Brightstar Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm focused on partnering with families, founders and entrepreneurs, announced today that Claure Group has acquired a non-control, minority equity stake in Brightstar. Founded by Marcelo Claure, Claure Group is a multi-billion-dollar global investment firm spanning multiple high growth sectors including tech, media, crypto, sports, real estate, and others.
Brightstar Capital Partners’ founder and CEO Andrew Weinberg and Mr. Claure have had a trusted business relationship for two decades. From 2008-2011, Mr. Weinberg served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of Likewize (f/k/a Brightstar Corp.), a company founded by Mr. Claure. Mr. Claure also formerly held senior executive roles at Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group, including CEO of SoftBank Group International. Earlier, he was CEO of Sprint, leading its turnaround and eventual merger with T-Mobile.
“I have great confidence in the Brightstar team’s ability to continue to grow and I’m excited to be a partner on that journey,” said Mr. Claure. “This investment is a testament to my belief in Andrew’s talent and the potential of the firm. I believe Brightstar has built a well-deserved reputation that brings a differentiated approach to sourcing investments in closely-held businesses, adding value to those investments, and ultimately benefitting all stakeholders.”
“We are proud to announce this significant milestone in Brightstar’s history,” said Mr. Weinberg. “Marcelo is a respected and highly regarded investor and operator and has been a friend and mentor for twenty years. I believe he will be an ideal partner as we continue to scale and focus on providing returns for our investors.”
About Brightstar Capital Partners
Brightstar Capital Partners is a middle market private equity firm focused on investing in closely held family, founder, or entrepreneur-owned businesses where Brightstar believes it can drive significant value with respect to the management, operations, and strategic direction of the business. The firm’s portfolio companies have a combined workforce of approximately ~19,000 and EBITDA of ~$600 million. Brightstar employs an operationally intensive “Us & Us” approach that leverages its extensive experience and relationship network to help companies reach their full potential. For more information, please visit www.brightstarcp.com.
About Claure Group
Claure Group is a multi-billion-dollar global investment firm focused on public and private companies in technology, media, crypto, sports, real estate, and other high growth sectors.
