Ran Eliasaf is the founder of Northwind Group, a real estate private credit platform based in New York. He founded the firm in 2008 and oversees all investment activity. Throughout his career, Ran has executed more than 300 real estate transactions totaling over $5.5 billion, investing in commercial properties in New York City and healthcare and senior-living properties across the U.S. In 2017, he spearheaded the creation of Northwind’s credit platform and launched the firm’s discretionary closed-ended debt funds, which now manage more than $2 billion in assets.

Under Ran’s leadership, Northwind has evolved into an institutional-grade private credit business, investing with a focus on discipline, risk management, and transparency. Before founding Northwind Group, Ran co-founded and served as CEO of a real estate fund that acquired a portfolio of grocery-anchored shopping centers in Florida and Texas.

Insights from Ran Eliasaf on Navigating Market Cycles and Risk Management

After more than six years in the Israeli Navy as a ship commander, Ran Eliasaf eventually made his way into real estate and founded Northwind Group in 2008. When the financial crisis hit, he was one of the few buyers with liquidity—acquiring distressed debt backed by grocery-anchored assets while most of the market froze.

Northwind grew deal by deal for more than a decade before launching its first institutionally backed credit fund in 2020. Today, the firm focuses on middle-market real estate loans, where discipline matters more than upside and one bad loan can wipe out the return of ten good ones.

In this episode of The Dealmakers’ Edge, Aaron and Ran discuss how Navy-level discipline translates into private credit, why honesty, integrity, and transparency shape every deal, and the principles Northwind Group relies on to protect capital and outperform through market cycles.

2:03 — Growing up on Israeli Air Force bases and serving over six years as a ship commander

2:58 — Opening a surfing school in the Dominican Republic and returning for law school

3:52 — Launching Northwind Group in 2008 and buying distressed debt during the financial crisis

5:42 — More than a decade of deal-by-deal capitalization before the first credit fund in July 2020

8:14 — Why Northwind Group focuses on $20M–$100M loans and the niche between banks and mega-funds

12:03 — Building a healthcare lending platform and the tech used to underwrite a complex asset class

13:35 — Northwind Group’s core principles: honesty, integrity, and transparency

16:08 — Managing a high-intensity lending environment and why surfing keeps Ran grounded

19:58 — Political risk as a major underwriting factor and why Northwind Group still believes in New York

21:37 — Zero principal losses, never taking back a property, and protecting investor capital

Mentioned in Navigating Market Cycles and Risk Management with Ran Eliasaf

Northwind Group | LinkedIn

Ran Eliasaf on LinkedIn

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