NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Star Mountain Capital, LLC, a rapidly growing specialized private credit and secondaries investment firm targeting systematic alpha and low market correlated returns for its global institutional and high-net-worth investors is pleased to announce that Robert Kaplan has joined as Senior Advisor. Star Mountain has one of the largest teams focused on investing in established, profitable, small and medium-sized private U.S. businesses which represents approximately 50% of U.S. GDP.
Robert Kaplan has over 40 years of investment management, business management, monetary policy, investment banking, and leadership experience. His previous positions include CEO and President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Vice Chairman of Investment Banking and Investment Management Divisions of Goldman Sachs, and Professor and Senior Associate Dean of Harvard Business School. Robert Kaplan was also Interim CEO and board member of the Harvard Management Company, Chair of the Investment Advisory Committee of Google, member of the Investment Committee and Trustee of the Ford Foundation, and board member of State Street Corporation.
“We are honored to have Rob join Star Mountain as an aligned Senior Advisor bringing extensive investment, strategic leadership, business management and governance experience,” said Brett Hickey, Star Mountain Capital Founder & CEO. “Having met Rob in 2009 as a student of his at Harvard Business School where I attended a CEO leadership program, it is a gratifying reflection and we are excited for the future where Rob can also have an impact in building leadership best practices with our portfolio companies.”
“There are many needs and opportunities to support established, growing private businesses which is something I am excited to support,” said Robert Kaplan. “It is a pleasure to join friends and former colleagues as part of Star Mountain’s team. The firm’s core values including alignment with investors and with each other was an important consideration for me.”
Robert Kaplan currently serves as Co-Chairman of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a global venture philanthropy firm that invests in developing non-profit enterprises dedicated to addressing social issues. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the George W. Bush Institute, an Advisory Board Member of the Baker Institute, and a board member of Harvard Medical School and serves as Chairman of Project ALS. He is also the author of three books on leadership.
About Star Mountain
With ~$4 billion in assets under management (committed capital including debt facilities as of 1/31/2024), Star Mountain takes a data-driven approach to investing into the North American lower middle-market through two complementary investment strategies: (i) direct debt and equity investing and (ii) secondaries (acquiring LP interests and direct assets and making primary LP commitments). Star Mountain believes these complementary strategies provide data-enhanced, scalable, diversified, and customizable access for its institutional and qualifying high-net-worth investors to established businesses that generally have at least $15 million in annual revenues and under $50 million in EBITDA. Its investors include public pensions, private pensions, insurance companies, commercial banks, endowments, foundations, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. Star Mountain is 100% employee-owned and shares its profits with 100% of its U.S. full-time employees as part of its focus on maximizing value for its stakeholders and investors through alignment of interests.
Since 2010, Star Mountain has made over 200 direct investments in businesses and over 40 secondary / fund investments within its Collaborative Ecosystem®, focused on the North American lower middle-market. One of Star Mountain’s specialties is seeking current cash income for investors that is materially above the typical yields found in the public markets, often accompanied with potential long-term capital gains equity returns and low correlation to public markets through its distinctive origination, underwriting and value-added investment capabilities.
