How to Build and Fund Data Centers with Daniel English Workshop
A Two-Day Workshop with Legacy Investing’s Danny English
About this event
A two-day interactive workshop designed for real estate investors, developers, and capital allocators who want to understand—and invest in—the data center asset class.
Led by Daniel English, Managing Partner at Legacy Investing, one of the country’s leading data center developers and investors. Daniel and his team have been developing data centers since before the cloud and have delivered over 2GW with billions invested serving hyperscale, AI and enterprise tenants.
Thursday, December 11: 12:00pm–1:30pm EST
Friday, December 12: 12:00pm–1:30pm EST
Both sessions will be recorded.
Over two 90-minute live sessions, you’ll learn how the data center ecosystem works, explore live underwriting case studies, and walk away with practical tools to evaluate, structure, and invest in data center deals.
Participants will receive pre-read materials–including deck & case studies–and gain post-course access to Circle, where we’ll share recordings, underwriting models, and deal examples.
You’ll learn how to:
Understand the data center market: what it is, what’s driving demand, and where opportunities exist
Evaluate site fundamentals: power, fiber, and land constraints that drive value
Compare project types: ground-up, conversions, co-location, hyperscale, and edge facilities
Analyze tenants and leases: how data center revenue models differ from traditional real estate
Underwrite data center investments: ground-up and conversion projects using real models
Structure capital stacks: how institutional investors and developers partner on these deals
You’ll leave with actionable insight into how to invest in data centers–how they work, where the money is made, and what separates winning projects from the rest.
The Workshop Will Cover
Day One: The Macro Playbook & How Data Centers Work
The First Asset Class Built for Machines, Not Humans: How data centers differ from traditional property types—and why they’re now central to the built environment
What’s Driving Demand: AI, cloud migration, and enterprise computing are reshaping global power demand. Understand where growth is coming from—and what markets are next
Powered Land and Site Selection: How power access, fiber connectivity, cooling, and zoning shape feasibility—and why “powered land” has become an asset class of its own.
Project Types & Construction Requirements: From hyperscale to edge to co-location—how different formats are designed, delivered, and monetized
Tenants & Leases: How hyperscalers, colos, Neoclouds, and enterprises contract for capacity. Learn how lease structures differ from real estate norms (power usage, SLAs, uptime guarantees)
Trends & Evolving Dynamics: The rise of AI workloads, demand for high-density cooling, and how capital markets are shifting toward infrastructure-style underwriting
Day Two: The Deal Level–How to Underwrite a Data Center Investment
Underwriting an Infrastructure Investment, Not Real Estate: Why data centers are valued more like power plants than buildings–and how to reflect that in your models
Case Study 1: Ground-Up Development: Step-by-step underwriting of a new data center project–from site acquisition and utility coordination to lease-up and exit. Includes cost, revenue, and return modeling
Case Study 2: Office-to-Data Center Conversion: How adaptive reuse projects work—what makes a building viable, estimating retrofit costs, and structuring joint ventures between developer and operator
Capital Stack Design & Investor Alignment: How institutional investors, private equity firms, and developers structure deals: co-GP, promotes, sale-leasebacks, and platform-level partnerships
Risk & Return Frameworks: Learn how power pricing, tenant credit, capex exposure, and market selection impact underwriting and deal execution
Who’s Teaching
Daniel English - Managing Partner, Legacy Investing
Daniel is one of the leading data center developers and investors in the U.S. At Legacy, he leads the development of next-generation infrastructure, from e-commerce warehouses to data centers built for the age of AI. With a career that bridges technology and real estate, Daniel is known for transforming spaces into high-performance, design-driven environments.
Thesis Driven
A media-led real estate & capital-markets platform teaching investors and sponsors the strategies shaping the built world.
Format & Access
Two live sessions: Each 90 minutes, split across two days
Pre-read materials: Deck pre-read & case studies
Post-workshop access: Circle community with recorded breakdowns, underwriting templates, and sample deal materials
Frequently Asked Questions
Will participants receive a copy of the materials?
Yes, all participants will receive a copy of the slides, models, and case studies used in the session.
I can’t make this time–will a recording be available?
Yes, all registered participants will receive recordings, even if they cannot attend live.