Bishop Ventures

What Bishop Ventures does

Bishop Ventures is a private, founder-led real estate development firm headquartered in San Diego, California that develops mixed-income residential and mixed-use properties primarily in Southern California. The company pursues development projects through 50/50 joint venture partnerships with Murfey Company, securing capital from private investors and financial institutions, and executes projects from acquisition through construction completion and lease-up. Its portfolio comprises three primary developments: The Californian (81-unit apartment complex with ground-floor retail, completed 2018 in Point Loma/Midway for ~$19M), Secoya on Fifth (103-unit micro-apartment community completed 2022 in Bankers Hill, notable as the first project to utilize San Diego's Complete Communities ordinance), and Lions Gate (141-unit apartment community breaking ground 2024 in Rancho Cucamonga). Principal Gilman Bishop leads the firm with 20+ years of commercial real estate experience and a track record of $250M+ in completed mixed-use development projects encompassing over 1,000 residential units. Revenue mechanics derive from developer fees, joint venture promotes, and asset management on completed communities serving lower and moderate income households in California's constrained housing market; pricing is project-specific and not publicly disclosed. The company targets California's housing affordability crisis by leveraging municipal incentives such as density bonuses, fee reductions, and parking waivers to make affordable housing projects financially viable, supported by content marketing via its website Journal and earned regional media coverage.

Name

Bishop Ventures

Legal name

Bishop Ventures

Website

https://bishopventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bishop Ventures is a San Diego-based, founder-led real estate developer that builds mixed-income and mixed-use apartment communities in Southern California through 50/50 joint venture partnerships with Murfey Company, targeting California's housing affordability gap via municipal incentives such as San Diego's Complete Communities ordinance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Development

NAICS

New Multifamily Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (236116), Land Subdivision (23721), Residential Property Managers (531311)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513)

akta.pro primary industry

Multifamily Apartment Property Management (BPAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)

Keywords

• Real estate development
• Mixed-income housing
• Residential construction
• Affordable housing development
• Joint venture development

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Development: Revenue generated from development and construction of residential apartment communities. Projects are completed through joint venture partnerships where Bishop Ventures serves as developer and operator, generating returns through project completion, lease-up, and potential asset management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bishop Ventures is a real estate development and construction firm that develops mixed-use, mixed-income residential apartment communities in California through joint venture partnerships with Murfey Company. The firm identifies sites, secures entitlements and financing, manages construction, and operates or disposes of completed apartment communities, targeting California's affordable and workforce housing shortage with projects ranging from 81 to 141 units.

Product overview

Bishop Ventures is a real estate development company that pursues ventures with a purpose to address unmet social needs, particularly the housing crisis in California. The company's portfolio consists of three core residential/commercial development products: The Californian (81-unit apartment complex completed in 2018), Secoya on Fifth (103-unit micro-apartment community completed in 2022), and Lions Gate (141-unit apartment community breaking ground in 2024). These developments are typically executed as joint ventures with Murfey Company and focus on innovative mixed-income properties that are affordable to lower and moderate income households. The company operates primarily in the San Diego, California area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Californian An 81-unit apartment community with 3,000 sq. ft. of ground-floor commercial space (for coffee shops and fitness facilities) located at 3233 Kemper St. in San Diego's Point Loma/Midway District, near shopping, entertainment, and a mile from the Pacific Ocean. Delivered in 2018 as a $19M joint venture with Murfey Company.
• Secoya on Fifth A 103-unit micro-apartment community completed in 2022 in Bankers Hill, San Diego, and the first project to utilize San Diego's Complete Communities ordinance (doubled maximum permissible density, reduced permit fees, parking waivers). Features type one concrete construction and broke ground in Q4 2020.
• Lions Gate

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed The Californian project ($19M, 81 apartments, 3,000 sq ft commercial space) in 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Murfey CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Murfey Company is Bishop Ventures' primary joint venture partner on real estate development projects. The two companies have collaborated on multiple projects including The Californian (completed 2018), Secoya on Fifth (completed 2022), and Lions Gate (breaking ground 2024). Murfey Company brings construction expertise and shared investment to the partnership.
• Silvergate DevelopmentminorOthers · 1 January 2022Silvergate Development toured Secoya on Fifth with Bishop Ventures. Silvergate has built middle income housing developments across San Diego County. No formal partnership announced; relationship appears to be industry networking and best practice sharing.
• Hub & SpokeminorOthers · 1 January 2022Hub & Spoke, led by developer Alex Alemany, toured Secoya on Fifth with Gilman Bishop to share perspectives on what works in development. Hub & Spoke has multiple projects underway across San Diego and is considering type one concrete construction similar to Secoya.
• ULI Small Scale Infill Developer CommitteeminorOthers · 1 January 2022ULI's Small Scale Infill Developer Committee toured Secoya on Fifth in May 2022 with Gilman Bishop, Russ Murfey, and Steve Dalton hosting. Best practices and lessons learned were shared among participants including Chase Bank, BV Architecture & Development, Rammy Urban Infill, and others.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Essex Property Trust: Multifamily REIT focused on West Coast (including Southern California) urban apartment communities; comparable in product (urban multifamily rentals) and target geography, though operates as a public REIT rather than a private developer.
• The Related Companies: National developer of large-scale affordable and mixed-income housing including in California; broader portfolio and deeper capital base, but directly comparable in affordable/mixed-income rental product targeting supply-constrained coastal markets.
• AvalonBay Communities: National multifamily REIT that develops, acquires, and operates apartment communities including in California markets; comparable product type (high-quality urban/suburban rental housing) at much larger scale.
• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Largest multifamily developer, operator, and investment manager in the U.S. with significant Southern California presence; comparable in multifamily rental product and developer/operator model, but vastly larger scale and balance sheet.
• JPI Construction: National multifamily developer-builder with active California projects, including urban infill apartment communities; comparable in product (multifamily for-rent) and California presence, but at materially larger scale than Bishop Ventures.

Direct peers

• BRIDGE Housing: Major California nonprofit developer of affordable and mixed-income multifamily housing; comparable in mission (addressing California's housing shortage) and product (mixed-income rental communities) though at significantly greater scale.
• Affirmed Housing Group: San Diego-based affordable and mixed-income multifamily developer with a much larger portfolio; directly comparable in product focus (workforce/affordable housing) and California operating geography.
• Murfey Company: Bishop Ventures' JV partner across all three projects; a San Diego-based real estate developer and general contractor active in multifamily and mixed-use projects of comparable scale and product type.
• Silvergate Development: San Diego-based developer of middle-income housing across San Diego County; directly comparable in product type (workforce/middle-income multifamily) and geography, and toured Bishop's Secoya project for best-practice sharing.
• Hub & Spoke: San Diego developer with multiple infill residential projects underway; comparable in geography and product (urban infill multifamily) and exploring type one concrete construction similar to Bishop's Secoya on Fifth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bishop Ventures