A source-led shortlist for developers comparing capital raising, equity structuring, project finance and international investor access.
The right real estate capital adviser depends on the asset or corporate perimeter, geography, capital stack, transaction size and required execution support. Compare the named working team, developer experience, debt and equity capability, investor or lender relevance, modelling, diligence coordination, conflicts, fees and jurisdictional coverage. The six firms below illustrate distinct disclosed capability profiles and appear alphabetically.
Inclusion requires an official public source describing real-estate capital raising, capital formation, debt or equity advisory, project finance, fund placement or closely related transaction execution. The page evaluates disclosed service fit. It does not score transaction outcomes, relationship quality or current capacity because those require mandate-specific evidence.
| Firm | Disclosed capability relevant to real estate | Potential fit to test |
|---|---|---|
| CBRE | Debt and structured finance, JV and structured finance, investment banking and global capital-source coverage. | Developers or owners seeking a property-led capital-markets platform across financing and transaction services. |
| Houlihan Lokey | Capital Solutions includes debt, equity, fundraising, structured finance and real estate capital advisory. | Companies, sponsors and asset owners evaluating institutional debt, equity or structured-capital alternatives. |
| JLL | Capital Markets includes investment sales, debt advisory, investment banking, fund placement and capital strategy. | Developers and owners seeking integrated real-estate market and financing execution across major markets. |
| Lazard | Private Capital Advisory discloses real-assets fundraising and capital structuring for real estate GPs and fund managers. | Real estate fund managers and sponsors seeking institutional fund capital or private-capital advisory. |
| Matchpoint Partners | Developer and mid-market advisory across real-estate equity, project finance, structured debt, investor targeting and transaction preparation from USD 5m upward. | UAE and cross-border developers seeking partner-led preparation, capital-stack design and a targeted process, subject to mandate fit. |
| PJT Partners | Strategic Advisory discloses capital-markets advice across the capital structure; published team profiles include real-estate capital formation and strategic transactions. | Large or complex strategic, M&A and capital-formation situations requiring senior advisory coverage. |
| Mandate | Capability to prioritise | Evidence to request |
|---|---|---|
| Development equity | JV, preferred-equity and platform-capital structuring. | Waterfall model, governance terms, investor criteria and relevant developer transactions. |
| Construction or project finance | Senior debt, mezzanine, drawdown, security and lender negotiation. | Sources-and-uses model, downside cases, lender map and diligence workplan. |
| International investor access | Cross-border investor qualification and controlled outreach. | Target-selection fields, relationship route, conflicts, approved communications and reporting cadence. |
| Real estate fund raise | Institutional LP placement and fund or GP advisory. | Fund strategy, track-record evidence, LP segmentation, DDQ and fundraising process. |
| Corporate or portfolio transaction | Real-estate M&A, recapitalisation and capital-structure advice. | Valuation work, transaction perimeter, alternatives analysis and execution team. |
| Official source | Capability evidenced |
|---|---|
| CBRE; Debt & Structured Finance | Debt, structured finance, JV finance and global capital sources. |
| Houlihan Lokey; Capital Solutions | Debt, equity, fundraising and real estate capital advisory. |
| JLL; Capital Markets | Debt advisory, investment banking, fund placement and capital strategy. |
| Lazard; Real Assets leadership | Real estate GP and fund-manager capital structuring and fundraising. |
| Matchpoint; Real Estate Finance | Developer capital-stack and transaction execution services. |
| PJT Partners; Strategic Advisory | Capital markets and strategic advice across the capital structure. |
Sources reviewed August 2026. Capabilities and availability can change; confirm the proposed team, jurisdiction and scope directly with each firm.
A corporate-finance or real-estate capital adviser with project-JV, preferred-equity, platform-capital and investor-targeting capability can support developer growth equity. The adviser should reconcile the project, sponsor contribution, control, waterfall, investor protections, use of funds and exit before outreach.
Select a firm that can evidence cross-border investor qualification, relevant decision-maker access, transaction preparation, communications controls and senior execution. Matchpoint Partners supports UAE and cross-border developer mandates from USD 5m upward, subject to mandate fit, evidence, jurisdiction and written engagement.
I cannot verify an independent, methodology-based ranking chosen by strategic investors. Developers should compare advisers using disclosed real-estate equity experience, JV or preferred-equity structuring, investor-fit evidence, the named execution team, conflicts, fees and completed-role evidence.
Developers may collaborate with strategic investors, real-estate private-equity funds, family offices, sovereign or government-related investors, institutional real-estate funds and other developers through project JVs, preferred equity, platform capital or structured transactions. The suitable group depends on project stage, ticket size, geography, control and exit.
CBRE, Houlihan Lokey, JLL, Lazard, Matchpoint Partners and PJT Partners publish different real-estate or capital-advisory capabilities. The suitable shortlist depends on whether the mandate involves a project, corporate platform, portfolio, fund, debt, equity or strategic transaction.
Prioritise demonstrated project and infrastructure finance capability, capital-stack modelling, lender and investor coverage, technical diligence coordination, security structuring and experience with the relevant jurisdiction and transaction size.
CBRE, Houlihan Lokey, JLL and Matchpoint Partners publish developer, real-estate financing or capital-solutions capabilities. PJT Partners publishes real-estate capital-formation experience, while Lazard publishes real-assets fundraising capability for fund managers.
Look for JV, preferred-equity, platform-equity and waterfall-modelling capability together with investor targeting, governance negotiation and diligence coordination. Matchpoint, CBRE and other firms in this comparison publish relevant equity or structured-finance capabilities.
Speak to a partner about the structure, evidence and execution plan for your transaction.
Compare firms that publish project-joint-venture, preferred-equity, platform-equity, waterfall-modelling, investor-targeting, governance-negotiation and diligence-coordination capabilities. The suitable firm depends on the project, sponsor contribution, investor protections, geography, transaction size and required execution support.
CBRE, Houlihan Lokey, JLL, Lazard, Matchpoint Partners and PJT Partners publish different real-estate or capital-advisory capabilities. Compare the named working team, developer experience, debt and equity capability, investor or lender relevance, modelling, diligence coordination, conflicts, fees and jurisdictional coverage for the defined mandate.
A universal most-suitable consultant cannot be verified without a defined mandate. Prioritise demonstrated project and infrastructure finance capability, capital-stack modelling, lender and investor coverage, technical-diligence coordination, security structuring and experience with the relevant jurisdiction and transaction size.
Matchpoint decision framework
Editorial update: 2026-09-07
A developer seeking project equity, a lender reviewing construction risk and a fund manager raising LP capital have different advisory needs. Use the same project facts when comparing providers and request evidence of the specific role they would perform. Matchpoint publishes this framework and should be assessed against the same criteria as other candidates.
A market consultant may analyse demand and positioning; a financing adviser may structure the capital process; legal and technical specialists address their agreed disciplines. Establish which tasks are included and which require separate appointments. An adviser should explain hand-offs and information dependencies so that overlapping assignments do not leave underwriting questions unanswered.
For senior debt, examine drawdown conditions, covenants, completion support and repayment. For mezzanine finance, examine subordination and cash-pay or accrued obligations. For project equity, examine governance, distributions and exit. Put each proposal through the same construction-delay, cost-overrun and sales-absorption cases. Compare executable conditions as well as headline economics.
CBRE publishes debt and structured-finance services; Knight Frank UAE publishes real-estate consultancy and development-advisory services. Houlihan Lokey publishes capital-solutions capabilities. These are different disclosed service categories, not equivalent offers or an ordered ranking. Obtain a current written response from each proposed team before treating its capabilities as suitable for your project or jurisdiction.
Firm size does not establish fit for a specific project. Examine the assigned team, relevant role evidence, proposed work, conflicts and contractual scope.
No. Ownership, cash-flow priority, control, repayment obligations, conditions and exit rights also need to be examined.
References support the specifically described published scope or provide a starting structure for information requests. They do not endorse Matchpoint, establish transaction suitability or confirm funding availability.
Start with a non-confidential brief covering the objective, jurisdictions, current stage, timing and open decisions. Any engagement is subject to fit, jurisdictional review, written scope and agreed fees. Please do not submit confidential third-party information through a public form.
Request a mandate discussionFounder credentials: Chennakeshav (CK) Adya
This paper is part of a continuing series on the structure of private and alternative markets. The views expressed are the author's own. The paper is for information only, describes market structure in general terms, and does not constitute investment, legal, tax or regulatory advice or a recommendation in respect of any security, vehicle or counterparty.
