RedBird Capital Partners

RedBird Capital Partners is a prominent private investment firm established in 2014 by Gerry Cardinale, with offices in New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles. The firm distinguishes itself by focusing on building high-growth companies through strategic partnerships and operational engagement across five core industry verticals: Sports, Media & Entertainment, Financial Services, Consumer, and Industrials. RedBird's approach emphasizes long-term value creation by leveraging deep industry expertise and a robust network to identify and cultivate opportunities.

The firm primarily engages in growth equity, control investments, and strategic partnerships, often taking substantial stakes to drive significant influence or outright ownership. RedBird manages over $10 billion of equity capital across its various investment strategies, underscoring its significant financial capacity. This is further evidenced by its successful fundraising efforts, including the close of RedBird Capital Partners IV LP in 2023 with $3.1 billion in commitments, following the $2.7 billion raised for RedBird Capital Partners III LP in 2020. These substantial fund sizes enable the firm to deploy considerable capital into its portfolio companies.

RedBird is renowned for its distinctive investment philosophy, frequently partnering with established brands, entrepreneurs, and management teams. Notable investments include the acquisition of Italian football club AC Milan, the co-founding and significant investment in the XFL (now UFL), and strategic stakes in companies like Skydance Media and Wasserman Media Group. Unlike traditional early-stage venture capital firms, RedBird operates more in the private equity space, targeting larger, more mature companies or significant platform builds where it can apply its operational expertise to accelerate growth and unlock value.

Given their substantial fund sizes and focus on private equity-style investments, RedBird Capital Partners' typical first check sizes are significant. For growth equity or substantial minority stakes, the firm's investments generally commence from approximately $50 million. For larger control buyouts or when leading consortiums in major transactions, their equity commitments can extend well beyond $500 million, reflecting their capacity to execute large-scale deals across their target sectors. This positions RedBird as a key player in the middle-market to large-cap private equity landscape.