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Blue Owl

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Overview

Blue Owl Capital Inc. is a prominent American alternative investment asset management company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "OWL". The company was formed through the merger of Owl Rock Capital Group and Dyal Capital Partners with Altimar Acquisition Corp in May 2021, valued at $12.2 billion. Blue Owl operates through three main business units:

  1. GP Strategic Capital (formerly Dyal Capital): Focuses on acquiring minority interests in hedge funds and private equity firms.
  2. Real Estate (formerly Oak Street): Specializes in structuring sale-leasebacks and real estate investments.
  3. Credit (formerly Owl Rock): A middle market private credit direct lending firm. As of September 30, 2024, Blue Owl manages over $235 billion in assets across its three multi-strategy platforms. The company is headquartered in New York City with additional offices globally, including London, Dubai, and Hong Kong, employing over 725 experienced professionals worldwide. Blue Owl's investment approach emphasizes strong performance, risk-adjusted returns, and capital preservation. The company offers its solutions through permanent capital vehicles and long-dated private funds, providing holistic capital solutions to middle market companies, large alternative asset managers, and corporate real estate owners and tenants. Recent developments include the acquisition of Atalaya Capital Management in July 2024 and the expansion of offices in Greenwich, Connecticut, and New Jersey. The company is led by co-founders and co-CEOs Douglas Irving Ostrover and Marc S. Lipschultz, along with other key executives such as Craig William Packer and Marc Zahr.

Leadership Team

Blue Owl Capital's leadership team comprises experienced professionals across various roles: Co-CEOs:

  • Douglas Ostrover
  • Marc Lipschultz Other Senior Leaders:
  • Craig Packer: Co-President, Head of Credit platform, and CEO of Blue Owl BDCs
  • Michael Rees: Co-President, Founder, and Head of GP Strategic Capital
  • Marc Zahr: Co-President Financial and Operational Leadership:
  • Alan Kirshenbaum: Chief Financial Officer
  • Jonathan Lamm: CFO and COO of several Blue Owl entities
  • Bryan Cole: CFO and COO of specific Blue Owl entities, Chief Accounting Officer
  • Andrew Polland: Chief Operating Officer Legal and Other Key Roles:
  • Neena Reddy: Chief Legal Officer
  • Sean Ward: Senior Managing Director Additional Notable Members:
  • Logan Nicholson: Managing Director, Direct Lending Investment Team, President of several Blue Owl entities
  • Sandip Agarwala: Managing Director, Direct Lending Investment Team, focusing on life sciences credit and royalty financing This diverse leadership team brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Blue Owl Capital, ensuring strong management across its various business units and investment strategies.

History

Blue Owl Capital Inc. has a relatively recent but significant history, marked by strategic mergers and acquisitions: Formation and Listing:

  • December 2020: Announcement of merger between Owl Rock Capital Group, Dyal Capital Partners, and Altimar Acquisition Corp
  • May 19, 2021: Completion of $12.2 billion merger and listing on NYSE as "OWL" Key Acquisitions and Expansions:
  • October 18, 2021: Acquired Oak Street for $950 million
  • December 13, 2021: Acquired Ascentium Group in Hong Kong
  • October 2022: Expanded offices in Greenwich, CT, and opened New Jersey office
  • July 2024: Agreement to purchase Atalaya Capital Management Business Units Evolution:
  1. GP Strategic Capital (formerly Dyal Capital):
    • Founded in 2011 by Michael Rees and Sean Ward
    • Focuses on acquiring minority interests in hedge funds and private equity firms
    • Renamed from Dyal Capital in June 2023
  2. Real Estate (formerly Oak Street):
    • Founded in 2009
    • Specializes in sale-leasebacks and significant real estate acquisitions
  3. Credit (formerly Owl Rock):
    • Founded in 2016 by Doug Ostrover, Marc Lipschultz, and Craig Packer
    • Middle market private credit direct lending
    • Manages approximately $128.4 billion in assets as of September 30, 2024 Current Operations:
  • Over $235 billion in assets under management
  • Global team of 725+ professionals
  • Continued expansion in alternative investment solutions Blue Owl's history reflects rapid growth through strategic mergers and acquisitions, establishing itself as a major player in alternative investments across private credit, GP stakes, and real estate sectors.

Products & Solutions

Blue Owl Capital, a leading asset management firm, offers a diverse range of products and solutions across several key areas:

Alternative Investment Solutions

Blue Owl provides alternative investment solutions through three main platforms:

  1. Credit
  • Focuses on direct lending to U.S. middle-market companies, offering senior secured, subordinated, or mezzanine loans, and equity-related instruments.
  • Managed by Blue Owl Credit Advisors LLC, investments include first lien, unitranche, and second lien term loans.
  • Also offers asset-backed finance, private corporate credit, and structured products like Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs) and Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS).
  1. GP Strategic Capital
  • Involves investments in GP stakes, acquiring minority stakes in management companies of private equity and real assets funds.
  1. Real Estate
  • Specializes in commercial real estate lending, including loans and bonds secured by commercial properties, and other real estate investments.

Insurance Solutions

Blue Owl's dedicated insurance solutions arm provides tailored investment and risk management solutions for insurers:

  • Customized private market solutions meeting unique needs across different jurisdictions and capital regimes.
  • Services include strategic portfolio construction advisory, custom risk and portfolio analytics, bespoke investment structuring, and reporting.
  • Offers insurance-specific strategies such as asset-backed finance, commercial real estate lending, private corporate credit, and structured products.

Additional Capabilities

  1. Capital Structuring: Optimizes capital structures to support sustainable growth and operational resilience.
  2. Analytical Support & Thought Leadership: Provides analytical tools and market studies to inform decision-making.
  3. Integrated Platform: Insurance solutions team leverages expertise from Credit, GP Strategic Capital, and Real Estate teams.

Partnership and Growth Initiatives

Blue Owl has made significant investments to enhance its capabilities, such as the acquisition of Kuvare, a technology-enabled financial services platform. This partnership allows Blue Owl to manage assets on behalf of Kuvare and other third-party insurers, driving growth in the insurance solutions market.

Core Technology

Blue Owl's core technology focus centers around several key aspects of their investment strategies and operations:

Investment Strategy

  • Specializes in technology lending, a subset of direct lending.
  • Originates loans and makes debt and equity investments in technology-related companies, particularly software companies.
  • Focuses on middle and upper-market software and technology companies, often privately held or backed by private equity firms.

Portfolio Composition

  • The merger between Blue Owl Technology Finance Corp. (OTF) and Blue Owl Technology Finance Corp. II (OTF II) highlights their software lending focus.
  • Combined portfolio as of September 30, 2024:
    • 77% of assets in first lien investments
    • 81% in senior secured investments
    • Less than 0.1% of total investments on non-accrual
    • 93% of investments in the highest two internal ratings categories

Risk Mitigation

  • Makes predominantly senior secured loans with low loan-to-values.
  • Targets high-quality software and technology-related companies with defensive characteristics and strong private equity support.

Scale and Resources

  • $128.4 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2024.
  • Robust proprietary deal flow driven by an extensive network of private equity sponsors.
  • Deep bench of experienced investment professionals.
  • Scale enables more favorable financing terms and access to diverse funding sources.

Geographic and Market Focus

  • Technology-focused investment team based in Silicon Valley and New York.
  • Significant player in the technology lending space.
  • Focuses on established, U.S.-based software and technology-related companies with compelling business models and strong customer and end-market diversification. Blue Owl's core technology focus is on providing financing solutions to high-quality software and technology companies through a disciplined and risk-managed approach, leveraging their extensive resources and industry connections.

Industry Peers

Blue Owl Capital operates within the alternative asset management sector, competing with several prominent firms in the financial and asset management industries. Key competitors include:

  1. Apollo Global Management (APO)
  • Major player in alternative asset management
  • Competes in private credit, real estate, and other alternative investments
  1. KKR & Co. Inc. (KKR)
  • Large-cap finance company
  • Competes in private equity, credit, and real estate
  1. Blackstone (BX)
  • Leading global investment manager
  • Competes across multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, real estate, and credit
  1. Ares Management (ARES)
  • Global alternative asset manager
  • Competes in private credit, real estate, and other alternative investment strategies
  1. The Carlyle Group (CG)
  • Global investment firm
  • Competes in private equity, credit, and real estate investments
  1. Affiliated Managers Group (AMG)
  • Alternative asset management company
  • More focused on equity and other investment strategies
  1. Ares Capital (ARCC)
  • Business development company
  • Competes in private credit and direct lending
  1. Brookfield Asset Management (BAM)
  • Global alternative asset manager
  • Competes in real estate, infrastructure, and other alternative investments These companies are significant players in the alternative asset management industry and compete with Blue Owl Capital across various platforms such as private credit, GP stakes, and real estate. Each firm has its unique strengths and focus areas within the broader alternative investment landscape.

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