Eric Smookler

Eric Smookler is the Chief Financial Officer and Co-Chief Investment Officer of WS Development, the Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts–based real estate firm best known as the master developer of Boston's Seaport district. He has held the CFO role since 2009, overseeing the company's financial operations and playing a central role in its investment activity. Over his tenure he has sourced and led more than 300 million in acquisitions for the firm.

Before joining WS Development, Smookler was Vice President of Acquisitions at Galileo Funds Management Limited from 2006 to 2008, working on real estate investment transactions. He began his career as an analyst at Bear, Stearns & Co. in 2004, gaining a foundation in investment banking and finance.

Smookler earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Finance and Economics from The George Washington University (2000–2004), and he spent time studying at the University of Oxford during that period. He is based in the Greater Boston area and was recognized in the Worcester Business Journal's 2026 "Power 100" list of influential regional business figures.

> Note on the source stub: the provided record framed Eric Smookler as a "Seed Round" investor at "WS Capital Partners." Public sources consistently identify him as the CFO/Co-CIO of WS Development, a real estate firm — not a startup seed-stage venture investor. The Boston 617 phone number is consistent with WS Development's headquarters, but the venture-investing characterization could not be substantiated and the email domain (wscapital-partners.com) does not match the firm's public domain.

• Invests on behalf of WS Development in commercial and mixed-use real estate, the firm's core business — large-scale projects such as Boston's Seaport, lifestyle/retail centers, and operating retail assets.
• Activity centers on acquisitions and development, including opportunistic and distressed purchases (e.g., buying a retail chain out of bankruptcy).
• Has personally sourced and led 300M+ in acquisitions, indicating substantial institutional check sizes rather than early-stage startup checks.
• Operates as part of the firm's investment leadership (Co-CIO) alongside finance responsibilities, suggesting deals require both strategic real estate fit and financial underwriting rigor.