The Martin Group of Companies

What The Martin Group of Companies does

The Martin Group of Companies is a privately held real estate investment firm founded in 1984 by J. David Martin and headquartered at 1970 Broadway, Suite 745, Oakland, California. The firm acquires, develops, and manages ground-up and value-add residential and mixed-use properties, with a stated focus on infill housing near durable demand drivers—transit hubs, universities, and healthcare facilities—in supply-constrained California markets including Oakland, Berkeley, Sacramento, San Leandro, Napa, San Mateo, Alameda, and historical projects in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Costa Mesa. Cumulative project experience exceeds 24 million square feet and more than 20,000 residential units. The company operates with an 11-50 person team led by co-managing principals Justin Osler and Stephen Siri, supported by VPs of Development, Construction, and Asset Management.

The business model blends two revenue streams: (1) development and disposition of large-scale residential and mixed-use projects (development costs of ~$175M for The Broadway, $165M for Webster Eleven, $73.3M in construction financing for Wexler, $69M for Centro Callan) executed through joint ventures and institutional capital partnerships with Brookfield Property Partners, Blackstone Group, CityView, AECOM/Canyon Partners, Sansome Pacific Properties, and Stars REI; and (2) recurring rental income from a stabilized owned portfolio of 926 apartments in Oakland and student housing beds (Wexler, River Trail Village, The Durant, West 27th Place, 27 North). Pricing for student housing units ranges from $799/month (subsidized double occupancy at NVC) to $2,076/month (single-occupancy studio with utilities included at Wexler). Marketing and distribution rely on direct B2B institutional relationships, project-specific consumer websites (e.g., webstereleven.com, wexlerliving.com, centrocallan.com), industry press coverage, and a private investor portal.

Product offerings are organized across four verticals: standard market-rate apartments (The Broadway, Ambrose, Mariner Square, Baker Block, The Pearl), student housing communities (Wexler on 65th, River Trail Village, 2538 Durant, 27 North, West 27th Place, The Durant), mixed-use developments (Webster Eleven, Centro Callan, Arbello), and value-add acquisitions (Edson House/Anton Edge, Alice House). The firm has been recognized with three regional industry awards from the San Francisco Business Times and Sacramento Business Journal between 2018 and 2023. No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or API product is disclosed; the business is fundamentally a capital-intensive real estate operator leveraging local market knowledge, entitlement expertise, and institutional relationships rather than technology differentiation.

Name

The Martin Group of Companies

Website

https://themartingroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Martin Group of Companies is a privately held Oakland-based real estate investment firm that acquires, develops, and manages ground-up and value-add residential, student, and mixed-use properties in supply-constrained California markets, partnering with institutional capital providers like Brookfield and Blackstone across 24M+ sq ft of cumulative development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Development: Developing ground-up and value-add residential and mixed-use properties for long-term ownership or sale. Revenue generated through property development, acquisition, value-add repositioning, and property management.
2. Property Management: Managing owned residential and mixed-use properties including apartments, student housing, and retail spaces. Ongoing rental income from residential units and retail tenants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Martin Group is a real estate investment firm that develops ground-up and value-add residential and mixed-use properties in supply-constrained California markets. Its portfolio includes market-rate apartments, purpose-built student housing communities, and mixed-use developments with ground-floor retail, ranging from 56 to 423 units each. The firm acquires, develops, and manages these assets for long-term ownership, partnering with institutional capital providers, lenders, and public agencies to finance and operate projects.

Product overview

The Martin Group is a real estate investment firm that develops ground-up and value-add residential and mixed-use properties. The company operates as a single unified offering focused on property development rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their portfolio spans multiple product types: standard residential apartments (The Broadway, Alice House, Ambrose, Mariner Square, Baker Block, The Pearl), student housing communities (River Trail Village, Wexler on 65th, 2538 Durant, The Durant, West 27th Place, 27 North), mixed-use developments (Webster Eleven, Centro Callan, Arbello), and acquired/recapitalized properties (Edson House, Alice House). Projects range from 56 to 423 units across California markets including Oakland, Berkeley, Sacramento, San Leandro, San Mateo, Napa, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, and Costa Mesa. Cumulative project experience exceeds 24 million square feet of development work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Broadway A 423-unit residential apartment complex in Oakland's Broadway-Valdez neighborhood featuring a pool, spa, gym, dog run, rooftop deck, and 20,000 sq ft of retail space.
• Alice House A 79-unit residential complex in Oakland featuring studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments, recapitalized by The Martin Group and Stars REI in 2023.
• Ambrose

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 24 million square feet of development experience across multiple economic cycles
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Napa Valley CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Community college partner for River Trail Village student housing. Public-private partnership where nonprofit organization enters ground lease and issues tax-exempt bonds. Project includes 580 beds across three buildings.
• Sansome Pacific PropertiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023San Francisco-based real estate developer partnering with Martin Group on Centro Callan project in San Leandro. Jointly developing the 196-unit mixed-use project.
• BDE ArchitecturemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2023Architecture firm serving as architect of record for multiple Martin Group projects including Webster Eleven and Centro Callan. San Francisco-based firm.
• Johnstone Moyer Inc.majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2023General contractor for multiple Martin Group projects including Webster Eleven, The Broadway, and Wexler. Oakland-based construction firm.
• Guzzardo PartnershipminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 May 2022Landscape architecture firm for San Mateo project. San Francisco-based firm providing landscape design services.
• HPI ArchitecturemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Architecture firm on Napa Valley College student housing project. Partnered with Martin Group on the three-building community scheduled for completion in 2023.
• The Scion GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Student housing advisor for Napa Valley College project. Scion Group provided advisory services for the 588-bed student housing development.
• AECOM/Canyon PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2020Co-developer partnership on Wexler student housing project near Sacramento State. AECOM/Canyon Partners and Martin Group jointly developed the 762-bed student housing community.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Related Companies: Large diversified real estate firm developing mixed-income and affordable housing at scale. Overlaps with Martin Group on California multifamily and student housing adjacencies, but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Largest U.S. apartment operator and vertically integrated developer/manager. Overlaps with Martin Group in California multifamily development and operations, but with vastly greater scale and a national footprint.
• Essex Property Trust: Publicly traded multifamily REIT concentrated on the West Coast, including the Bay Area. Comparable product type and California infill focus, but operates as a perpetual owner under a REIT structure rather than a developer.
• Equity Residential: Large publicly traded multifamily REIT with significant urban high-rise exposure including West Coast markets. Comparable product type and urban infill focus, but at much larger scale and under a REIT ownership structure.

Direct peers

• Carmel Partners: Private multifamily investment and development firm with deep California infill exposure and institutional JV capital partners. Highly comparable in deal size, urban infill focus, and recurring ownership model.
• Sares-Regis Group: California-based residential and mixed-use developer with a focus on infill and transit-oriented projects. Closely comparable in product type, geography, and institutional partner model.
• Sansome Pacific Properties: San Francisco-based real estate developer partnered with Martin Group on Centro Callan. Comparable regional infill developer focused on Bay Area mixed-use and multifamily projects.
• The NRP Group: National multifamily developer of affordable and market-rate rental housing, with comparable infill development expertise and institutional capital partner relationships. Directly comparable in business model and deal scale.
• The Scion Group: Student housing advisor, developer, and operator with national footprint. Already a partner on Martin Group's Napa Valley College project (River Trail Village); direct peer in the P3 student housing niche Martin Group is pursuing.
• Holland Partner Group: West Coast multifamily developer and operator focused on urban infill and transit-oriented apartment communities. Comparable product mix and California concentration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Martin Group of Companies