Goanna Capital

Goanna Capital is a global private markets investment firm that employs a differentiated co-investment program across two primary strategies: Direct Private Technology and GP-Led Secondaries. The firm focuses on identifying and investing in generationally important private technology companies worldwide. Their direct investment approach targets opportunities from Series B to pre-IPO stages, encompassing both primary capital raises and direct secondary transactions. Through their GP-Led Secondaries strategy, Goanna Capital provides crucial liquidity to Limited Partners (LPs) and leading General Partners (GPs) within the private equity and growth equity landscape. This strategy typically involves acquiring pools of assets from fully invested funds in their harvesting period, aiming to offer diversification to investors while mitigating the traditional J-curve effect. They seek out world-class private equity and growth-focused managers and portfolios, aiming for attractive discounts to Net Asset Value (NAV) by providing reliable liquidity solutions, including continuation vehicles, strip sales, fund restructurings, and end-of-fund-life solutions.

Founded in 2020 by Robert Hilmer, Goanna Capital quickly established its presence in the private markets. Hilmer, who previously held roles at prominent firms such as Coatue Management, Equidate (now Forge Global), and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., brought extensive experience to the venture. The firm's inception aimed to capitalize on opportunities within the rapidly evolving private technology sector and the growing demand for secondary liquidity solutions. Goanna Capital operates as a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) and has successfully raised and invested five funds, attracting over 300 leading family offices and institutions to its funds and co-investment vehicles.

Goanna Capital has built a diverse portfolio of investments across various high-growth sectors. Notable portfolio companies and investments include leading technology innovators such as xAI, Harvey, Kraken, Figma, OpenEvidence, CoreWeave, SpaceX, Anthropic, Toast, Calm, Attentive Mobile, and Rippling. These investments span critical areas like business/productivity software, financial services, enterprise applications, enterprise infrastructure, and aerospace and defense. The firm's involvement in a joint venture with OpenAI, known as 'DeployCo', further highlights its commitment to the artificial intelligence sector, aiming to accelerate the adoption of AI tools within enterprise environments.

The Goanna Capital team comprises experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds in investment management, compliance, strategy, and business development. Robert Hilmer leads the firm as Founder & General Partner, alongside Nicholas Leish, also a General Partner. The leadership team includes Managing Directors Hussain Al Alawi (Head of Middle East) and Michael Brunner, with Tony Drenzek serving as Chief Compliance Officer & Counsel and Brian Lee as Global Head of Strategy. The team's collective expertise enables the firm to screen over 2000 deals annually and execute its dual investment strategies effectively, fostering strong relationships with both portfolio companies and institutional investors globally.