Makena Capital Management

What they do

Founded in 2005 by senior executives from the Stanford Management Company, Makena Capital Management was established to bring elite, endowment-style investing to a broader segment of institutions and ultra-high-net-worth families. The firm operates as an Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO), pooling client capital into evergreen, commingled vehicles that invest across private equity, venture capital, real assets, public equity, and hedge funds. Makena is highly regarded in the institutional allocator ecosystem for its rigorous manager selection, its ability to access capacity-constrained top-tier funds, and its robust co-investment program. The firm is entirely partner-owned, ensuring long-term alignment with its multigenerational client base.

What they look for

Makena’s investment philosophy is rooted in the "endowment model," seeking balanced diversification across alternative and traditional asset classes to protect and grow multigenerational capital over the long term. They aim to capture an illiquidity premium in private markets while mitigating risk through rigorous manager selection and portfolio construction.

Stage

Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+

Sectors

SaaS, AI, Healthcare, Climate, Fintech, Proptech, Food and agriculture

Based

Menlo Park, US