MPowered Capital – a women-led, independently-managed investment firm – has announced the final close of MPowered Capital Access Fund I with $110 million in committed capital. The Fund – which had received support from institutional investors, including foundations, family offices, and the consultant community – is seeking to generate superior risk-adjusted returns through investments in diverse talent across private alternatives.
As of the final close, the Fund invested in or alongside 11 diverse investment managers, including L2 Point Management, Sidereal Capital, Kinzie Capital, and Collide Capital. MPowered seeks to generate alpha while breaking down barriers to the success of diverse managers. And the firm brings a blend of investment experience, business-building expertise, and a large industry network to support diverse investing talent in achieving their long-term business objectives faster and with greater certainty.
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. And 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 the firm building and scaling to create a 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, etc.
KEY QUOTES:
“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.”
- Marcia Page, Founder & CEO of MPowered
“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.”
- Chrissie Chen Pariso, Managing Director at MPowered
“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.”
- Kristine Pelletier, Partner at NEPC