Our Story
Built in the Big Apple
Turf Capital Management was founded in 2016 by Lisa Giuffra Diaz following a 35-year career in finance, including more than two decades at Goldman Sachs, where she served as a Managing Director. With a deep understanding of capital markets and complex systems, Lisa launched Turf to advise smart cities startups and global firms entering the U.S. market, focusing on infrastructure, construction technology, and strategic growth.
In 2016, Lisa was selected to join one of the inaugural cohorts of New York City’s Grand Central Tech hub, a competitive program backed by the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Chosen through a formal application process, she joined a curated group of entrepreneurs and innovators developing technology solutions for urban infrastructure and the built environment. This experience placed Turf at the center of New York’s emerging construction tech ecosystem and laid the groundwork for its early work with startups reshaping the future of the industry.
Bridging Innovation and Execution
As Turf’s footprint grew, the firm began partnering with early-stage construction technology companies focused on transforming the built environment. These engagements included AI-enabled inspection platforms, modular construction systems, and emerging tools for real-time jobsite intelligence. Turf provided strategic positioning, market access, and execution support to founders operating at the intersection of construction and innovation.
During this time, Lisa also served as a board member for the inaugural Smart Cities New York conference, part of the global Smart City Expo platform and the first of its kind in the city. The event convened public and private sector leaders to explore how data, infrastructure, and innovation could reshape urban life, reinforcing Turf’s role as a connector in the evolving smart infrastructure landscape.
Building on this foundation, Turf secured its first major corporate engagement with a publicly traded, top-four construction company in Japan, providing strategic guidance on U.S. expansion and M&A readiness. This early work positioned Turf as a trusted advisor on cross-border market entry, due diligence, and long-term growth strategy.
In parallel, Lisa served as an adjunct professor at Cornell Tech, co-teaching Smart Cities: Connecting People, Property, and Place in Fall 2019. The course explored the intersection of urban systems, emerging technology, and the future of infrastructure, further reinforcing Turf’s leadership at the nexus of innovation and the built environment
A Shift Toward Vertical Transportation
In August of 2023, a strategic opportunity emerged within vertical transportation, a $23 billion sector foundational to modern infrastructure, yet hindered by legacy processes, fragmented supply chains, and limited diversity in procurement.
Through extensive market research and engagement with industry leaders, Turf identified a critical gap: the need for a qualified, tech-forward, and WBE-certified procurement partner who could bring clarity and precision to elevator modernization and construction.
With a strong foundation in systems thinking and market transformation, Lisa immersed herself in the vertical transportation space. She engaged technical experts, completed industry training, including becoming the 15th woman to graduate from the Vertical Transportation Management Program (VTMP), certified by the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC), and earned the certifications required to operate within one of the most regulated and specification-driven sectors of the construction industry.
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Today, Turf Elevate is a WBE-certified consulting and procurement firm dedicated to the elevator and vertical transportation sector. We bring together trusted sourcing, integrated technology, and human-centered design to redefine how infrastructure gets built and maintained.
We operate at the intersection of construction, innovation, and precision, delivering value where it matters most: in the specifications, in the sequencing, and in the execution.
