Colonials could simply appropriate land from people who had no similar concepts of ownership -- apparently no one already owned it, or were easily shooed off if they did. Then declare a newly-opened area or claim to be an asset and raise money to develop it. After development to a higher asset value, sell it and repeat the process. Real estate development still works by a very similar basic pattern.
Later, the raising of capital for industrial ventures worked in a very similar fashion. Some ventures paid back; many did not; no guarantees.