MPowered Capital Closes First Fund to Invest in Diverse Talent in Private Alternative Markets
Women-led firm seeks superior risk-adjusted returns as it looks to disrupt funding barriers for diverse investment talent
Fund closes with $110 million in committed capital
Minneapolis, Minnesota – April 4, 2023 – MPowered Capital (“MPowered”) today announced the final close of MPowered Capital Access Fund I (“the Fund”) with $110 million in committed capital. The Fund, which received support from institutional investors, including foundations, family offices, and the consultant community, seeks to generate superior risk-adjusted returns through investments in diverse talent in private alternatives.
As of the final close, the Fund has invested in or alongside 11 diverse investment managers, including L2 Point Management, Sidereal Capital, Kinzie Capital, and Collide Capital.
Marcia Page, Founder & CEO of MPowered, said: “MPowered is disrupting the funding of diverse investment talent – what we believe is one of the most inefficient markets for capital formation in existence today. With each investment, we witness the momentum an emerging manager gains as a result of a GP structured partnership, or what a direct investment alongside underfunded but experienced diverse talent means to bolster their independent track record. This is the flywheel effect we talk about in action. I couldn’t be prouder of this team, the LPs who have joined us, and the talented leaders whom we’ve invested in and alongside.”
With well-documented research showing that diverse investment managers often outperform their non-diverse peers, MPowered seeks to generate alpha while breaking down barriers to diverse managers’ success. The firm brings a powerful blend of investment experience, business-building expertise, and a robust industry network to support diverse investing talent in achieving their long-term business objectives faster and with greater certainty.
Chrissie Chen Pariso, Managing Director at MPowered, added: “As a longtime LP, I understand the structural forces and challenges, such as ‘size bias’ or ‘track record bias,’ that keep capital from flowing toward worthy investment managers. Our team’s expertise and rigorous underwriting are behind our ability to provide MPowered’s investors with access to historically overlooked investing talent and opportunities.”
Kristine Pelletier, Partner at NEPC, said: “NEPC is proud to invest in MPowered Capital Access Fund I and join MPowered in our collective efforts to increase access to diverse talent in all its forms. At NEPC, we’ve seen firsthand how institutionalized 360-degree diversity programs can lead to better results for our clients, which is why we were so impressed by MPowered’s holistic approach to working with diverse talent and the innovative, tailored structures they employ. We are excited to see such novel solutions coming to the marketplace focused on shifting the profile of the industry’s talent pool and increasing access points to the investment management industry.”
MPowered takes a comprehensive approach to backing diverse investment talent, by tailoring GP structured partnerships, partnering on direct/co-investments (including pre-fund launch transactions), and making fund investments. MPowered developed GP structured partnerships to tackle structural barriers that diverse investment managers disproportionately face, through combining working capital funding, an early fund commitment, and strategic guidance around firm building and scaling to create win-win alignment with the manager and the broader LP base.
Through the firm’s Multiplier Program (“MP2”), MPowered helps reduce start-up friction and accelerate growth with strategic guidance on talent management, operations/infrastructure build-out, business development, and more.
About MPowered Capital
MPowered Capital, a women-led, independently-managed investment firm, invests in best-in-class diverse talent (including women, racial/ethnic minorities, and other underrepresented groups) in private alternatives. The firm brings a powerful blend of investment experience, business-building expertise, and a robust industry network to help diverse investing talent reduce start-up friction, accelerate growth, and build for scale. MPowered believes it is uniquely positioned to provide its investors with diversified investment opportunities through GP structured partnerships, direct/co-investments, and fund investments while generating superior risk-adjusted returns. By providing diverse investment talent with access to capital, commitment, and connections, MPowered also seeks to accelerate equity in the industry. For more information, visit www.mpoweredcapital.com.
MPowered was developed in collaboration with Värde Partners, a leading global alternative investment firm, and is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a relying adviser of Värde Management, L.P. Marcia Page is Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chair of Värde Partners.
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