CAZ Investments, a Houston-based investment manager, and Grafine Partners, an investment management firm that identifies differentiated sources of alpha by investing in new firms led by experienced private equity investors, today announced that CAZ has made a $200 million commitment to Grafine.
Grafine was formed in 2019 by Elizabeth Weymouth to meet the needs of sophisticated investors seeking new and innovative approaches to invest private capital across sectors, geographies and capital structures. The firm’s investment strategy seeks differentiated sources of alpha by partnering with experienced private market investors in establishing new firms, accelerating their growth and institutionalizing their businesses. Grafine’s partnerships with talented, experienced dealmakers provide the firm’s investors with direct access to de-risked, differentiated off-market opportunities. In partnership with its entrepreneur and family office network, RedBird Capital Partners (“RedBird”) was an early backer of Grafine. RedBird is a private investment firm focused on building high-growth companies with flexible, long-term capital.
“We are excited to announce our commitment to Grafine and grateful for the long-term strategic partnership we have established with Elizabeth and her team,” said Christopher Zook, Chairman and CIO at CAZ. “We believe Grafine’s strategy of generating exclusive co-investment opportunities through backing the next generation of private equity leaders offers significant differentiation in private market investing. Grafine’s commitment to creating more attractive risk/reward opportunities for investors through innovative structuring is highly aligned with the core values of CAZ.”
Elizabeth Weymouth, Founder and Managing Partner of Grafine, said: “We are grateful for the support and trust Christopher and his team at CAZ Investments has placed in us and in our strategy. We believe this is an exceptionally compelling time to be investing in new private equity managers and diversified return streams and we are poised to capitalize on this exciting opportunity.”
About CAZ
CAZ is a Houston-based asset manager with a focus on sourcing complex, thematic opportunities for its own proprietary investment and for its ecosystem of shareholder-owners and unaffiliated investment partners. CAZ has a 20+ year track record of curating attractive thematic opportunities spanning GP stakes, professional sports, disruptive technology, private credit, short sub-prime, among many others.
CAZ Investments’ proprietary research and network identifies and reviews ~1,500 private, thematic investment opportunities per year across public and private markets, typically making significant investments in less than ten. Among CAZ Investments’ guiding principles is that it will align its interests with its partners, meaning the firm will invest its capital first in every investment it makes.
CAZ is widely known as one of the largest investors in the world in minority stakes in private market investment firms. www.cazinvestments.com
About Grafine Partners
Grafine Partners, founded by Elizabeth Weymouth, is an alternative investment management firm created to meet the needs of sophisticated institutional investors seeking innovative approaches to invest private capital with a focus on alignment of incentives. Grafine’s differentiated focus allows it to source unique investment opportunities and execute on alpha-generating direct deals across a range of industry sectors, geographies, and capital structures that align with the evolving needs of its institutional investor network. Through a pioneering investment approach, Grafine acts as a principal investor to seed and build private investment firms alongside the next generation of talented private market investors and operating partners. www.grafine.com
