Niche Investment Strategies From a Family Office Investor Panel
Niche Investment Strategies Explained by Top Family Office Investors (Panel Intro)
Sponsors and fund managers who want to see how operators in different niches describe what helps them close deals and keep investors.
The short version
Six panelists introduce their niches at a Family Office Club event. Michael runs car washes, Chris buys private equity secondaries, Lee finances construction disputes, Paul builds a startup investing vehicle, Justin owns multifamily in Kansas City, and Peter holds multifamily and net lease property in the southeast. Chris says his first fund bought small private equity stakes at an average of 61 cents on the dollar.
The moderator then asks what helps them close deals and work with investors. Peter points to underwriting discipline through 2020 to 2022. Justin names operational control and repeatability. Chris says to find a problem worth solving. Michael chooses flexibility. Lee talks about tenacity and Paul about opening startup investing to more people. The talk is a short panel intro, so the answers are brief.
What stood out
- Hold your underwriting discipline. Peter says his team lost many deals in 2020 to 2022 because their underwriting did not fit their buy box. Many of those deals later went south. He says buying more in late 2023 to 2025 produced better results.
- Build the machine, then find capital. The panelist who named operational control and repeatability says many sponsors focus on finding deals and raising capital. His team built the system that runs the deals first. Now the main task left is finding capital.
- Find a problem to solve. Chris says a niche starts with a real problem. A family office principal wanted to buy a sports franchise and held only private equity. That led to a secondaries fund.
- Small deals can be less crowded. Chris says buyers of private equity secondaries want to scale up and buy $300 million pieces. His fund bids on $3 million pieces. He says almost no one bids on the small stuff.
- Flexibility helps match investors. Michael says a real estate backed car wash business has several parts that are valued differently. That lets his team match the investment, timeline and returns an investor wants.
Said on the call
"We focused our time on building the machine that runs the deals so that now all we have to do is find the capital."
"There's a huge market for this and no one's bidding on the small stuff because they all want to scale up and buy $300 million pieces."
"Finding the problem is, in fact, key to being the solution and to having healthy relationships with investors."
From the source
- Justin says Glacier Rock Capital has over $150 million in assets under management in Kansas City multifamily and has completed seven full cycle exits.
- Chris says his first secondaries fund bought at an average of 61 cents on the dollar, bidding on $3 million pieces while larger buyers want $300 million pieces.
- Peter says MFP Capital holds about 3,000 multifamily units in the southeast and about a million and a half square feet of opportunistic net lease.
Sources
From Richard C. Wilson's Centimillionaire Strategies YouTube channel: Niche Investment Strategies Explained by Top Family Office Investors (Panel Intro). Quotes come from the video captions, lightly edited for readability. Figures are the speakers' own estimates and experience.
General education only. Not legal, tax or investment advice.
Talk to a securities attorney to explore options around public vehicle structures, performance claim disclosures and secondaries fund structuring. Do not use AI to write your own legal agreements.
Related questions
- How do I close a funding round?I close a funding round by focusing on investors who fit the opportunity and moving each interested prospect through clear, consistent follow-up.
- What documents do investors request during due diligence?Prepare a clear, organized package covering your operations, investments, compensation, team, and track record.
- How do I raise capital for my business?I raise capital by building a repeatable system for attracting the right investors, establishing credibility, and developing relationships before asking for money.
Questions about this video
What does Chris's fund buy?
It buys small pieces of private equity funds that investors no longer want. He says these funds are meant to return capital in 10 years but often take 15. His first fund paid an average of 61 cents on the dollar.
What happened to Peter's deals after 2022?
Peter says his team lost many deals in 2020 to 2022 because their underwriting did not fit. Many of those deals later went south. His team bought more in late 2023, 2024 and 2025.
What does Paul's company aim to do?
Paul describes his company as a startup investing vehicle that aims to open startup investing to more people. These are plans he shared on the panel.
Put this into practice with the family office fit check. See all private equity resources.
