LinqAlpha turns each investor’s own research into AI agents that surface market-moving signals before they are priced in.

NEW YORK, July 2, 2026 — LinqAlpha, the AI-native company building the Alpha Intelligence Layer for global public markets, today announced $22 million in Series A funding. The round was anchored by AVP, Atinum Investment, and GFT Ventures, with participation from a global syndicate of strategic financial institutions and venture platforms.

Founded by Jacob Choi, Subeen Pang, Jin Kim, and Hojun Choi, LinqAlpha brings together former Goldman Sachs analysts and MIT computer science PhDs. Since launch, the platform has seen rapid adoption, serving over 70 financial institutions across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, including sell-side sales, trading, and research teams at leading investment banks, as well as buy-side clients such as Causeway Capital Management LLC and Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC. Collectively, LinqAlpha’s buy-side clients manage more than $5 trillion in assets.

The company was built to address a critical inflection point in modern finance: public markets have become too fast, global, and interconnected for traditional research workflows. A supply-chain disruption in Asia, a policy shift in Europe, a social-media signal, an earnings call, and a credit-market move can all become part of the same thesis within hours. The challenge for institutional investors is no longer finding information; it is synthesizing thousands of moving signals into differentiated judgment before consensus catches up.

“The first wave of AI in finance made analysts faster. The next wave changes what they can know,” said Hojun Choi, co-founder and co-CEO of LinqAlpha. “The edge no longer comes from retrieving information; it comes from systems that surface market-moving signals before they are priced in.”

To deliver this edge, LinqAlpha enables institutional teams to deploy specialized AI agents that learn each user’s unique investment framework.

“In effect, LinqAlpha builds a second brain for every investment team: one that turns accumulated research into actionable insight across liquid public markets,” said Jacob Choi, co-founder and co-CEO of LinqAlpha. “Instead of a generic model’s average answer, each team gets agents that reason in the context of its own thesis history and evolve with its feedback and market view.”

“Most AI tools in finance help professionals retrieve information faster or automate repetitive work,” said Manish Agarwal, General Partner at AVP. “LinqAlpha is addressing a larger opportunity: building systems that help institutional investors discover differentiated insights in public markets that reward speed, context, and proprietary judgment.”

Alongside the lead investors, the round was oversubscribed with participation from a deep bench of strategic financial institutions and venture platforms across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The new capital will be used to expand LinqAlpha’s global team—now headquartered in New York—deepen integrations across market and alternative datasets, and accelerate the deployment of its multi-agent platform across equities, macro, credit, and multi-asset strategies.

About LinqAlpha

LinqAlpha is a New York-based AI company building the Alpha Intelligence Layer for global public markets. Its platform lets institutional investors deploy specialized AI agents that learn each user’s investment framework and synthesize data into actionable insight. More than 70 financial institutions across the U.S., Europe, and Asia use LinqAlpha to support investment research and decision-making, including buy-side clients that collectively manage more than $5 trillion in assets.

For more information, visit www.linqalpha.com.

Notes to Editors

The Series A global syndicate includes strategic participation from SBI Investment and Z Venture Capital in Japan; Betatron Venture Group, East Ventures, and SV Investment across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong SAR; Samsung Securities, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Mirae Asset Capital, NH Investment & Securities, Shinhan Venture Investment, and Hana Ventures in South Korea; and NuVentures in India.

SOURCE LinqAlpha

AMSTERDAM, July 2, 2026 — OCI Global N.V. (“OCI” or the “Company”) (Euronext: OCI) confirms that Oceanwood Capital Management LLP (“Oceanwood”) has informed the Company that, on 01 July 2026, Oceanwood notified Vereniging van Effectenbezitters (“VEB”) of the withdrawal of Oceanwood’s power of attorney granted to VEB in connection with the OCI N.V. Enterprise Chamber proceedings.

Based on the applicant shareholding overview filed in the Enterprise Chamber proceedings, The Oceanwood Fund represented approximately 93.75% of the approximately 2.01% of OCI’s issued share capital attributed to the applicants in aggregate at the time of the original VEB application, with 3,980,000 OCI shares attributed to The Oceanwood Fund. Separately, Oceanwood has disclosed to OCI that, as of 22 June 2026, funds managed by Oceanwood held 4,934,414 OCI shares.

ABOUT OCI GLOBAL

Learn more about OCI at www.oci-global.com. You can also follow OCI on LinkedIn.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3000170/6016961/OCI_Global_Logo.jpg

SOURCE OCI Global

Backed by Pivotal Ventures and other leading LPs, Fund II will invest in AI infrastructure replacing today’s fragmented care systems

LOS ANGELES, July 1, 2026 — Magnify Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on transforming the care economy, today announced the launch of Fund II with $46.6 million closed. The new fund will target category-defining technology companies driving innovation and use of AI in health, wealth and family care, and the systems that support them. Backed by returning investor Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates organization, the fund includes new investors Jordan Park and Unum, with financing from California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank), alongside leading foundations, funds of funds, family offices and visionary business leaders.

“Magnify’s investment in the care economy is an investment in one of society’s most pressing issues: family health and well-being,” said Erin Harkless Moore, managing director of Investments at Pivotal Ventures. ”Joanna and Julie understood this early on and had the conviction to take on a sector that has long been under-resourced, despite being a $648 billion market opportunity. They saw that investing in caregiving benefits not only women and families, but also the broader economy. I can’t imagine a stronger team to carry this vision forward.”

A Once‑Overlooked Market Gains Momentum

Magnify Ventures launched Fund I with a thesis that the care economy, long under-built and underinvested, was poised to become a broad, investable ecosystem powered by emerging technologies and poised for transformation. Over the past four years, Magnify Ventures has built a portfolio of breakout companies defining new categories across parenting, aging, household optimization and financial resilience, while convening a growing community of founders, operators and investors around the opportunity.

Venture interest in the care economy has accelerated by 45% in the last four years, with more than $26 billion invested in over 700 companies since 2015, according to The Holding Co. in partnership with Pivotal Ventures. Magnify Ventures invests across the traditional care economy — from pregnancy through to end of life caregiving solutions — and into the healthcare, financial and consumer systems that surround families. As those markets have grown, so has Magnify Ventures’ conviction that its focus on families and caregiving creates a competitive edge well beyond the category’s traditional boundaries.

“IBank’s Venture Capital Program was created to expand access to capital for innovative entrepreneurs and emerging funds driving California’s future economy. Magnify Ventures is identifying founders who are tackling some of the most significant challenges facing families, caregivers, and communities as essential participants in the care economy,” said Andy Nakahata, executive director, California IBank. “As artificial intelligence reshapes industries, the care economy represents a compelling opportunity for innovation and growth. We are excited to support Fund II and the founders developing technologies that will modernize critical infrastructure, create jobs, and provide meaningful benefits to families.”

With Fund II, Magnify Ventures will invest in founders that are moving beyond early-category platforms into applied AI that directly improves how people live, work and care for one another. This includes AI that reduces the invisible labor of running a household, agentic tools that improve quality and reduce cost across health and home systems, and fintech infrastructure that modernizes how families build and protect wealth. The firm will also back founders building the healthcare, home and workplace infrastructure built for the modern family.

“We’re at a real inflection point in some of the world’s largest, most under leveraged markets: care, wealth, aging, and the broader health, consumer and financial systems that shape family life. AI is the key to unlocking new opportunities in markets that have been stagnant for decades, inspiring innovative companies to create generational change,” said Julie Wroblewski, co-founder and managing partner of Magnify Ventures. “With Fund II, we will back the founders defining the next era of the care economy, aging and longevity, and women’s health.”

Building that infrastructure takes more than capital. Magnify Ventures is the founding producer of the Care Summit, which brings together founders, investors and LPs across the care economy. The Care Summit will return to San Francisco February 2, 2027.

Founder Quotes

Alexandra Mysoor, Co-Founder and CEO, Alix

“For most families, settling an estate means navigating hundreds of hours of practical, financial, and administrative work during one of life’s hardest moments. Today, the process takes an average of 900 hours and 18 months to complete. As more than $120 trillion transfers across generations in the largest wealth transfer in history, Alix is applying AI to simplify estate settlement and help families navigate this transition more efficiently. Magnify recognized the scale of that opportunity early on, and their belief in us from day one has been invaluable to our growth.”

Alan Charming Chan, Co-Founder and CEO, Joy Parenting Club

“Joy is built on a simple belief: Every parent deserves access to the kind of expert guidance and support that was once available only to a fortunate few. For the first time, AI makes it possible to bring a family’s trusted experts, personalized guidance and essential resources together in one place, replacing the fragmented experience of juggling dozens of apps, websites and services. Magnify understood that vision because of their depth of knowledge in care, and their network and category expertise have helped us grow.”

Patrick Coughlin, Co-Founder and CEO, Savi Security

“Savi Security is building a seamless protection platform for families at a time when digital fraud is not just the fastest-growing crime in the country, but also the most financially damaging, costing Americans over $100 billion annually. Magnify’s unique domain expertise in families’ health and financial well-being has brought immediate market insights and an invaluable partner ecosystem to accelerate company growth.”

About Magnify Ventures

Magnify Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in category-defining companies at the intersection of care, technology and infrastructure. Founded by Julie Wroblewski and Joanna Drake, Magnify leads the new care economy by investing where others don’t yet see the opportunity, and building the ecosystem the category needs to grow. Magnify Ventures is anchored by Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates organization, and other leading foundations, funds of funds, family offices and visionary business leaders. For more information, visit www.magnify.vc.

SOURCE Magnify Ventures

• Co-led by DSC Investment and LB Investment, with full follow-on participation from all seed investors
• Validates market readiness by shifting from lab research to immediate factory-floor deployment and revenue generation
• Capital earmarked for aggressive talent acquisition, infrastructure scaling, and global market expansion

SAN FRANCISCO, July 1, 2026 — CarbonSix,Inc., a pioneer in Physical AI for the manufacturing sector, announced today that it has raised $40 million (approx. KRW 60 billion) in a Series A funding round from a syndicate of premier U.S. and South Korean venture capital firms.

The round was co-led by DSC Investment and LB Investment. New investors joining the round include IMM Investment, Korea Development Bank (KDB), SV Investment, Cortentia (U.S.), and ASQ (A Squared, U.S.). Demonstrating strong continued confidence in CarbonSix’s technology and scalability, all existing seed-round investors—Foothill Ventures, Storm Ventures, Zeitgeist Capital, Xquared and CarbonBlack Fund—fully participated with follow-on investments.

While much of the robotics AI sector remains capped at lab demos and pilot stages, CarbonSix distinguishes itself by developing deploy-ready robotic intelligence software and hardware (robotic hands/manipulators) engineered for immediate integration into real-world manufacturing lines. From day one, the company has prioritized field reliability, seamless adaptability, and clear return on investment (ROI) for its clients—a strategy that has already translated into commercial contracts and scaling revenue.

At the core of CarbonSix’s competitive edge is its proprietary “data flywheel” business model. Instead of dumping massive, generalized datasets into abstract foundation models, CarbonSix provides practical automation tools that factories can use immediately. As clients operate these tools, high-quality, task-specific data is naturally captured and fed back into the system. This creates a powerful compounding loop: tool usage drives data accumulation, which refines the AI models, ultimately delivering even smarter automation tools back to the factory floor.

The company’s rapid commercial traction is anchored by the deep domain expertise of its founding team. CEO Tae-yeon Terry Moon previously co-founded SuaLab, an industrial AI vision powerhouse acquired by Cognex. CTO H.J. Terry Suh, a Ph.D. graduate from MIT, drives the company’s robotic intelligence framework, while CHO (Chief Hardware Officer) Je-hyeok Kim, a former Yale postdoc, specializes in state-of-the-art robotic hand and manipulator design.

“From the very beginning, our goal has never been about building technology for technology’s sake—it has been about creating practical, field-ready Physical AI that drives measurable bottom-line results for manufacturers,” said Tae-yeon Terry Moon, CEO of CarbonSix. “This funding validates our deployment-first, revenue-backed approach. We will aggressively invest in top-tier talent and infrastructure to accelerate the Physical AI transition for factories worldwide.”

“CarbonSix is a rare gem in the robotics AI landscape because they have bridged the gap between technical demos and actual factory-floor monetization,” said Seongmin Kang, Director at DSC Investment. “We were highly impressed by the scalability of their data flywheel model, where immediate utility and continuous data accumulation reinforce each other to build an unassailable competitive moat.”

“As the Physical AI market enters a hyper-growth phase, CarbonSix stands out by already proving its commercial value and operational reliability in production environments,” added Matthew Sungwook Jung, Senior Investment Manager, at LB Investment. “We are thrilled to partner with a team that possesses both world-class academic pedigree and deep operational empathy for the manufacturing sector as they scale into a global leader.”

About CarbonSix, Inc.

CarbonSix is a Physical AI company developing deployment-ready robotic intelligence and automation solutions for manufacturing. Its technologies help manufacturers automate complex, variable tasks while improving performance through real-world operational data. Led by experts in industrial AI, robotics and hardware engineering, CarbonSix is focused on delivering measurable ROI and accelerating the adoption of Physical AI across global manufacturing.

Media Contact
Sophie Park ([email protected])

SOURCE CarbonSix

From Enterprise to Bespoke Disrupters, The AI Awards Sets to Evaluate Full Spectrum of AI Innovation ahead of July 24 deadline

LONDON and NEW YORK, July 1, 2026 — The AI Awards program is hunting for highly customized, niche solutions alongside massive foundational breakthroughs as it prepares for the 2026 deadline.

The AI Awards, from The Cloud Awards, is the definitive benchmark for commercial AI, with the final July 24 entry window rapidly closing.

The Cloud Awards CEO James Williams said: “Our judging panel lives and breathes technology. Two things that excite them most are solid innovations from names we know – and less-familiar, even highly esoteric approaches from smaller, rising figures in the industry.

“Of course, there’s a tendency for people to get too hung up on the gargantuan players in this area, and broad, Swiss-Army Knife large-language models. We see them, we use them, and we’re thrilled whenever someone applies them to a real-world problem.

“As well as these, any functional, niche AI implementation in healthcare or supply chain logistics carries just as much weight with the judging panel as a global platform deployment.

“With less than a month to go, we’re eager to see just how far teams worldwide have pushed the boundaries of this cluster of technologies.”

The Cloud Awards CTO Annabelle Whittall said: “The AI landscape isn’t just being reshaped by massive, sweeping models. It’s being transformed by quietly brilliant, highly specialized tools solving precise pain-points.

“Whether you’re a three-person startup with a highly specialized NLP tool, or an enterprise giant re-engineering entire business workflows, there is a dedicated category, and a global spotlight, waiting for you before July 24.”

The AI Awards features a comprehensive lineup of categories structured across four core pillars to honor excellence across the entire artificial intelligence landscape.

To ensure a level playing field for both massive industry leaps and brilliant niche innovations, the program is categorized into four distinct pillars. General AI Excellence captures everything from foundational AI Platforms to highly specific benchmarks for Ethics and Governance. AI for Business Operations looks at practical utility across the corporate ecosystem, balancing major Sales & Marketing tools with targeted HR solutions. Technology Excellence focuses on pure technical execution, recognizing that a precise DevOps or Automation integration can be just as impactful as a massive AI Implementation. Rounding out the program, Vertical / Industry AI Applications celebrates tailored, real-world case studies solving distinct problems in fields ranging from Manufacturing and Logistics to Creative Industries.

The AI Awards program is a global recognition platform spanning the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and APAC. From disruptive startups to enterprise giants, The AI Awards is a global stage for organizations to demonstrate how they are translating AI potential into measurable impact.

Successful applicants to The AI Awards program receive international recognition, a marketing toolkit, and opportunities to further amplify their thought-leadership. Submissions made through the ‘Success Suite’ tier also receive expert judges’ feedback on their innovations.

The entry deadline is Friday 24 July 2026.

Contact details   

The AI Awards, an awards program from The Cloud Awards   
Matthew Gregory – Head of Marketing
https://www.cloud-awards.com/   
[email protected]
(212) 574-8117

About The AI Awards, an awards program from The Cloud Awards
The AI Awards is a pre-eminent artificial intelligence awards program from The Cloud Awards. This international awarding body has been recognizing and honoring industry leaders, innovators and organizational transformation in cloud computing since 2011. The Cloud Awards comprises five awards programs, each uniquely celebrating success across cloud computing, software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud security, artificial intelligence (AI), and financial technologies (FinTech).

Winners are selected by a judging panel of international industry experts. For more information about The AI Awards, please visit https://www.cloud-awards.com/ai-awards/.

SOURCE The AI Awards

PRAGUE, July 1, 2026 — Wultra, a European provider of post-quantum authentication and digital identity solutions for banks and fintechs, announced the completion of a €6.8 million Series A funding round. The investment round was backed by lead investor Seventure Partners, followed by ARIADNEXT founders Marc Norlain and Guillaume Despagne and existing investors J&T Ventures and Elevator Ventures. Wultra helps financial institutions replace legacy authentication methods with phishing-resistant, post-quantum technologies that improve security and user experience. Having established its regional hub in Singapore, Wultra now plans to expand its operations into the Middle East and the United States.

The investment round underscores strong investor confidence in Wultra’s vision. The proceeds will be used to scale Wultra’s digital identity platform and accelerate the company’s next phase of growth. The funding will also support team growth, enable a stronger focus on large strategic customers, and support the company’s long-term strategic objectives.

The investment comes as organizations worldwide modernize their digital identity systems to address AI-enabled identity fraud, including deepfakes. They also accelerate their transition to post-quantum security following the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) publication of post-quantum cryptography standards and ongoing industry-wide efforts to meet emerging migration timelines established by governments and industry bodies. With governments, regulators, and financial institutions increasingly planning for long-term cryptographic resilience, demand for practical post-quantum-ready authentication and digital identity solutions continues to grow.

Funding Follows a Strong Year of Strategic Expansion

The new investment round follows a strong year for the company. In August 2025, Wultra was named as the only Sample Vendor for Post-Quantum Authentication in the Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Digital Identity, 2025, highlighting the company’s early recognition in this emerging category. In 2025, Wultra further expanded its global footprint by opening an office in Singapore, one of Asia’s leading fintech hubs, to meet growing demand for digital identity solutions across ASEAN.

“Last year was a highly dynamic period for Wultra. We expanded our product portfolio beyond authentication to cover the broader digital identity journey, from onboarding and identity proofing to user authentication, transaction authorization, and electronic signatures. We grew our team by nearly 50%, established a presence in Singapore, and now support more than 70 clients across 25 countries worldwide,” said Petr Dvorak, Founder & CEO of Wultra. 

For more information, visit www.wultra.com

SOURCE Wultra

Charles Huang, founder and CEO of Pasaca Capital Inc., shares his perspective on business success and philanthropy.

PASADENA, Calif., July 1, 2026 — The true meaning of wealth is not how much you keep, but how many opportunities you create for others.

With the recent opening of the Charles Huang Outpatient Tower at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco, together with the foundation’s earlier philanthropic support for USC Arcadia Hospital, the Charles Huang Foundation has invested nearly $15 million in healthcare initiatives across Northern and Southern California in recent years.

For Charles Huang, philanthropy has never been an afterthought or a reward for business success. Rather, it has been an integral part of his vision since the very beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.

In an exclusive interview, Huang explained that the purpose of a business extends far beyond generating profits. Companies, he believes, should improve society through investments in education, healthcare, and technological innovation—a philosophy deeply rooted in his own professional experiences.

From Equity Research to Global Investing

Huang arrived in the United States in October 2002 after spending six years as a leading China equity research analyst in Hong Kong’s investment banking industry. During a period of rapid growth in Chinese companies listing in Hong Kong, his disciplined fundamental analysis and industry research earned him widespread recognition. He pioneered several new approaches to China equity research and became known in financial circles as the “Golden Finger of the Hong Kong Stock Market” for producing influential research reports that shaped investor perspectives.

“Stock prices ultimately reflect business fundamentals—not market emotions. The responsibility of an analyst is to identify long-term enterprise value rather than chase short-term market fluctuations.”

Looking back on that period, Huang says the industry recognition was meaningful, but helping investors understand the intrinsic value of companies was always the greater accomplishment.

A Global Perspective

Huang graduated from Wuhan University before continuing his education in the United Kingdom, where he earned his doctorate from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

“Globalization is not simply moving a company overseas. It is the ability to integrate resources from around the world.”

He credits his educational experiences in both China and the United Kingdom for developing a global mindset and a deep appreciation for different economic systems, business cultures, and models of industrial development.

Lessons in Strategy

After leaving investment banking, Huang participated in several international strategic partnerships involving major Chinese private enterprises, including efforts to facilitate collaboration with the UK’s MG Rover Group. Although the transaction ultimately did not conclude because of changes in corporate ownership, the experience reinforced his belief that sustainable competitive advantage is built through long-term strategy rather than short-term opportunities.

Navigating Crisis

In 2007, Huang returned to Hong Kong’s financial markets, joining BNP Paribas Securities as Head of China and Hong Kong Small & Mid-Cap Research. There, he experienced the 2008 global financial crisis firsthand.

“The greatest challenge in investing is not predicting whether markets will rise or fall. It is maintaining independent judgment when market sentiment becomes most extreme.”

According to Huang, the financial crisis reaffirmed one enduring principle: every market eventually returns to fundamentals.

Building Companies That Matter

Following the crisis, Huang shifted his focus from public market research to private equity and industrial investment. In 2016, he founded Pasaca Capital in Southern California, concentrating on high-impact sectors including: Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Medical Technology, Clean Energy, Robotics, Industrial Automation, Advanced Materials.

“The true value of a company is not whether it goes public or how high its valuation becomes. It is whether it continues solving real industry problems and creating sustainable long-term value.”

Rather than pursuing short-term capital market trends, Huang evaluates businesses based on their technological innovation, operational excellence, sustainable cash flow, and lasting societal impact.

The Future of Innovation

Asked about the extraordinary global attention surrounding SpaceX, Huang described Elon Musk as one of the defining entrepreneurs of the modern era.

He believes investors’ willingness to assign premium valuations to companies like SpaceX reflects confidence in visionary leadership and exceptional execution.

“Vision can create extraordinary valuations, but only sustainable profitability can support them over time.”

Drawing on decades of investment experience, Huang cautions that every company must ultimately be measured by the strength of its business model, cash flow, and earnings. Following more than a decade of bull markets after the 2008 financial crisis, many investors have never experienced a prolonged bear market, making it easy to become overly optimistic about high-growth companies.

“When market conditions change, every business eventually returns to fundamentals.”

Confidence in California’s Future

Looking ahead, Huang believes demographic shifts and an aging population will become increasingly important drivers of China’s long-term economic outlook.

At the same time, he remains highly optimistic about California’s future.

According to Huang, California’s greatest competitive advantage extends well beyond Silicon Valley. The state’s world-class universities, mature venture capital ecosystem, cultural diversity, and continued ability to attract global talent position it as one of the world’s leading centers of innovation.

“The United States has always been a nation driven by immigrants and innovation, and California remains one of the world’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems.”

He points to technology, biotechnology, entertainment, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing as the industries that collectively underpin California’s long-term economic strength.

Success Measured by Impact

For Huang, business success is never the destination.

“Success in business is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a greater responsibility to society.”

In addition to building global businesses, Huang has remained deeply committed to philanthropy for many years. Through the Charles Huang Foundation, significant contributions have supported major California healthcare institutions, including Chinese Hospital and USC Arcadia Hospital, helping expand access to quality medical care for communities throughout the state.

From respected equity analyst to global investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Charles Huang has consistently believed that the role of business extends beyond wealth creation. Through capital investment, technological innovation, and charitable giving, he continues to pursue a vision of creating lasting opportunities and meaningful impact for future generations.

Media Contact:
Weining (Chris) Mao
T: (626) 657-6573 | C: (623) 666-2456
E-mail: [email protected] 
Web: pasacacapital.com 

SOURCE Pasaca Capital Inc.

Successful fundraising in challenging environment demonstrates enthusiasm for firm’s core focus on real assets globally, extensive team experience and expertise across asset classes and geographies

MIAMI, July 1, 2026 — Starwood Capital Group (“Starwood Capital”), a leading global private investment firm, today announced the successful final closing of its latest opportunistic real estate fund, Starwood Distressed Opportunity Fund XIII (“SOF XIII”), with capital commitments in excess of $10.2 billion. Together with existing commitments to Starwood Capital’s other investment vehicles, the firm’s assets under management now total approximately $130 billion.

SOF XIII will continue to focus on real assets globally, with the flexibility to shift between asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack. SOF XIII will primarily target transactions across the United States and Europe, with selective opportunities in Asia Pacific, and a focus on a strategic mix of residential, data center, industrial and hospitality assets.

SOF XIII was supported by more than 300 new and existing investors across approximately 20 countries, demonstrating broad enthusiasm for Starwood Capital’s future and its extensive investment capabilities. This diverse and sophisticated investor base includes pensions, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, endowments, wealth managers, family offices and high net worth investors. In addition, Starwood Capital Group and related parties have committed $100 million to SOF XIII.

“We are very grateful for our investors’ continued strong support. This is a testament to the strength of our team and the trust our LPs place in us,” said Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital. “We are excited about the opportunities we have already sourced for this fund and are proud of our track record of delivering results for our investors through market cycles. With our scale, resources and breadth of talent, we are well-positioned to execute on opportunities in this compelling environment for real estate.”

“We could not be more proud of our brand, our strategy and our team’s capabilities, and of the results we have consistently delivered for our investors,” said Jonathan Pollack, President of Starwood Capital. “With a growing team of more than 350 investment professionals and an expanding global footprint, we have the talent, scale and conviction to continue delivering great performance. We are seeing strong tailwinds driven by slowing supply in traditional real estate asset classes and tremendous growth in technology and manufacturing – this is an exciting time to be investing in real estate.”

Starwood Capital has already closed or committed to 20 transactions to date in SOF XIII, committing more than $3 billion of equity. This initial portfolio highlights the firm’s breadth and global footprint, with significant investments in housing, industrial and data centers in each of the United States, Europe and Asia.

About Starwood Capital Group

Starwood Capital Group is a private investment firm with a core focus on real assets globally. Since its inception in 1991, Starwood Capital Group has raised over $95 billion of capital and currently has ~$130 billion of assets under management. Through a series of comingled opportunity funds and Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (SREIT), a non-listed REIT, the Firm has invested in virtually every category of real estate on a global basis, opportunistically shifting asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack as it perceives risk/reward dynamics to be evolving.

Starwood Capital also manages Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the largest commercial mortgage real estate investment trust in the United States, which has successfully deployed over $117 billion of capital since inception and manages a portfolio of over $31 billion across debt and equity investments. Alongside Starwood Property Trust, Starwood Capital manages over $6 billion in several private debt funds investing across the globe.

Starwood Capital’s other affiliates include: Highmark Residential, a property management company; Starwood Digital Ventures, a platform dedicated to the firm’s data center investment strategy; Starwood Hotels, a hotel brand management team; Essex Title, a title agent for one or more underwriters in issuing title policies and/or providing support services; and Starwood Oil & Gas, which seeks to capitalize on conventional and unconventional North American assets.

Additional information can be found at www.starwoodcapital.com, www.starwoodnav.reit, www.starwoodpropertytrust.com and www.starwoodhotels.com.

Media Contacts:

Dana Gorman / Mallory Griffin
H/Advisors – U.S.
[email protected] / [email protected]
212.371.5999

SOURCE Starwood Capital Group