What Ancient does

Ancient is a New York–based private investment firm founded by Alexander Klabin that partners with 'category-defining' specialty-finance and lifestyle-services businesses using a patient-capital model. It targets companies with proven unit economics, recurring customer dynamics, and heritage brand value — what Ancient calls 'Beautiful Businesses' — and provides strategic capital, operational expertise, and creative resources rather than pursuing rigid exit timelines. Current holdings include Ancient Financial (a strategic asset management and reinsurance holding company recently formed to acquire F&G Life Re Ltd., to be renamed Ancient Re Ltd., a Bermuda-based life and annuity reinsurer); Burgess (world's leading superyacht brokerage and management firm, acquired in November 2025); Solairus Aviation (private aircraft management); and Faherty (lifestyle apparel). The firm also concluded a 5-year partnership with Sotheby's Financial Services in early 2025, during which it grew SFS's loan portfolio by more than $1 billion, tripled profitability, and completed Wall Street's first art-loan securitization transaction, exiting via a prearranged sale to Sotheby's controlling shareholder.

The firm is led by Chairman & CEO Alexander Klabin, alongside CFO Alison Horowitz, Senior Managing Director & Chief Legal Officer Adam Ingber, Senior Managing Director Erich Schram (formerly Head of Insurance Portfolios at Blackstone Credit and CIO of Guggenheim Life and Annuity), Senior Managing Director and Head of Private Investing Loren Easton (previously a senior investor at American Securities), and Senior Advisor Richard Lyon. The senior team is deliberately built around credit, insurance, and specialty-finance expertise to support the firm's evolution from a traditional PE-style luxury-and-services investor into a more capital-intensive platform with regulated insurance assets. Ancient is privately held, backed by Ancient Management LP alongside a consortium of family offices and institutional investors, headquartered at 520 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan (with a recently expanded ~37,000 sqft footprint), and operates an additional Bermuda-based office through Ancient Re Ltd.

The business model combines conventional private equity economics (capital appreciation, management fees on committed capital, opportunistic exits such as the Sotheby's monetization) with new reinsurance/asset-management economics introduced by Ancient Financial. Go-to-market is relationship-driven rather than channel-marketed: deal flow is sourced through the founders' and partners' networks with family offices, institutional investors, and specialty operators, and partnerships are bespoke and negotiated directly. Ancient does not publicly disclose pricing, fee rates, or contract terms, consistent with its model of negotiated, long-term investment arrangements.

Name

Ancient

Legal name

Ancient Management LP

Website

https://ancient.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ancient is a New York–based private investment firm that provides patient capital and operational support to category-defining specialty-finance and luxury-services businesses, with current holdings in reinsurance (Ancient Re), superyachts (Burgess), private aviation (Solairus), and apparel (Faherty).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity and Specialty Finance Investment Management

NAICS

Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office–Backed ETA (FSANALAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG)

Keywords

• Private equity investment
• Specialty finance services
• Portfolio company management
• Asset-backed lending
• Strategic capital partnership

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ancient is a privately held investment firm that provides patient strategic capital, operational expertise, and creative resources to category-defining specialty finance and services businesses. It manages a portfolio of holdings including Ancient Financial (a reinsurance and asset management holding company anchored by Ancient Re Ltd.), Sotheby's Financial Services (art financing), Burgess (superyacht brokerage and management), Solairus Aviation (private aircraft management), and Faherty (lifestyle apparel). The firm targets family-owned and management-led businesses seeking long-term partnership without rigid exit horizons.

Product overview

Ancient is a specialty finance and services investment firm that operates a portfolio of category-defining businesses. The firm provides strategic capital, operational expertise, and creative resources to help companies accelerate growth. Core holdings include: Ancient Financial (strategic asset management and reinsurance holding company in the life and annuity sector); Sotheby's Financial Services (art financing); Burgess (superyacht brokerage and management); Solairus Aviation (private aircraft management); and Faherty (apparel brand). Ancient's approach combines sound investment strategies, the ability to scale responsibly and thoughtfully, and an approach to modernizing brands that is creative and culturally relevant.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ancient Financial Strategic asset management and reinsurance holding company focused on the life and annuity sector; anchored by Ancient Re Ltd. (Bermuda-based, acquired from F&G) with a forward-flow reinsurance agreement with F&G Annuities & Life, Inc.
• Sotheby's Financial Services Art financing services operated by Sotheby's, which Ancient guided to become one of the company's key growth pillars; includes Wall Street's first art-loan securitization transaction.
• Burgess World's leading superyacht brokerage and management firm partnered with Ancient to unlock global growth opportunities; investment supports technology enhancements, expanded talent, and greater service capabilities.
• Solairus Aviation Leading private aircraft management company in the United States; Ancient partnered to strengthen core operations and identify new strategic initiatives, and serves as Chairman of the company.
• Faherty Lifestyle apparel brand; Ancient helped fine-tune business model and growth strategy while preserving the strong family values at the heart of the company, with Ancient board involvement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sotheby's Financial Services loan portfolio increased by more than $1 billion
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• F&G Annuities & Life, Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 February 2026Simultaneous with the acquisition, F&G entered into a forward-flow reinsurance agreement with Ancient Re Ltd. This creates an ongoing business relationship between Ancient and F&G in the life and annuity reinsurance sector.
• BurgesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2025Strategic investment in Burgess, the world's preeminent superyacht company. The partnership aims to provide Burgess with resources and scale to accelerate its leadership position while maintaining independence and culture under existing senior leadership. Investment will support technology enhancements, expanded talent, and greater service capabilities for ultra-high-net-worth clients.
• Sotheby's Financial ServicesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 20255-year strategic partnership (2020-2025) focused on accelerating growth of Sotheby's Financial Services. Ancient guided SFS to become one of Sotheby's key growth pillars, including completing Wall Street's first art-loan securitization transaction. Ancient exited through prearranged sale of its interest to Sotheby's controlling shareholder. During the partnership, SFS's loan portfolio increased by more than $1 billion and profitability tripled.
• Solairus AviationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe leading private aircraft management company in the United States partnered with Ancient to strengthen core operations and identify and drive new strategic initiatives. Ancient serves as Chairman of Solairus Aviation.
• FahertycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifestyle apparel brand partnership. Ancient helped Faherty fine-tune its business model and growth strategy while maintaining the strong family values that shape the heart of the company. Ancient board member involvement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Aquiline Capital Partners: Private equity firm focused on specialty finance, insurance, and business services. Comparable to Ancient in targeting differentiated, often underbanked financial services and asset-backed niches (art, aviation, yacht).
• L Catterton: Consumer- and luxury-focused private equity firm that invests in category-defining lifestyle, beauty, and retail brands. Closely comparable to Ancient's holdings in Faherty (lifestyle apparel) and its specialty consumer brand thesis.
• TSG Consumer Partners: Consumer-focused growth private equity firm investing in premium and lifestyle brands. Comparable to Ancient's partnership approach with category-defining lifestyle brands like Faherty and its specialty consumer strategy.
• Stone Point Capital: Financial-services-focused private equity firm investing in specialty insurance, asset management, and wealth businesses. Highly comparable to Ancient's pivot into reinsurance via Ancient Financial and its track record in asset-backed specialty finance.
• Sandbridge Capital: Consumer and retail-focused private equity firm investing in founder-led, premium lifestyle brands. Comparable to Ancient's strategy of partnering with family- and founder-owned specialty consumer businesses.
• Tengram Capital Partners: Consumer-lifestyle-focused private equity firm backing differentiated, premium brands. Comparable to Ancient's patient-capital, brand-modernization approach with founder-led specialty consumer companies such as Faherty.
• Wynnchurch Capital: Middle-market private equity firm focused on specialty finance, business services, and industrial companies. Comparable to Ancient's specialty-finance-and-services investment focus.

Broad incumbents

• GTCR: Long-tenured private equity firm focused on growth-oriented businesses across financial services and consumer services. Comparable in partnering with management teams to build and scale specialty services platforms.
• Madison Dearborn Partners: Established private equity firm with diversified exposure to consumer, financial services, and specialty businesses. Comparable in its ability to partner long-term with founder-led, category-defining U.S. businesses.
• HPS Investment Partners: Large alternative investment firm with a significant specialty finance and asset-backed lending franchise. Comparable in its focus on credit-oriented, asset-backed specialty finance strategies similar to those Ancient is building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ancientco

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&A1 record

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Ancient