Savanna
Savanna is a New York City-based, vertically integrated real estate investment manager founded in 1992 that invests equity and debt on behalf of institutional LPs across office, retail, residential, and industrial properties, primarily in NYC with a recent expansion into West Palm Beach.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Savanna does
Savanna is a New York City-based, vertically integrated real estate investment manager founded in 1992 by Christopher Schlank and Nicholas Bienstock. The firm invests capital on behalf of institutional investors — including public and private pension funds, insurance companies, foundations, endowments, wealth management firms, high-net-worth family offices, and sovereign wealth funds — across equity, debt, ground-up development, and major repositioning opportunities. Since 2006, Savanna has invested over $6.2 billion of equity and debt across more than 17.6 million square feet of real estate, with a current portfolio of approximately 7 million square feet concentrated in New York City's five boroughs and a recent expansion into West Palm Beach, Florida via the Olara luxury residential development.
The firm's platform spans acquisition, ownership, asset management, construction management (via in-house affiliate SavCon), and direct leasing. Its current property roster includes trophy Class A office assets such as One Court Square (1.5M SF, Long Island City), 5 Bryant Park (680,000 SF), 799 Broadway (177,000 SF, acquired 2024), 521 Fifth Avenue (460,000 SF), 360 Lexington Avenue, and the 141 Willoughby Street ground-up development in Downtown Brooklyn, as well as residential assets including the Vandewater condominium tower and Olara. Sustainability is operationally embedded — the portfolio carries 8 LEED certifications, 5 Energy Star certifications, and portfolio-wide WELL Health-Safety ratings, with 5-Star GRESB designations achieved in 2021 and 2022.
Savanna's revenue mechanics combine management fees on institutional capital commitments, transaction-driven development and value-add returns, debt investment income (preferred equity, mezzanine, B-notes), and direct rental income from owned and operated properties. Pricing for investment management services is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated with institutional LPs. Tenant relationships span government (NYC School Construction Authority, GSA), healthcare (Northwell Health), retail (Target, TJX Companies), finance (Berkadia, Webster Bank), insurance (HUB International), energy (Arevon Energy), and technology (ScienceIO, Teza Technologies). Recent stress signals include the disclosed default and pending foreclosure-related sale of 521 Fifth Avenue, while the firm continues to pursue opportunistic acquisitions and capital refinancings across the rest of the portfolio.
Savanna firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Savanna
- Legal name
- Savanna
- Website
- https://savannafund.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Savanna is a New York City-based, vertically integrated real estate investment manager founded in 1992 that invests equity and debt on behalf of institutional LPs across office, retail, residential, and industrial properties, primarily in NYC with a recent expansion into West Palm Beach.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Savanna industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Real Estate Investment Management
- NAICS
- Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Nonresidential Property Managers (531312), Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices (551114)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Investors, Nec (6799), Real Estate (6500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Real Estate Development Asset Management (Project/Construction-to-Stabilization) (BPAJAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration (FSAEAJAN)
Keywords
Where Savanna is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices9 records
Markets served
Savanna business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Investment Management Fees: Savanna earns management fees from institutional investors for managing real estate equity and debt investments. Since 2006, the firm has invested on behalf of public and private pension funds, insurance companies, foundations, endowments, wealth management companies, high-net-worth family offices and sovereign wealth funds.
- Development and Value-Add Returns: Equity investments target value-add/opportunistic returns by adding value through asset management, property development, redevelopment, and repositioning. Profits generated from successful project execution and property sales.
- Real Estate Debt Investments: Savanna selectively invests in real estate debt instruments including preferred equity, high yield bridge and mezzanine loans, and B-notes that have potential to generate equity-like returns.
- Property Leasing: Revenue from leasing office, retail and residential space across their portfolio of properties in New York City.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Savanna product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Savanna is a vertically integrated real estate investment manager that acquires, develops, owns, and operates office, retail, residential, and industrial properties in New York City and select markets. The firm deploys equity and debt capital on behalf of institutional investors and operates a portfolio of approximately 7 million square feet across NYC, delivering services from acquisition through construction (via SavCon), leasing, and asset management.
Product overview
Savanna is a vertically integrated real estate investment manager founded in 1992, offering direct investment management services across office, retail, residential, and industrial property sectors. The firm operates a unified platform combining property acquisition, ground-up development, ownership/operation, and repositioning services. The portfolio includes trophy Class A office properties (One Court Square, 5 Bryant Park, 799 Broadway, 521 Fifth Avenue, The Six, 141 Willoughby), luxury residential developments (Vandewater, Olara Residences), and various other commercial assets. Sustainability and ESG services (LEED, Energy Star, WELL, GRESB) are integrated into property operations rather than standalone products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Real Estate Investment Management Vertically integrated real estate investment management services for institutional investors including acquisition, ground-up development, ownership, operation, repositioning, and disposition of office, retail, residential, and industrial properties across New York City and select other markets.
- Property Ownership and Operation Direct ownership, asset management, and operation of a portfolio of approximately 7 million square feet of office, retail, residential, and industrial real estate across New York City and West Palm Beach, targeting value-add and opportunistic returns through asset-specific business plans.
- Ground-Up Development
Quantifiable outcome
- 20% annual energy savings (4.4 million kWh) at One Court Square through efficiency upgrades
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Savanna
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Savanna technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Savanna partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Con EdisoncorePartnership under Con Edison's Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Program to perform sustainability upgrades at One Court Square, including cooling tower refurbishment and HVAC system installation resulting in 20% annual energy savings.
- Gilbane Building CompanycoreGilbane Building Company serves as general contractor for 141 Willoughby Street development project in Downtown Brooklyn.
- SavConcoreSavCon is Savanna's in-house construction and project management affiliate, serving as general contractor for development projects including 141 Willoughby Street and other properties.
- Hunton Andrews KurthminorPartnership with law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth in Project Destined mentorship program, mentoring CUNY students in commercial real estate fundamentals using 141 Willoughby Street as a case study.
- Project DestinedminorSocial impact platform providing training in financial literacy, entrepreneurship and real estate. Savanna and Hunton Andrews Kurth served as mentors in internship program for CUNY students.
- JLLcoreJLL serves as exclusive leasing agent for 360 Lexington Avenue and advised Savanna on $264 million construction financing for 141 Willoughby Street.
- Winick Realty GroupcoreExclusive retail leasing agents for One Court Square property, representing Savanna in Target lease transaction.
- CBREcoreCBRE team arranged new leases at 521 Fifth Avenue on behalf of Savanna, including leases for Quincannon Associates, Bluestar BioAdvisors, and Reevemark.
- Douglas EllimancoreExclusive broker for pre-construction sales and marketing of Olara Residences in West Palm Beach.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Savanna competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SL Green Realty Corp. SL Green is Manhattan's largest office landlord and the closest publicly-traded comp to Savanna, with a portfolio concentrated in NYC Class A office and a similar value-add acquisition and repositioning strategy. Both target institutional capital and operate in the same trophy office submarkets.
- RXR Realty: RXR is a major privately-held New York real estate owner, operator, and developer with a vertically integrated platform across office, residential, and mixed-use assets. Its NYC-focused investment management business directly mirrors Savanna's strategy.
- Vornado Realty Trust: Vornado is a Manhattan-centric REIT with trophy office assets in Penn Plaza and Midtown, sharing Savanna's focus on high-quality NYC office properties and institutional capital partners. Comparable in scale and submarket concentration.
- Taconic Investment Partners: Taconic is a NYC-based vertically integrated real estate investment manager pursuing value-add office and multifamily strategies with institutional capital. Its operating model and target submarkets closely overlap with Savanna's.
- Empire State Realty Trust: ESRT owns and operates a NYC office and retail portfolio including the Empire State Building. While publicly traded, it shares Savanna's focus on Class A NYC office, ESG certifications, and repositioning-driven returns.
Broad incumbents
- Tishman Speyer: Tishman Speyer is a global, vertically integrated real estate investor with deep NYC roots (Rockefeller Center) and a comparable value-add development strategy. Operates at broader scale and across more geographies than Savanna.
- Brookfield Asset Management: Brookfield is a global alternative asset manager with one of the world's largest real estate investment platforms, competing directly for institutional real estate allocations and pursuing similar office repositioning strategies at much larger scale.
Regional players
- The Durst Organization: The Durst Organization is a privately-held, family-owned NYC real estate developer and owner focused on sustainable, Class A office and residential properties. Similar NYC-centric strategy and ESG-first approach as Savanna.
- Rudin Management Company: Rudin is a privately-held NYC real estate owner-operator managing trophy Class A office and residential properties across Manhattan. Comparable in NYC focus, vertical integration, and long-term hold strategy.
- Fisher Brothers: Fisher Brothers is a privately-held, NYC-focused commercial real estate firm with trophy office assets and a development pipeline. Comparable scale, NYC-centric operating model, and family-controlled governance.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Savanna social profiles
Digital presenceSavanna compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance12 records
Savanna financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Savanna leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Savanna subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Savanna funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Savanna M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Savanna
What does Savanna do?
Savanna is a vertically integrated real estate investment manager that acquires, develops, owns, and operates office, retail, residential, and industrial properties in New York City and select markets. The firm deploys equity and debt capital on behalf of institutional investors and operates a portfolio of approximately 7 million square feet across NYC, delivering services from acquisition through construction (via SavCon), leasing, and asset management.
Is Savanna a public or private company?
Savanna is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Savanna founded?
Savanna was founded in 1992. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Savanna based?
Savanna is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Savanna make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Investment Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are development and Value-Add Returns, real Estate Debt Investments and property Leasing.
Who are Savanna's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SL Green Realty Corp., RXR Realty, Vornado Realty Trust, Taconic Investment Partners and Empire State Realty Trust. Broad incumbents are Tishman Speyer and Brookfield Asset Management. Regional players are The Durst Organization, Rudin Management Company and Fisher Brothers.
Does Savanna have an API?
No public API is recorded for Savanna.
What industry is Savanna in?
Savanna's product category is Real Estate Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAMAL, Real Estate Development Asset Management (Project/Construction-to-Stabilization), with a secondary code of FSAEAJAN, Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration. Its NAICS code is 53131 and its SIC code is 6531.