NEED HELP: Tech sales guy trying to break into REPE

Hello fellow monkeys, I am in dire need of some advice. I have a background in Technology Sales for the big houses, Oracle IBM and co.
Then in-officially founded a distressed property management company in Europe. I say in-officially because i operated as an individual and not a legal entity, yet i managed over several dozen properties, including repurposing & renovating those buildings, then mainly letting them on airbnb, or to students... unfortunately it all came to an abrupt halt due to newly introduced regulations. As I never really operated as an entity, how sincere would it look on my cv?!... Can i even include it?...

I would like to leave my high paying job (+250k p/a) and get into Private Equity. Had some exposure through friends, who run a family office and VCs in my friend circle. But no real exposure to commercial REPE.

Contacted a friend of mine who is a director of a diversified PE firm (Logistics, Energy Infra, Ecommerce, RE). He's willing to take a look at my CV. Also waiting on a response from some larger RE Investors in USA. A lawyer friend is putting in a good word.

So as you can see, I am privileged to have mingled in the circles, but i don't have relevant experience... I am not averse to starting out as an intern or mailroom monkey. Once I'm in, i'll make my way to where i want.

The biggest challenge yet, is that i don't know what skills are interesting to a hiring manager, (i.e. What to mention on Cover letter to get foot in the door) as my background does not exactly fit the standard criteria. YOUR HELP IS 'BANANISHLY' REWARDED.

Yours truly,
a chimp from the European mainland.