Known
Known is a New York-based private equity and financial services platform that invests in high-growth and under-capitalized sectors through impact-aligned strategies. It operates Stratum (quantitative asset management) and Built (a Fund-as-a-Service platform serving emerging fund managers), with a focus on closing racial wealth gaps.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Known does
Known is a private equity and financial services platform founded in 2021 and headquartered at 31 Hudson Yards, New York. The company was established by Jim Casselberry, Nathalie Molina Niño, and Ushir Shah alongside a network of 24 founding advisors spanning finance, technology, entertainment, and impact investing. Known historically operated across three core lines: (1) private equity investments in high-growth and under-capitalized sectors, (2) private wealth and asset management for families and institutions, and (3) impact investing through the Living Cities Catalyst Team partnership, which has been recognized on the ImpactAssets IA 50 list for 14 consecutive years. The company's technology stack centers on two proprietary platforms: Stratum, a quantitative asset management and research firm utilizing 'security prediction science' for security selection, and Built, a Fund-as-a-Service platform officially launched in March 2026 that provides infrastructure for emerging fund managers to design, develop, and operate capital vehicles. In January 2026, Known announced the closure of its Private Wealth and Asset Management business to concentrate resources on the Built FaaS platform.
Known makes money through a combination of traditional private equity management fees and carried interest, quantitative asset management fees via Stratum, and — going forward — platform/infrastructure fees from Built's emerging fund manager clients. The firm's go-to-market historically operated through direct relationship management with institutional investors, family offices, and foundations, complemented by thought leadership at industry conferences (SOCAP, Opal Group, SheMoney, Gratitude Investor Gathering, Clinton Global Initiative). The Built platform introduces a self-serve/PLG distribution channel (builtwithfaas.com) targeting 'high-potential teams' globally — a meaningful GTM shift. Customer segments span family offices and high-net-worth individuals seeking impact-aligned returns, foundations and endowments pursuing mission-aligned capital deployment, and emerging fund managers needing infrastructure to launch funds. Known is Black-, Indigenous-, Latinx-, and Asian American-founded, with an explicit focus on closing racial wealth gaps through inclusive capital deployment, which differentiates its brand in the impact investing segment.
Known firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Known
- Legal name
- Known Wealth LLC
- Website
- https://scalewithknown.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Known is a New York-based private equity and financial services platform that invests in high-growth and under-capitalized sectors through impact-aligned strategies. It operates Stratum (quantitative asset management) and Built (a Fund-as-a-Service platform serving emerging fund managers), with a focus on closing racial wealth gaps.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Known industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Asset Management & Private Equity
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Private Capital Introducers (PE/VC/Private Credit) (FSAEAMAE), Emerging Manager / Seeding Platforms (Multi-Manager) (FSANAGAF), Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type) (BPADACAJ)
Keywords
Where Known is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Known business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Private Equity Management: Traditional private equity management fees and carried interest from managing investment funds and portfolio companies.
- Fund as a Service (Built): Platform fees for providing fund infrastructure, operations, and support to fund managers.
- Asset Management (Stratum): Quantitative asset management fees from securities research and prediction science services.
- Private Wealth and Asset Management: Wealth management services for families and individuals. Note: This business closed in January 2026 per Jim Casselberry's announcement.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Known product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Known is a private equity and financial services platform that builds, supports, and invests in businesses through its subsidiaries Built (a Fund-as-a-Service operator platform), Stratum (a quantitative asset management and research firm), and Known Private Equity (investments in high-growth, under-capitalized sectors). The firm focuses on impact investing, inclusive capital deployment, and providing fund infrastructure for emerging managers, family offices, foundations, and institutional investors.
Product overview
Known is a private equity and financial services platform offering multiple interconnected products: Built (Fund as a Service) provides fund infrastructure for creating capital vehicles; Stratum delivers quantitative asset management through security prediction science; Known Private Equity invests in high-growth, under-capitalized sectors; and the Living Cities Catalyst Team (in partnership with Living Cities) focuses on impact investing to close racial wealth gaps. The company was founded in 2021 and serves families and institutions seeking impact-aligned investment solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Built: Fund as a Service platform designed to help create the capital vehicles of the future. Partners with high-potential teams to bring funds to life by providing the infrastructure needed to succeed.
- Stratum
Products and services
- Built, Fund as a Service (FaaS) Fund-as-a-Service operator platform that partners with high-potential teams to bring funds to life, providing the infrastructure (operations, compliance, distribution) needed for institutions and individuals to design, develop, and operate innovative investment funds.
- Stratum Quantitative asset management and research firm that seeks consistent sources of return through security prediction science, serving investors via systematic, data-driven investment strategies.
- Known Private Equity Private equity investment platform that taps opportunities in high-growth and under-capitalized sectors, targeting companies where Known's experience points to higher likelihood of performance and innovation.
- Known Private Wealth Private wealth and asset management services for families and institutions (business closed in January 2026 to focus on the Built Fund-as-a-Service business).
- Living Cities Catalyst Fund (partnership program) Impact-investing partnership program (Living Cities Catalyst Team) that deploys blended capital into entrepreneurs, fund managers, and financial innovations advancing inclusive economic growth in U.S. cities; recognized on the ImpactAssets IA 50 list for 14 consecutive years.
Quantifiable outcome
- Blended Catalyst Fund successfully repaid in 2025 after 10 years of investing in entrepreneurs and fund managers driving inclusive economic growth
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Known
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Known technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Known partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ImpactAssetscoreKnown's Living Cities Catalyst Team has been recognized on ImpactAssets' IA 50 list for 14 consecutive years. ImpactAssets 50 is the definitive guide to impact investment fund managers globally, featuring 165 experienced and emerging managers with $130.6 billion combined AUM.
- Opal GroupminorKnown's Chief Strategy Officer Nathalie Molina Niño spoke at Opal's 2024 Family Office & Private Wealth Management Forum. Known regularly participates in Opal Group events as a thought leader in impact investing.
- SheMoneyminorKnown President Valerie Red-Horse Mohl and Chief Strategy Officer Nathalie Molina Niño spoke at SheMoney Summit 2024, a cultural movement for women's financial wellbeing, agency and advancement.
- Gratitude RailroadminorKnown President Valerie Red-Horse Mohl spoke at the 2023 Gratitude Investor Gathering. Demetric Duckett also participated in panel discussions alongside Gratitude Railroad representatives.
- Living CitiescoreLiving Cities and Known partnership through the Blended Catalyst Fund (BCF), launched in 2015. Known serves as sub-adviser to Living Cities Blended Catalyst Fund LLC and acts as general partner of the Living Cities Catalyst Fund III, Known LP. The partnership invested in entrepreneurs, fund managers, and financial innovations driving inclusive economic growth in U.S. cities. BCF celebrated its 10-year anniversary and successful repayment in 2025.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Known competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Allvue Systems: Allvue Systems provides investment management software for private equity, venture capital, and private debt fund managers, including fund accounting and reporting. It is a comparable fund operations platform competing for the same emerging-manager and fund-administrator customers as Built.
- iConnections: iConnections is a platform that connects fund managers with institutional allocators through data rooms, content, and meeting programs. It targets a similar capital-connection use case as Known's Built platform, especially for emerging managers seeking LP introductions.
- Sonen Capital: Sonen Capital is an impact investment advisor that works with foundations, families, and endowments to design and implement impact-aligned portfolios. It is comparable to Known's impact PE and foundation advisory focus, though smaller in scale.
Broad incumbents
- AQR Capital Management: AQR is a large, established quantitative asset manager applying systematic and research-driven strategies across asset classes. It is comparable to Known's Stratum subsidiary as a quant asset management firm, though at vastly different scale and breadth.
Direct peers
- Carta: Carta provides fund administration, cap table management, and investment infrastructure for venture capital and private equity fund managers. Its fund formation and operations tooling overlaps directly with what Known's Built platform aims to offer emerging managers.
- iCapital Network: iCapital is a financial technology platform that enables advisors and asset managers to access and manage alternative investments including private equity, private credit, and hedge funds. It directly competes with Known's Built FaaS platform in providing fund infrastructure and access for wealth managers and institutional investors.
- CAIS: CAIS is an alternative investment platform that connects advisors to private equity, private credit, and hedge funds through a digital marketplace with fund operations support. It is highly comparable to Known's Built FaaS offering and similarly targets financial professionals seeking streamlined access to alternatives.
- Addepar: Addepar provides portfolio management and analytics software for family offices, wealth managers, and institutional investors. While Known closed its private wealth business, the platform comparison is relevant for the institutional wealth and asset management functionality Known historically offered.
- AngelList: AngelList (now part of AngelList Venture / AngelList Rolling Funds) operates a roll-up fund management platform enabling emerging managers to launch and operate venture funds with back-office support. It is a direct competitor to Built's emerging-manager focus.
- Equilibrium Capital: Equilibrium Capital is an impact investment firm managing private equity funds in sustainable infrastructure and climate. It is highly comparable to Known's PE arm, sharing a focus on impact-aligned PE with institutional and family office LPs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Known social profiles
Digital presenceKnown financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Known leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Known subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Known funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Known M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Known
What does Known do?
Known is a private equity and financial services platform that builds, supports, and invests in businesses through its subsidiaries Built (a Fund-as-a-Service operator platform), Stratum (a quantitative asset management and research firm), and Known Private Equity (investments in high-growth, under-capitalized sectors). The firm focuses on impact investing, inclusive capital deployment, and providing fund infrastructure for emerging managers, family offices, foundations, and institutional investors.
Is Known a public or private company?
Known is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Known founded?
Known was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Known based?
Known is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Known make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Private Equity Management is the primary driver. The others are fund as a Service (Built), asset Management (Stratum) and private Wealth and Asset Management.
Who are Known's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Allvue Systems, iConnections and Sonen Capital. AQR Capital Management is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Carta, iCapital Network, CAIS, Addepar, AngelList and Equilibrium Capital.
Does Known have an API?
No public API is recorded for Known.
What industry is Known in?
Known's product category is Asset Management & Private Equity. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAALAG, Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure), with a secondary code of FSAEAMAE, Private Capital Introducers (PE/VC/Private Credit). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.