People Invest in People: How Leading GPs are Humanizing Their Brands
People invest in people.
In private equity, reputation has often hinged on performance. However, leading firms are now strengthening their brand by spotlighting the expertise and leadership of key individuals, humanizing their brand and making it more relatable.
Blackstone, for instance, regularly features its senior leaders, like President and COO Jon Gray, sharing insights on market trends, strategy, and firm culture across digital platforms. By making leadership more accessible and relatable, they build trust—not only with LPs but also with portfolio companies looking for partners who understand their needs.
This people-first approach resonates deeply because it shows that a firm's value goes beyond its financial acumen. Investors want to understand who is making decisions, how they think, and what drives them. Portfolio companies, too, want to work with firms that not only bring capital but also a partnership mentality. By highlighting their team’s expertise and commitment to collaboration, GPs are fostering more transparent, long-term relationships.
Building Trust with Thought Leadership
A key element in humanizing these brands is thought leadership. By featuring their team members in articles, interviews, and other digital content, firms demonstrate not just their expertise, but their ethos and culture. MiddleGround Capital, for example, doesn’t just tout its operational expertise—it shares the stories of team members who are hands-on with portfolio companies, helping them transform and grow. This level of personal involvement creates a narrative that both investors and businesses can connect with.
Similarly, CapMan has taken a people-centered approach to building its brand. Since Pia Kåll became CEO in March 2023, she has been highly active on LinkedIn, growing her following to over 3,000. The firm frequently highlights its team on the platform, using their collective expertise to strengthen its reputation.
These firms understand that successful investments are not only about financial outcomes but also about the human stories behind those outcomes—stories that resonate with both their investors and portfolio companies.
Appeal to Portfolio Companies: A Partner in Growth
For portfolio companies, seeing a GP humanize its brand sends a strong signal: this firm values partnership, support, and long-term growth. The emphasis on key personnel and the collaborative stories shared by firms like MiddleGround Capital helps reassure portfolio companies that they are not just another investment. Instead, they are entering into a relationship with people who bring value beyond capital.
By showcasing team members who actively engage with portfolio companies, GPs demonstrate their commitment to being hands-on partners in growth. This approach not only helps attract quality companies but also ensures alignment in values and strategy, resulting in stronger, more effective partnerships.
Thought Leadership in the Context of the Private Wealth Opportunity
While humanizing the brand has always been valuable, its importance is heightened by the rise of new capital sources, particularly private wealth investors, such as family offices. Unlike institutional LPs, these newer entrants may lack deep familiarity with private equity, making education and engagement through thought leadership crucial.
Many leading GPs now share thought leadership to educate private wealth investors who may be less familiar with complex financial terms while simultaneously reinforcing their values to existing institutional LPs. The ability to simplify and personalize the firm's message is a powerful way to build trust across a more diverse investor base.
However, it’s important to note that this strategy benefits all investors, not just private wealth. By emphasizing transparency, accessibility, and the people behind the brand, GPs strengthen their appeal across the board.
How GPs Can Implement This Strategy
For brand builders and capital raisers looking to humanize their firms, here are a few actionable steps:
Highlight Personal Insights from Key Team Members – Regularly feature your leadership and investment professionals in thought leadership content. Whether through blog posts, interviews, or social media, make their voices and personalities visible.
Use Storytelling to Showcase Impact – Investors and portfolio companies alike want to see the human side of private equity. Share stories of how your team is driving meaningful change and impact in portfolio companies. This approach fosters trust and makes your brand relatable.
Engage Across Multiple Channels – Platforms like LinkedIn are effective for sharing updates from your team and building ongoing engagement. Consistent updates with real-time insights from key players humanize your brand and keep audiences interested. Not everyone spends their time on the same platform, pick your platforms based on where your target audience spends their time.
Educate New Capital Sources – As private wealth becomes a larger source of capital, ensure your thought leadership speaks to these audiences. Simplify complex strategies and use storytelling to connect with less sophisticated investors while still reinforcing your firm’s expertise. Explore more in our recent article: The Private Wealth Opportunity: Implications for Brand Builders and Capital Raisers in Private Markets
Conclusion
Humanizing the brand is about more than just standing out—it’s about building deeper connections with both investors and portfolio companies. By emphasizing thought leadership, storytelling, and digital engagement, GPs can create more trust, transparency, and alignment with their audiences. Whether it’s investors or portfolio companies seeking a partner in growth, the message is clear: people invest in people.