Family office
A private firm that manages the wealth of one or several wealthy families.
A single family office serves one family. A multi-family office serves several. Family offices can decide quickly, write flexible cheques and often back first-time managers, but they vary widely in how they source and diligence funds.
Single family offices typically manage at least $100M and often far more. Multi-family offices pool several families and behave more like institutions, with investment committees and formal manager selection. Both types invest across public markets, real estate, direct deals and funds, and many prefer co-investment or direct deals once they know a manager well.
Family offices rarely publish their mandates and many have no website at all. Decisions often rest with the principal or a small team, so the strength of a personal relationship can count for more than a polished process. That makes them hard to find but quick to commit when the fit is right.
Worked example
A healthcare venture GP learns that a family office was built on the sale of a medical device company. A former colleague co-invested with its CIO twice. After a warm introduction and two meetings, the office commits $5M to the GP's $50M Fund I and asks for co-investment rights on any deal over $3M.
Common questions about family office
How do I find family offices that invest in funds?
Look for the source of the family's wealth, the funds it has backed before, co-investments in deals you can see, and people in your network who have worked with it. Regulatory filings, press about liquidity events and mutual contacts are usually more useful than generic lists.
What cheque size do family offices write into funds?
Most commit somewhere between $500,000 and $25M to a single fund, depending on the office's size and how well it knows the manager. Smaller single family offices may start lower, while large multi-family offices can write institutional-size cheques.