
I'll tell you this, you create an email, right? And then, and then it's. It's middle of night, someone sends you something and you're like, yeah, you got your anger me this angry, you know, email that you're writing and then you quickly highlight it and you go friendly tone. And then you set it out.
Emil
Yeah, no, no, I just still delete. I actually haven't started doing that. I didn't even know that you just add the email into chat GPT.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, Jasper is a good example. Jasper AI is a good example.
Emil
Just change it to friendly tone.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah. And then there's also apps out there that you could use for text as well, so that way, you know, you could sound a little bit better and smarter.
Emil
It's just amazing. It's amazing. Yeah, I have a few friends that do that. They run it through chat with CBT before they send out their email. So are there any like, specific skill skills or a mindset that you have to have right now to be a successful entrepreneur?
Dwar Alimi
You know, I think the most important thing and this is why, when I was younger and I created the mortgage company was that, number one, if you're the type of person that says that, I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it, you're never going to do it. You just have to take that first step. It's like when you apply for a broker exam, just fill out the application. Whatever you do is take that first step, and everything else will work itself out. I think that's what entrepreneurs know. Yeah. Just taking the first step. You know, the vast majority of people that want to own their own business never take the first step.
Emil
It's just like the gym.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah.
Emil
The hardest part of the going to the gym is just getting up and going there.
Dwar Alimi
Just. Just take the first step and you're going to get there. And then. And then. And then I. I just think that that's the thing. And then the other thing, too is I, you know, and I like to see a lot of parents out there, get them to, you know, get your kid to start looking at ways to build a business, whatever it is, at an earlier age. Right. Not. Not that, hey, you know, they need to make money. Yeah. But if they're interested in it, encourage them. And whatever it is, just do whatever. I mean, look, dude, I've got a kid right now. I've got one that wants to, you know, he's in high school, and then he wants to get into politics, which I'm like, okay, if that's what you want to do. But again, I've never. I've never stopped my kid. I see. Unlike my parents, who was, you know, lawyer, doctor for my kids, I'm like, do whatever you want. I've got my. My youngest son, Andrew, and he's. He plays basketball. He loves, you know, basketball.
Emil
And he knows he's not going to the NBA.
Dwar Alimi
No, no. So this is funny. So I was talking to him, and then so his grandpa, you know, calls him Tata Tata. And he goes, tata. So Tata comes. Yeah, comes in the house. This is just literally yesterday. He goes, yeah. So I was talking to Andrew and then Andrew said. He goes, I don't even know why I have to go to school, because I'm gonna go in the NBA.
Emil
Yeah. There's no Middle Easterns in the NBA, bro. Not one. Not one. It's like. Like, we. We have zero. Like, name me one NBA player that's Middle Eastern. Like, one. We used to have Ronnie Cycley, but he was Greek, and he was like a fluke. You know, seven foot Greek guy. He's not really a real Middle Eastern guy.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, and then, and then. Yeah, and then I. I mean, I don't know. So for my kid, I mean, my kids, you know. At one point, Alexander was like, look, I really want to be a chef. And we said, okay, well, what do you want to do? You want to start cooking? Whatever he wants to do.
Emil
That's awesome. But the NBA thing is kind of tough for. For a short Middle Eastern guy.
Dwar Alimi
Hey. But I got to give him credit. So, like, lately, you know, like, he's pretty good.
Emil
How old is he?
Dwar Alimi
He is 11 years old.
Emil
Okay. You know, I mean, deep down inside, I'd still like to make it to the NBA. I mean, I still play, but I just realized that, you know, I'm just not going to happen for me.
Dwar Alimi
You know what's funny? So I was coaching him and he goes, because he's the shortest kid on the team. Right? So I was like, I was like, what you need to do, Alex? You know, Andrew is like, you got to start shooting from the outside. So he's been shooting from the outside.
Emil
Good primary shot.
Dwar Alimi
So now his shot's getting better.
Emil
That's awesome. How's his handles? You got to get really good handles.
Dwar Alimi
Really good at that. He's. He's got his moves. Yeah, dude, he does his moves, but that's about it.
Emil
Yeah.
Dwar Alimi
Hoop dreams.
Emil
So out of all the success that you have right now and you continue to get up and grind every single morning, like 4am what inspires you to do that every morning?
Dwar Alimi
You know, I think what inspires me is just that I just get a. What inspires me. I think what inspires me is that I'm doing what I like. I mean, I guess that if you don't like, if you don't like what you're doing, then you don't get up in the morning. Yeah, I mean, I enjoy what I'm doing, you know, so that's why I get up in the morning and do it. You know, it's tough, right? You know, you have good days and bad days. But I think what inspires me is that. And then also I do get a rush as far as getting up in the morning before everybody else, because I feel like I've been able to accomplish things before everyone else does. And it also lets me handle the rest of the stuff that I couldn't get to. So I think that's, you know, you know, that that inspires me. I don't know. I just like doing what I'M doing.
Emil
You love what you do. Love what you do. Now you're in a hyper competitive space, the fintech space. What are you doing right now to foster talent and create great talent?
Dwar Alimi
You know, So I think Glenn Stern said, you know, said it best is to. Well, to create. Well, to. To hire people. It's just not, you know, you know, create, you know, creating good, you know, good talent is just really. You have to have a good, you know, program, you know, within your company to kind of like, get. Get people to do what they want to do. Right. One thing that Glenn said to me is he goes duar. He goes, you know how you get successful in this business? He goes, what? He goes, find people that are smarter than you and hire them. So that's what I've been able to do.
Emil
That's awesome.
Dwar Alimi
People just get folks that are in certain positions that note really well, put them in those positions, and then, you know, it helps.
Emil
I feel like Glenn can say that and he puts on a front like, he's not the smartest guy, but he's the smartest guy in the room every time. But he can pretend like he's not. But, dude, the guy is unreal brilliant.
Dwar Alimi
He is. Yeah.
Emil
Yeah, he's unreal brilliant. I mean, you don't become a billionaire and, you know, and then you. You have your own show, undercover billionaire. You start with 500 bucks and become rich again. $500 in the middle of, you know, Erie, Pennsylvania.
Dwar Alimi
You know, he doesn't have to do this again. Is. He's humble. He's doing it just because he loves doing it.
Emil
He loves doing it. He just wants to win again. He's just bored, you know, he's like, I'm going round two.
Dwar Alimi
And I think the other thing, too, is that, you know, having a good spouse, like Mindy is just Mindy's superstar. And for me, too, it's like. And I'm sure it's the same thing for you. It's like when you have. Like, I. Like, if it wasn't for my wife being so supportive, I don't think that I could have done anything.
Emil
I was just at lunch yesterday, and if it wasn't for my wife, and I hope she's listening right now, like, I would not be who I am. Like, she has been my sole inspiration. She's also like. I mean, she's my kids also. I mean, she's a mega inspiration, but she just keeps making me better. Like, she sees some. Some fluke in me, and she's just like, get rid of that, you know.
Dwar Alimi
They were able to accept all the flukes in us.
Emil
Yeah. Like, or always working on cleansing my flukes, which is such a blessing.
Dwar Alimi
My kid, oldest, and I don't know if he does this to irk me. He goes, you could have had so much better than Dwar.
Emil
Like look at you mom and look at him.
Dwar Alimi
Do you have to say that in front of me?
Emil
Yeah, I think my daughter said something like that to my wife too. Her name's Alexandra. Like these kids, like so, like right now, your business and we're wrapping up here, but got a couple last questions. But your business is really, you know, in a hyper regulated space. How are you still managing? Like taking risks?
Dwar Alimi
I think you have to take risk, but it's measured risk. Right. I think that in our space it's very cyclical. Right. So with, with every down cycle there's an opportunity. You know, last two years has, has always been tough, but it's always manage risk and figure out like what you need to do to stay alive, you know, because we are in such a cyclical industry.
Emil
I love it. I love it. Yeah. You're always managing the kind of risks that you're taking because it's been so cyclical the last couple of years. I mean it's always cyclical.
Dwar Alimi
It always goes up and down.
Emil
But 20, 20, 2021, you're like, this isn't. That was a ride of our lives in 2022. Bam. And you gained all the market share then.
Dwar Alimi
Right. But how bad was it in 2008, 2009?
Emil
Oh, even. I mean, you weren't around then though.
Dwar Alimi
It crushed me. It put me out of business.
Emil
Yeah, Leonard, Leonard Price wasn't around. So I have two last questions. This is. But the first of the last questions is a three pronged question. What is a personal goal that you have? What is a business goal that you have? And then what's a family goal that you have? And you can answer those in any order.
Dwar Alimi
So. So I do have a personal goal. So I mean I've. So I always, I'm very goal oriented. So like, you know, I've been really into eating right and doing the exercise stuff. So I think that's done. I've really wanted to learn how to meditate. That's a personal goal of mine. Just meditate. Because I think that, that, that I hear so much about it. I mean I've read books about it. I still can't do it. I have a good friend, Brent Chandler from Form Free, that does it really well. And I'M always calling him and asking him what to do and maybe try to do. I've tried it, but maybe, Maybe the add in me can't do it.
Emil
I know. I. I feel you because I tried that too. It's like deep. Take a deep breath in five seconds, hold a deep breath out five seconds, hold it. Like. And then I do that while I'm stretching and I'm checking my phone so it doesn't work. Like, I gotta cut one of those out and just focus on the breathing. I would love to learn to meditate too. It's also, like, been on my radar. I can't turn off that long. But the best of the best. Do it.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah, I would love to do it. Yeah. Family goal would definitely be. It's unfortunate that when you're running a company, you're not there for your kids as much. I have a good friend and then one of the things that he says is never miss, you know, a game or a sporting event from your kids. And I try not to do that as best as possible, but I'd like to do better at that.
Emil
Do you go to all the practices too?
Dwar Alimi
I do. I try to go to every practice. But I. That, that's my goal is to this year and next year and whatever is to be there at every single one of their events. Because they remember that when they're older.
Emil
Yeah. You know, I noticed in my town too, in Newport beach, like, the dads are. They go to every practice and like. And we're in Newport beach, like, you know, these guys are all very successful men. Like, they're at every baseball practice.
Dwar Alimi
Like, Exactly.
Emil
And sometimes I hate myself for missing. I'm like, this guy.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah.
Emil
Do it.
Dwar Alimi
Like you feel guilty.
Emil
Yeah. I'm like, but there's three baseball practices a week.
Dwar Alimi
Crazy. Like, like, it never stops with baseball. Like, you're always traveling with baseball.
Emil
You know, it's. It's a lot. And then I'm. And I only have one older one. And thank God, you know what happens with. All four of them are in activities. How do you do that? It's like you're full time attending events.
Dwar Alimi
Yeah. I think the only way you could do that is, like, one parent has to. Because, you know, both Laura and I work. I think one parent has to stop working. Because you're so busy with doing that. Like, I don't see it in any other way. Unless, Unless you're really wealthy and you can hire someone to do that for you. But then, but, but then when you do that, then you're just not there at the games. Yeah, there's a drawback there.
Emil
Yeah, I'm just, I'm always asking these questions because, number one, people who are listening are always working on goal setting. And I'm hoping if they're not working on goal setting, they get inspired by hearing goal setting from other CEOs and founders.
Dwar Alimi
And I guess the business one would be to just continue what we're doing, listening to clients. You know, we have some, you know, real important goals this year, but what are they? You know, you know, as you're building applications, you start accumulating tech debt and you're, you know, and there's a ton of features and functionalities that we need to build. Really, you know, the short term business goal this year is to really get our product roadmap complete by the end of the year, which is easier said than done because you have a lot of distractions. And that would be the biggest business goal, is to end the year where we have all of our roadmap items complete.
Emil
Love it. Love it. One last question and we adjourn. When you die, what's God going to say to you in front of the pearly gates? What do you think he's going to say?
Dwar Alimi
I would hope it's something good. What would God say? Oh, my gosh. So it's a hard question because our kids go to Catholic school and everything. I think for me, I hope that I could contribute something. I don't know what that is, but, you know, gosh, that's such a hard. What would God say? I mean, I guess the only thing that I want to do and that I've been doing is just to be a good human, just be a good human being. I mean, it's not the success, it's not the money, it's not anything else. It's because I don't care about that. And really, I don't have it right. I mean, you say that you said a lot of, you said a lot of nice things at the very beginning of the show. You know, it doesn't matter.
Emil
All that stuff doesn't matter.
Dwar Alimi
Exactly. I think that's the thing is, you know, there's this thing about, like, you know, like, when you die. Right. None of that stuff matters. And you know, what matter? You know what? I've heard that what matters is that what you regret is not reaching out to the friends and family and people that, you know, that you should have reached out, whether it was something that you had an argument with or something and you just didn't keep in contact with them or go back and, you know, like, you had an opportunity to go back and just say, hey, look, you know, I'm thinking about you, and, you know. You know, I just want to talk to you again. I think that. I think it really comes down to simple terms like that when you're. You know, when you're on your dying deathbed.
Emil
Yeah. You know, I learned a lot from this experience with sitting down with people, because you get to a point where money is irrelevant. You know, it's. It's just fleeting, and life is just a vapor. Right? So we're here for a mission, and we're here to serve, and we're here to do good things, and, you know, that that's what we're here to do.
Dwar Alimi
You know, it's our direct family. It's our, you know, you know, it's our friends. It's. I mean, that's what life is about. You know, you could take everything away, and that's what matters the most.
Emil
I love it. Hey, Dwar, I'd love to have you on the show, and I love this relationship that we have, and I'd love to continue to grow with you and continue to, you know, let people know about how awesome of a platform we have with Lender Price. And just from the show, I discovered a marketplace that's totally untapped for you that I'm going to try to get you introduced to today.
Dwar Alimi
So thank you for being a good partner and friend.
Emil
Yeah, thank you, Dawar. You've been the best. All right, thank you guys for watching today's show, and we'll see you guys next time. God bless.
Coffeez for Closers with Joe Shalaby - Episode 43: Lending Strategies with Ease ft. Dawar Alimi
Host: Joseph Shalaby, Broker and CEO of E Mortgage Capital Inc.
Guest: Dawar Alimi, CEO and Co-founder of Lender Price
Release Date: October 4, 2024
In Episode 43 of Coffeez for Closers, host Joseph Shalaby welcomes Dawar Alimi, the visionary CEO and Co-founder of Lender Price. With over two decades of experience in the mortgage industry, Dawar has led Lender Price to significant growth and innovation, positioning the company as a leader in the financial tech sector. This episode delves into Dawar's entrepreneurial journey, his strategies for navigating the competitive mortgage landscape, and his insights into the future of fintech, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI).
Dawar Alimi begins by sharing his academic background in computer science from Cal State San Marcos and his initial career path in engineering at GTE (now Verizon). However, his move into the mortgage industry was influenced by his roommates' success and entrepreneurial spirit.
Dawar Alimi [05:51]: "I decided to leave my 9 to 5 job just getting a salary and ended up working for a broker and doing IT stuff."
He founded Cornerstone Lending, a brokerage that eventually evolved into a wholesale mortgage company, paving the way for his later ventures in fintech.
Emil and Dawar discuss their shared morning routine of waking up at 4:00 AM, highlighting the importance of discipline and personal health in sustaining entrepreneurial energy.
Dawar Alimi [02:06]: "I actually wake up at 4:00, so my internal clock is 4:00am I love it."
Dawar emphasizes the role of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and intermittent fasting in maintaining his physical and mental health, which he believes is crucial for effective leadership.
Dawar Alimi [04:14]: "And intermittent fasting, obviously. Right, so fasting and just exercising, for me, it's a way for me to have the energy that I need in the morning to get to work."
In 2015, Dawar co-founded Lender Price, leveraging his technical expertise to build a scalable fintech solution. The company's growth exceeded expectations, increasing sales revenue by over 300% since 2015 and managing approximately $30 billion in loans.
Dawar Alimi [13:31]: "And then we started Lender Price."
His ability to integrate technology with financial services allowed Lender Price to serve 22 of the top 30 wholesale lenders, positioning the company as a cost-effective alternative to competitors like Loan Sifter.
Dawar Alimi [19:07]: "Our UI is superior to their existing UI."
Dawar recounts the serendipitous investment journey, including investments from notable figures like Kevin Costner and Glenn Stearns, facilitated through connections in Hollywood and strategic networking.
Dawar Alimi [13:40]: "Kevin Costner introduced me to Glenn Stearns."
These investments were pivotal in scaling Lender Price, allowing further innovation and market penetration despite industry downturns.
A significant portion of the discussion focuses on Lender Price's strategy to outperform competitors by listening to clients and continuously innovating. Dawar highlights the importance of a user-friendly interface and the development of a configurable UI tailored for Non-Qualified Mortgage (Non QM) lenders.
Dawar Alimi [22:41]: "We came up with a configurable UI where think of it like a, you know, like what are some of those websites that you could just drag and dropping?"
Lender Price’s user-centric approach contrasts with the rigidity of established players like Loan Sifter, offering flexibility and better ROI for lenders.
Dawar delves into the transformative role of AI in the mortgage industry, emphasizing that AI will augment rather than replace loan officers and underwriters. He discusses the integration of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and the development of proprietary small language models (SLMs) to maintain data security and compliance.
Dawar Alimi [27:33]: "I think that AI is going to enhance the ability for you to get things done faster."
He shares insights on how AI can streamline regulatory processes and improve user experience without compromising sensitive information.
Emphasizing the importance of building a strong team, Dawar shares advice inspired by Glenn Stearns:
Dawar Alimi [38:20]: "Find people that are smarter than you and hire them."
He discusses fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, ensuring that Lender Price attracts and retains top talent to drive continued success.
The conversation shifts to personal aspects, where Dawar reflects on balancing the demands of running a company with family commitments. He underscores the importance of being present for his children's activities and cultivating supportive relationships.
Dawar Alimi [42:30]: "It's unfortunate that when you're running a company, you're not there for your kids as much."
He highlights the role of a supportive spouse in sustaining his entrepreneurial endeavors.
Dawar shares his personal goal of learning to meditate, highlighting his dedication to continuous self-improvement. He advocates for taking incremental steps in entrepreneurship and encouraging the younger generation to explore their passions.
Dawar Alimi [33:11]: "Just taking the first step. You know, the vast majority of people that want to own their own business never take the first step."
He emphasizes the immigrant mentality of hustle and perseverance, drawing from his own experiences as a refugee.
Discussing risk management, Dawar explains how Lender Price navigates the cyclical nature of the mortgage industry by taking measured risks and seizing opportunities during downturns.
Dawar Alimi [40:27]: "It's a cyclical industry."
He underscores the necessity of adaptability and strategic planning to sustain growth amidst regulatory challenges.
Concluding the episode, Dawar reflects on his desired legacy, focusing on being a good human being and fostering meaningful relationships over financial success.
Dawar Alimi [45:15]: "I would hope that I could contribute something. I don't know what that is, but, you know, gosh, that's such a hard."
He shares a heartfelt perspective on life’s true values, emphasizing family, friendships, and personal integrity.
Discipline and Routine: Establishing a consistent morning routine contributes to sustained entrepreneurial energy and personal well-being.
Innovation Through Listening: Continuously engaging with clients and adapting to their needs is crucial for developing competitive fintech solutions.
Strategic Networking: Building relationships across diverse industries can open doors to pivotal investments and partnerships.
AI as an Enabler: Leveraging AI to enhance efficiency and compliance without compromising data security is essential in the fintech landscape.
Leadership and Talent: Hiring smarter individuals and fostering a collaborative company culture drives innovation and business growth.
Work-Life Balance: Prioritizing family commitments while leading a company fosters personal fulfillment and long-term success.
Measured Risk-Taking: Navigating industry cycles with strategic risk management ensures resilience and sustained growth.
Dawar Alimi [01:51]: "Focus on what you do best and what we do best. Because the only thing that we can control is what we do, not what others do."
Dawar Alimi [05:23]: "If you're not healthy, you don't have the energy and you don't have the mental capacity to actually make tough decisions."
Dawar Alimi [19:12]: "Our UI is superior to their existing UI."
Dawar Alimi [38:20]: "Find people that are smarter than you and hire them."
Dawar Alimi [33:11]: "Just taking the first step. You know, the vast majority of people that want to own their own business never take the first step."
Conclusion
Episode 43 of Coffeez for Closers offers a comprehensive look into Dawar Alimi’s entrepreneurial journey and the innovative strategies driving Lender Price’s success in the competitive fintech mortgage space. From the importance of personal discipline and health to the strategic integration of AI and fostering a strong company culture, Dawar provides valuable insights for professionals in the mortgage industry, aspiring entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the mechanics of building a successful business.