I knew that institutional investors were major players in Atlanta, but I had no idea that they were bigger here than anywhere else.  

They should know some of the big players in town and be able to put you in touch with a few of them.  

I help investors learn about the industry, meet the players and choose investments.

There are some big players here and they usually have their finger always in the cookie jar.

I think Denver's infrastructure has positioned it to be a player for years to come.

Those are the two major players when trying to make an apples to apples comparison of debt vs no debt.A better question for what you are looking for would be: will an all cash purchase or a leveraged purchase yield a larger return?

However he is a pro basketball player in Europe, which potentially makes proving his income a bit tricky, as he gets paid in Euro etc.How do we best find funding?

These loans are not impossible to get but your big, nationwide players aren't interested. 

So do the players in this market have any idea?

Treat the information as talking points (I even have had Realtors and builders try and by the info from me) until you identify all the players on your team (I mean a builder, agent or others you may want to work with).