Hunter Street Partners has officially launched as a new Minneapolis-based alternative investment management firm that will provide capital solutions to operating partner teams and lower middle market companies across corporate finance, real estate, and specialty finance.
Neal Johnson, who previously served as Managing Partner and Co-CIO at Isles Ranch Partners and spent nearly a decade at Värde Partners, serves as CEO and CIO of Hunter Street. The other Partners include Peter Hommeyer – President, Andrew Platt – Investments, and Jason Hegrenes – COO and CFO. The Partners have an average of 21 years of industry experience, have previously invested over $2 billion of capital, and have over 150 operating partner relationships. The firm brings together a total team of nine professionals with backgrounds as investment managers and operating partners rooted in opportunistic credit with experience at firms including Värde Partners, Merced Capital, CarVal Investments, Whitebox Advisors, and Pine River Capital Management.
“Our team is uniquely positioned to be a preferred investor for niche, asset-oriented credit and equity opportunities that have been overlooked by other alternative investment managers and providers of capital,” said Mr. Johnson. “For operating partners who are seeking capital, and for investors who rely on the specialized knowledge and experience that our team and network of partners can offer, Hunter Street is poised to bridge the gap and identify differentiated and idiosyncratic investment opportunities.”
Hunter Street’s investment strategy will target opportunistic investments directly or through strategic operating partner relationships, such as restructuring professionals, real estate developers, and specialty lenders, by seeking market dislocations or inefficiencies frequently found in small to mid-size credit and equity investments and larger off-the-run situations.
“As traditional capital sources underserve segments of the market and other alternative investment managers get larger, we have seen an increasing number of small and middle market operating executives looking for flexible and efficient capital partners,” said Mr. Hommeyer. “We are excited to leverage our platform to continue building collaborative partnerships and create value through our investments.”
Johnson brings 18 years of industry experience across private equity and credit, real estate, workouts and restructurings, hedge funds, investment banking, and specialty finance. Prior to founding Hunter Street, he was Managing Partner and co-CIO at Isles Ranch Partners, where he co-managed the building of an operating partner business that sourced and managed assets for 40 investments over four years. Before that, he spent eight years at Värde Partners and also brings industry experience from Piper Jaffray.
Hommeyer, who will be responsible for management of Hunter Street’s business development, capital formation, and marketing activities, has 25 years of experience in private equity and credit, hedge funds, research, and capital allocation. He was previously the Head of Business Development for Whitebox Advisors and the Director of Research for Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors. Mr. Hommeyer has also acted as a portfolio manager at Cadogan Management, BAWAG, and Bank Austria.
Platt, who is responsible for investment origination and execution at Hunter Street, brings over 25 years of industry experience. He was previously a Managing Director at Merced Capital, where he opened and managed the London office. Over the course of his career, Mr. Platt has served in a variety of investment management and business development roles at Norwest Equity Partners, GE Equity and GE Asset Management, Deephaven Capital Management, and Merrill Lynch.
Hegrenes brings 17 years of operational and financial experience across private equity, hedge funds, and financial services. Before Hunter Street, he was Head of Operations at Pine River Capital Management where he was responsible for a global team of over 40 individuals. During his tenure, Mr. Hegrenes helped establish the Shenzhen, China office creating a global operational model utilizing offices in Minneapolis, New York, Luxembourg, and China. Prior to that, he was at Thrivent Financial.