Matthew Brown (businessperson)
Matthew Brown | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Education | Texas Christian University |
| Occupation | Businessperson |
| Known for | Majority owner of Energent, L.P. Chairman of Matthew Brown Companies |
| Spouse |
Tawni Reynolds
(m. 2017; div. 2021) |
Matthew Brown is a Texas and Hawaiian-based private equity/venture investor.
He was previously the chairman at Tamra-Tacoma Capital Partners, a $500 million fund (with investments in Urban Green Energy and Leaf Solar Power), as well as asset manager Kona Private Capital Group, a ~$900 million fund for Hawaiian residential and commercial real estate.[1][2][3]
Early life and education[edit]
Brown was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. He attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, and did not graduate.[2][3]
Career[edit]
Brown is the founder and chairman of Energent, L.P. and Energent Infrastructure Fund, L.P., a private equity investment management firm[4] based in New York, New York[5], and is the Chairman of his family office, Matthew Brown Companies, in Long Beach, California, and Dallas, Texas. Energent's SEC registration was withdrawn in 2019.[6] It last reported $125 million under management before going private as a family office.[7]
Through Matthew Brown Companies and its investment group, Brown invests in biospace/tech, therapeutics, diagnostics and space ventures, including SpaceX and OpenAI, among others.[8][9][10] Most recently, he was involved in the attempt to acquire Virgin Orbit Intellectual Property and intends to license it to the masses through one of his subsidiaries, Partager Aerospace[11], though with controversy.[12]
Quartz stated that Brown's business experience claims were "questionable"[13][14] in the wake of the failed rescue of Virgin Orbit[15], though Brown denies the accusations.
In addition, this was not Brown's first attack on the Virgin Orbit transaction, this time criticizing the Virgin Orbit board and management on his personal LinkedIn:
The same day Virgin Orbit announced it was pausing its operations (according to multiple media outlets), the Board approved a golden parachute severance plan for management. Given the unstable financial position of V.O. at the time, I am not certain which is more egregious: that the Board would consider such a severance plan to be proper management oversight or that Management would consider it warranted.[16][17]
Brown was a consultant to several institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley, the Texas Tech Wind Institute, the Department of Defense, among others.[18][13]
Personal life[edit]
Brown married Tawni Catherine Reynolds on July 23, 2017, sister to Dallas socialite Miranda Hogue[19], friend of Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes[20][21]. Brown and Reynolds divorced on November 1, 2021. Brown resides in Hawaii.
References[edit]
- ^ Karabus, Jude. "Struggling Virgin Orbit in funding talks with VC". www.theregister.com.
- ^ a b Waters, Rick (2015-07-02). "TCU spirit with Neil DeGrasse Tyson". TCU Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ a b "Exactly who is the investor behind Virgin Orbit's failed $200 million rescue?". Quartz. 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ "IAPD - Investment Adviser Public Disclosure - Homepage". adviserinfo.sec.gov.
- ^ "Energent Infrastructure Fund: Profile, Returns & Limited Partners | PitchBook".
- ^ "Uniform application for Investment Adviser Registration and Report by Exempt Reporting Advisers" (PDF). SEC.gov.
- ^ "Energent - Fund and Executive Details". Private Fund Data. 2017-09-27. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ Roulette, Joey; Krolicki, Kevin. "Insight: Virgin Orbit's would-be white knight and a $200 million rescue that fell flat". Reuters.
- ^ Sheetz, Michael (2023-03-23). "Investing in Space: The latecomer". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ "Matthew Brown Companies confirms it's in funding talks with Virgin Orbit • The Register Forums". forums.theregister.com. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ "Partager Aerospace Company Profile: Valuation, Funding & Investors | PitchBook".
- ^ "Matthew Brown to Become Shareholder and Advisor to Partager Aerospace". PRLog. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ a b "Exactly who is the investor behind Virgin Orbit's failed $200 million rescue?". Quartz. March 31, 2023.
- ^ "Virgin Orbit's Legal Showdown: Bankruptcy Triggers Threat of Action Against Prospective Investor". Yahoo Finance. April 10, 2023.
- ^ Sheetz, Michael (March 23, 2023). "Investing in Space: The latecomer". CNBC.
- ^ "Virgin Orbit raising $200 million from investor Matthew Brown, closing deal as soon as Thursday". CNBC. March 22, 2023.
- ^ Fernholz—Quartz, Tim (2023-03-31). "Exactly Who Is the Investor Behind Virgin Orbit's Failed $200 Million Rescue?". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ "Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy". Sustainable WI.
- ^ Pease, Kate. "Preppy Brunch Wedding at Firefly Gardens in Midlothian, Texas". The Knot.
- ^ "Brittany Mahomes' pal recaps Taylor Swift-filled weekend in NYC". October 2, 2023.
- ^ Lemoncelli, Jenna (2024-04-22). "Brittany Mahomes stuns during bikini-clad day with friends in Cabo". Retrieved 2024-04-26.