Big Funds You’ve Never Heard Of – Part X

As part of my ongoing series on ‘big funds you’ve never heard of,’ I’d like to draw your attention to another big fund that I’m nearly positive you’ve never heard of. Ready? Here we go…

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As part of my ongoing series on big funds you’ve never heard of, I’d like to draw your attention to another big fund that I’m nearly positive you’ve never heard of. Ready? This one is tough. Here we go:

- The primary Fund of the sponsor has over $2 billion in assets under management, which doesn’t include the sponsor’s endowment fund, land, timber and mineral interests. So the assets of the sponsor are quite large.

- The Fund has 550 employees and takes a rather aggressive approach to institutional investment; seeding new asset managers and building in-house capabilities.

Any ideas? No?

- The Fund actually has a merchant banking, venture capital and direct investment arm.

- The Fund has regional offices in Houston, Tulsa, Denver, Durango, and New York City, and has numerous operating offices in other states.

Sponsored

Still stumped?

- The Fund’s headquarters are located in Southwestern Colorado... on an Indian Reservation.

- The sponsor has an ‘AAA’ credit rating from S&P and Fitch.

Give up?

The big fund you’ve never heard of is...

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund. Here are a few blurbs to describe this rather interesting institutional investor:

“The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in Southwest Colorado. The reservation land area covers 1,058.785 square miles in three counties (La Plata, Archuleta and Montezuma). Tribal Council headquarters are located in Ignacio, Colorado.”

“The Tribe aggressively developed its extraordinary natural resource base during the 1980s and 1990s. Tribal Council adopted an official Financial Plan in 1999 that separated its core government from its business enterprises and related investment activities. The Financial Plan provides the Tribe with an economic strategy that insures that a core government and matching finances will exist in perpetuity. The plan optimizes available investment resources to provide for the long-term security of the Tribe and the Tribal Membership.”

“The Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund operates and manages the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s businesses and business investments. In this role, the Growth Fund oversees a significant portfolio of companies and investments in energy, real estate, construction, and private equity.”

Until next time...

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