Davidson Kempner
Davidson Kempner Capital Management is a privately-held global investment firm managing approximately $35-37 billion in AUM across multi-strategy hedge funds, private credit, and real-asset platforms, serving institutional limited partners and corporate counterparties through eight offices worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Davidson Kempner does
Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP is a privately-held, Delaware-domiciled global investment management firm founded in 1983 by Marvin H. Davidson (with Thomas L. Kempner Jr. joining in 1984), now led by Managing Partner and CIO Tony Yoseloff. The firm manages approximately $35-37 billion in assets under management across a multi-strategy hedge fund, closed-end opportunistic and private credit vehicles (including the $3.0B Opportunities Fund VI and the $1.1B+ DK Income Fund II), and specialized platforms spanning commercial aviation (Ashland Place Finance), food manufacturing (Glacier/YSCO), energy transition (Thaleia), renewables development (Greencells), and operating-partner-led real-asset control investments (DK Hawthorne). Its core technology is a global credit and event-driven investment platform supported by dedicated Investment Research, Quantitative Research, and Knowledge Management teams, with execution distributed across eight offices (New York, Philadelphia, London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Mumbai, Abu Dhabi). Davidson Kempner generates revenue primarily through a traditional 2-and-20 hedge fund fee structure — management fees on AUM plus performance fees on fund profits — alongside management and performance fees on closed-end credit and opportunistic vehicles. The firm serves two primary client sets: institutional limited partners (pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, family offices, and increasingly wealth advisors via the CAIS platform) for fund capital, and corporate borrowers, banks, and sellers of NPL/mortgage portfolios (e.g., ADCB, UCI) for direct lending, restructuring, and special situations mandates. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales to institutions, augmented by conference presence, research-driven thought leadership, and platform partnerships, with no public pricing or revenue disclosures.
Davidson Kempner firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Davidson Kempner
- Legal name
- Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP
- Website
- https://www.davidsonkempner.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Davidson Kempner Capital Management is a privately-held global investment firm managing approximately $35-37 billion in AUM across multi-strategy hedge funds, private credit, and real-asset platforms, serving institutional limited partners and corporate counterparties through eight offices worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Davidson Kempner industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hedge Fund Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Asset-Backed Securities (6189)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund of Funds (FSAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Real Estate Portfolio & Fund Management (Institutional/REIT/PE) (BPAJAMAJ), Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)
Keywords
Where Davidson Kempner is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Davidson Kempner business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Hedge Fund Management: Traditional 2-and-20 fee structure common for multi-strategy hedge funds, generating revenue through management fees on assets under management and performance fees (carry) on profits
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Davidson Kempner product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Davidson Kempner Capital Management is a global institutional investment management firm that manages multi-strategy hedge funds, closed-end private credit funds (including the DK Income Fund series), and specialized investment platforms spanning corporate credit, structured products, real estate, and event-driven strategies. The firm manages approximately $35-37 billion in assets under management and serves institutional investors including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, and family offices. Core activities include multi-strategy hedge fund management, opportunistic and asset-backed private credit, direct lending, structured credit, and distressed debt investments across eight global offices.
Product overview
Davidson Kempner is a global investment management firm offering a multi-strategy hedge fund as its core product, supplemented by closed-end private credit funds including the DK Income Fund series (asset-backed lending across residential, corporate, specialty finance and hard assets), specialized platforms like Ashland Place Finance (aviation), Glacier (ice cream manufacturing), and Thaleia (energy transition), plus operating partner affiliate DK Hawthorne. The firm manages approximately $35-37 billion in assets under management across multiple strategies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ashland Place Finance: Commercial aviation financing platform providing innovative capital solutions to the global commercial aerospace industry
- Glacier
- Thaleia
- YSCO
- DK Hawthorne
Products and services
- Davidson Kempner Multi-Strategy Fund
- DK Income Fund II
- DK Income Fund I
- Ashland Place Finance
- Glacier Ice Cream Investments Platform
- Thaleia Energy Transition Platform
- Insurance Asset Management Platform
- Davidson Kempner Opportunities Fund VI
Companies that use Davidson Kempner
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Davidson Kempner technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Davidson Kempner partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EDPcorePartnership for renewable power supply to Start Campus's 1.2 GW data center in Sines, Portugal. EDP serves as preferred long-term partner for sustainable power solutions.
- Gordon BrotherscoreJoint venture for equipment finance, combining Gordon Brothers' asset expertise with Davidson Kempner's capital. Gordon Brothers provided $1.5 billion of the $2.3 billion facility in a joint venture with Wells Fargo and Davidson Kempner.
- Wells FargominorEquipment finance joint venture with Gordon Brothers and Davidson Kempner, with Wells Fargo participating as part of the $2.3 billion facility structure.
- Afendis Capital ManagementcoreOperating partner for YSCO ice cream acquisition and Glacier ice cream investments platform. Afendis brings operational expertise to food and beverage investments alongside Davidson Kempner's capital.
- Seapoint CapitalminorAppointed as Special Servicer for the ADCB non-performing loan portfolio acquisition.
- Reviva CapitalminorAppointed as Loan Servicer for the ADCB non-performing loan portfolio acquisition.
- HighgatecoreOperating partner in consortium acquisition of ECS Capital, providing hospitality real estate expertise. Highgate has over $20 billion of assets under management and operates over 500 hotels.
- KronosminorOperating partner in ECS Capital acquisition, bringing Iberian real estate development and asset management expertise with over €2.0 billion in assets managed.
- CAIScorePartnership to provide access to Davidson Kempner's alternative investment strategies via the CAIS Platform for independent financial advisors and wealth management community.
- Jennifer Villa TennityminorLeadership hire for Ashland Place commercial aviation financing platform, with nearly 25 years of experience from CIT's Aviation Lending business.
- Ashland Place FinancecoreWholly-owned subsidiary platform for commercial aviation financing, providing sourcing and loan arrangements to the global commercial aerospace industry.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights8 records
Davidson Kempner competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fortress Investment Group: Multi-strategy alternative asset manager with a heavy credit, distressed, and special situations focus (private equity, credit, real estate, and permanent capital vehicles). Highly comparable to DK given overlap in event-driven credit, structured products, and operating-partner style deal making; Fortress and DK are co-investors in Bourbon.
- Oaktree Capital Management: Premier credit-focused alternative investment manager with flagship distressed debt, private credit, real estate, and listed equities strategies. Closely comparable to DK given overlapping opportunistic credit and distressed debt expertise and similar institutional LP base; Oaktree is part of the broader Brookfield ecosystem.
- Cerberus Capital Management: Multi-strategy alternative manager specializing in distressed debt, special situations, and private equity with deep operational involvement in portfolio companies. Comparable to DK's distressed credit and operating-partner approach (DK Hawthorne) and similar institutional client base.
- Marathon Asset Management: Credit-focused alternative investment manager with strategies spanning corporate credit, distressed, structured credit, and real estate. Closely comparable to DK given shared focus on opportunistic credit, asset-backed lending, and structured products across global markets.
- GoldenTree Asset Management: Credit-focused alternative asset manager with strategies across high yield, distressed, structured credit, and private credit. Comparable to DK in multi-strategy credit orientation, institutional client base, and global footprint.
- Farallon Capital Management: Multi-strategy hedge fund manager investing across credit, equities, event-driven, and real estate globally. Closely comparable to DK's flagship multi-strategy approach and institutional LP base, with a similar San Francisco-headquartered boutique structure.
- Centerbridge Partners: Multi-strategy alternative investment firm focused on distressed credit, special situations, and private equity. Comparable to DK given shared focus on event-driven credit, distressed debt, and active ownership of operating companies through complex situations.
- Mudrick Capital Management: Distressed credit and special situations investor with flagship credit fund plus opportunistic credit strategies. Comparable to DK given focus on event-driven and distressed opportunities, structured credit exposure, and similar institutional client base.
- Baupost Group: Multi-strategy value-oriented investment manager combining public and private credit and equity. Comparable to DK given multi-strategy mandate, value orientation, similar AUM scale (~$25-30B), and similar institutional client base.
Broad incumbents
- Apollo Global Management: Largest publicly traded alternative asset manager with massive private credit, real estate, and private equity franchises. Comparable to DK as a broad incumbent in the same alternatives universe with overlapping credit, real estate, and structured products strategies, but materially larger and publicly traded.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Davidson Kempner social profiles
Digital presenceDavidson Kempner compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Davidson Kempner financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Davidson Kempner leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Davidson Kempner subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries10 records
Davidson Kempner funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Davidson Kempner M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments24 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Davidson Kempner
What does Davidson Kempner do?
Davidson Kempner Capital Management is a global institutional investment management firm that manages multi-strategy hedge funds, closed-end private credit funds (including the DK Income Fund series), and specialized investment platforms spanning corporate credit, structured products, real estate, and event-driven strategies. The firm manages approximately $35-37 billion in assets under management and serves institutional investors including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, and family offices. Core activities include multi-strategy hedge fund management, opportunistic and asset-backed private credit, direct lending, structured credit, and distressed debt investments across eight global offices.
Is Davidson Kempner a public or private company?
Davidson Kempner is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Davidson Kempner founded?
Davidson Kempner was founded in 1983. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Davidson Kempner based?
Davidson Kempner is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Davidson Kempner make money?
One revenue line is on record: hedge Fund Management.
Who are Davidson Kempner's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fortress Investment Group, Oaktree Capital Management, Cerberus Capital Management, Marathon Asset Management, GoldenTree Asset Management, Farallon Capital Management, Centerbridge Partners, Mudrick Capital Management and Baupost Group. Apollo Global Management is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Davidson Kempner have an API?
No public API is recorded for Davidson Kempner.
What industry is Davidson Kempner in?
Davidson Kempner's product category is Hedge Fund Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAHAKAA, Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund of Funds, with a secondary code of BPAJAMAJ, Real Estate Portfolio & Fund Management (Institutional/REIT/PE). Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.