About
A decade-plus inside the capital machine.
Ballast Capital Advisory was founded by Danielle Ball after a career spent on every side of private real estate capital and alternative investments: she started her career as an acquisitions analyst for one of the nation's most prominent multifamily investment owners and operators, which led to building investor relations platforms, and leading capital formation for funds from first vintage to over a billion in assets.
That range is the point. Most advisors know the pitch, the model, or the investor. Ballast was built on the conviction that raising capital well requires all three, held by one accountable team.
Danielle L. Ball
Founder & Principal · San Diego, CA
Track record
Every seat at the table, in order.
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2026
Ballast Capital Advisory
Everything below, in service of sponsors building their own platforms.
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2025–2026
Brixton Capital
Director of Capital Markets: capital formation for value-add multifamily and grocery-anchored retail across HNW, RIA, and programmatic JV channels.
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2024–2025
Mission Driven Finance
Owned end-to-end IR for impact investment vehicles; standardized workflows across investors, fund admin, and leadership.
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2023–2024
IRA Capital
Opened 50+ institutional relationships for a $500M+ healthcare real estate fund; rebuilt pitch and diligence materials to consultant standards.
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2023
CrowdStreet Advisors
Led IR operations across 29 active funds and ~$500M AUM.
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2021–2022
EquityBee
Raised $10M+ from accredited investors via Reg D 506(c) offerings in venture-focused fintech.
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2017–2021
PREP Property Group
Director of IR for a $1B+ retail platform: 2,000+ LPs, $75M+ raised for a second-vintage fund, a 55-firm broker-dealer selling group, and the investor portal to serve it all.
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2016–2017
JLL
Capital markets and investment sales across commercial asset classes.
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2013–2016
Peak Capital Partners
Underwrote and closed $500M+ in multifamily acquisitions; built cash flow models, JV waterfalls, and investor materials as Senior Acquisitions Analyst.
Why "Ballast"
Ballast is what lets a vessel carry more sail.
Weight set low and deliberate, it keeps a ship upright when the wind picks up, which is exactly when speed becomes possible. Capital infrastructure works the same way. The sponsors who raise fastest are the ones with the most stability underneath: underwriting that holds, systems that scale, communication that compounds trust. Ballast exists to be that weight.
Licenses
FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 · General Securities Representative and Principal
Education
BA, Business Administration · Finance & Marketing · Seattle University, cum laude
Experience span
Acquisitions · Capital markets · Fund IR · Retail & institutional distribution · Fintech offerings