Starwood Capital Group

Starwood Capital Group is a prominent global private investment firm with a primary focus on real estate, energy infrastructure, and oil & gas. Founded in 1991 by Barry Sternlicht, the firm has grown into one of the world's largest and most successful real estate investors. Headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, Starwood Capital employs an opportunistic investment strategy, seeking to acquire assets below replacement cost and create value through active management. As of Q1 2024, the firm manages approximately $115 billion of assets under management, showcasing its significant scale and influence in global markets.

Starwood Capital's investment approach spans across the entire capital structure, including equity, debt, and preferred equity, and encompasses a wide array of real estate asset classes such as hotels, residential, office, retail, industrial, and land. The firm also has substantial investments in energy infrastructure and oil & gas. Their strategy often involves identifying distressed situations or undervalued assets where they can apply their operational expertise to drive performance improvements. They have a global footprint, with investments across North America, Europe, and Asia, leveraging local market knowledge through their extensive network of offices.

Given its focus on large-scale private equity real estate transactions, Starwood Capital's typical equity commitments are substantial. While they do not operate as a traditional venture capital firm making early-stage "cheques," their initial equity investments in properties, portfolios, or real estate-related companies typically range from tens of millions to over a billion dollars. For instance, the firm has successfully raised over $75 billion of equity capital since its inception, enabling it to execute large-scale acquisitions and developments. Their investment philosophy emphasizes long-term value creation, often involving significant capital expenditure and strategic repositioning of assets.