What Fort Greene Partners does

Fort Greene Partners (FGP) is a minority-owned investment advisory firm founded in 2009 by Richard A. Wayner in Brooklyn, New York. The firm advises minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) and Fortune 500 corporations on supplier diversity, strategic capital deployment, and emerging-market investment opportunities. Its services span strategic alternatives consulting, M&A advisory, fundraising support, market research, and white paper development, with the proprietary 'American Emerging Markets' framework positioning demographic shifts and capital inefficiencies in underserved markets as the firm's core thematic lens.

FGP operates with a small team of 1-10 professionals anchored by founder/Managing Partner Richard A. Wayner (former Goldman Sachs M&A banker and original member of Goldman Sachs' Urban Investment Group), Operating Partner Keith Clinkscales, and an Advisory Group that includes Stanford GSB Professor Sarah A. Soule, former Goldman Sachs Global M&A Co-chairman Timothy J. Ingrassia, and former Carlyle Principal Nigel W. Jones. Notable advisory mandates include Goldman Sachs (MWBE investment sourcing, 2018), TIAA-CREF (MWBE research), Genesis Companies (affordable housing in NY/NJ, ongoing since 2018), FIS Group (Piedmont Investment Advisors acquisition), Beneficial Life (minority stake sale to RMA Watanya), and Obsidianworks (partnership with Endeavor's 160over90).

The firm has two revenue streams: (1) advisory and consulting fees for strategic consulting, M&A advisory, and investment banking services, and (2) an announced but not-yet-closed intent to raise $500 million in equity capital to acquire and grow scalable diversity-driven companies serving American Emerging Markets. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are negotiated on a per-deal basis with multi-year contract cadences typical for institutional clients. In November 2023, FGP partnered with Savanna Investment Management to present workforce housing investment opportunities, including a 264-unit multifamily project in West Palm Beach, Florida, signaling geographic and product-line expansion into Southeast US real estate.

Name

Fort Greene Partners

Legal name

Fort Greene Partners LLC

Website

https://fortgreenepartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fort Greene Partners is a minority-owned investment advisory firm founded in 2009 that advises MWBEs and Fortune 500 corporations on supplier diversity, strategic capital, and American Emerging Markets investments. It operates a small advisory team with planned expansion into $500M fund management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

MWBE Investment Advisory Services

NAICS

Other Financial Vehicles (52599)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI), Emerging Managers / Seeding Platforms (FSAHAKAI), Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)

Keywords

• MWBE advisory services
• Supplier diversity consulting
• Minority business investment
• Emerging markets investing
• Strategic capital advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Consulting Services: FGP generates revenue through advisory fees for strategic consulting, M&A advisory, and investment banking services. Services include advising on strategic alternatives, fundraising support, market research, white paper development, and transaction facilitation for MWBEs and emerging market investments.
2. Investment Management / Capital Deployment: FGP intends to raise $500 million in equity to acquire and grow scalable diversity-driven companies, generating returns through equity investments in American Emerging Markets, minority-owned businesses, and workforce housing developments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fort Greene Partners is a minority-owned investment and advisory firm that provides strategic advisory, M&A advisory, fundraising support, and market research services to Fortune 500 companies, institutional investors, and minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs). The firm also plans to raise $500 million in equity to acquire and grow scalable diversity-driven companies in American Emerging Markets (AEMs). Services focus on connecting MWBEs with strategic capital, advising on transactions, and helping institutional clients identify MWBE investment opportunities.

Product overview

Fort Greene Partners (FGP) is a minority-owned investment and advisory firm specializing in American Emerging Markets and Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs). The firm provides strategic advisory services, capital deployment consulting, and investment opportunity facilitation to connect MWBEs with growth capital and institutional investors. Services include strategic alternatives consulting, deal sourcing and structuring, fundraising advisory, and investment research focused on diversity-driven companies serving fast-growing ethnic markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Advisory for Fortune 500 Supplier Diversity Advisory services to Fortune 500 corporations seeking to identify, vet, and invest in proven minority-owned suppliers and MWBEs to expand their supplier diversity programs and align with demographic shifts in U.S. emerging markets.
• M&A Advisory for MWBEs
• Fundraising and Capital Sourcing Advisory
• Market Research and White Papers Custom research, market sizing, and white paper development services for institutional investors and corporations on MWBE investment opportunities, including the TIAA-CREF $681 billion market opportunity report.
• American Emerging Markets (AEM) Equity Fund Planned $500 million equity fund to acquire and grow scalable diversity-driven companies in American Emerging Markets (AEMs), minority-owned businesses, and workforce housing developments such as the West Palm Beach multifamily project with Savanna Investment Management.
• Workforce Housing Investment Opportunities Sourcing and structuring of workforce housing investment opportunities through the Urban Investing Fund, including a 264-unit multifamily residential development in West Palm Beach in partnership with Savanna Investment Management.

Quantifiable outcome

• $681 billion market opportunity identified for MWBE investments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ObsidianworksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2021FGP advised Michael B. Jordan's Black-owned and led marketing agency Obsidianworks in its partnership with Endeavor's 160over90. Obsidianworks provides cultural marketing and brand strategy services.
• 160over90 (Endeavor)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2021160over90, Endeavor's cultural marketing agency, made a strategic investment in and partnership with Obsidianworks. FGP advised Obsidianworks in this transaction.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Vistria Group: Chicago-based private equity firm with a stated mission of investing in companies that deliver social impact alongside financial returns. Comparable to FGP in targeting underserved markets and minority-owned businesses, but operating at much larger fund scale.
• Ariel Investments: Minority-owned asset management firm founded by John Rogers Jr. with a long-standing focus on diversity and community impact. Comparable to FGP in MWBE ownership and institutional client focus, though concentrated in public markets rather than emerging markets advisory.
• Loop Capital Markets: Minority-owned investment bank and advisory firm providing capital markets, M&A, and equity research. Directly comparable to FGP in serving corporate and institutional clients with diversity-certified advisory expertise.
• Fairview Capital: Investment management firm focused on DEI-led strategies across private equity, venture capital, and fixed income. Closely comparable to FGP in MWBE- and emerging-manager-focused fund-of-funds and direct investment mandate.
• Siebert Williams Shank & Co. MWBE-owned full-service investment bank and advisory firm. Directly comparable to FGP in serving Fortune 500 and minority-owned businesses with capital markets advisory, M&A, and debt financing — though at significantly larger scale.
• ICV Partners: Minority-owned private equity firm investing in lower-middle-market consumer, business, and healthcare services companies. Comparable to FGP in targeting minority-led businesses and deploying growth capital, with longer fund-management track record.

Broad incumbents

• Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group: Goldman Sachs impact-investing arm that has committed over $9.1 billion to underserved communities since 2000. Comparable to FGP in serving as a precedent and direct counterparty in MWBE investment sourcing — a major institutional player in the same thesis.
• Robert W. Baird & Co. Large, diversified employee-owned investment bank and wealth manager. Comparable to FGP in providing M&A advisory and capital-raising services to mid-market and Fortune 500 clients, though with vastly broader product breadth and geographic coverage.

Emerging players

• TruFund Financial Services: Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) providing capital to underserved small businesses and communities. Comparable to FGP in mission alignment with MWBE and emerging-market investing, and as a transaction counterparty via the Genesis Companies investment.
• Calvert Impact Capital: Nonprofit impact investing firm focused on community development, affordable housing, and underserved markets. Comparable to FGP in impact-first capital deployment to underserved U.S. markets, including workforce and affordable housing adjacent to FGP's Genesis/Savanna strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fort Greene Partners