Standard General
Standard General is a private investment firm founded by Soo Kim that pursues large, complex situations in gaming and media. Following its February 2025 merger with Bally's and The Queen Casino, it holds a significant stake in a 19-casino U.S. gaming platform and is in discussions to invest in Warner Bros. Discovery's cable TV assets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1941
- HeadquartersCalgary, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Standard General does
Standard General is a private investment firm founded and led by Soo Kim that specializes in large, complex situations in regulated and structurally challenged industries, with a current focus on gaming and media. The firm's most consequential recent action is the February 2025 completion of merger transactions with Bally's Corporation and The Queen Casino & Entertainment, financed through senior secured notes, which positioned Standard General as a significant shareholder in Bally's and gave the platform 19 casinos across 11 U.S. states along with online sports betting and iCasino operations. As of December 2025, Standard General is in active discussions to invest in — or potentially buy — Warner Bros. Discovery's cable TV assets (including CNN), which are being spun off following an $83 billion sale of WBD's studio and streaming units; the firm has been positioned as a counter-bidder to Paramount's hostile takeover approach. Standard General's business model is that of a classic event-driven / special-situations fund: it deploys capital into undervalued, operationally complex assets, often takes a controlling or influential stake, and seeks to drive value through M&A, capital structure, and strategic repositioning. The firm is privately held, with Soo Kim as the controlling figure; no institutional backers or public listing are disclosed. The customer base for Standard General's services is institutional and high-net-worth limited partners whose capital funds these investments, and the firm does not appear to sell traditional productized services — its "revenue" is generated through management fees and performance economics on its invested capital.
Standard General firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Standard General
- Legal name
- Standard General
- Website
- https://standardgeneralcalgary.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1941
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Standard General is a private investment firm founded by Soo Kim that pursues large, complex situations in gaming and media. Following its February 2025 merger with Bally's and The Queen Casino, it holds a significant stake in a 19-casino U.S. gaming platform and is in discussions to invest in Warner Bros. Discovery's cable TV assets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Standard General industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investment Management
- akta.pro primary industry
- Equity Capital Introduction & Prime Services (FSACAFAK)
Keywords
Where Standard General is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Calgary
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Standard General business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others
Standard General product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Standard General is a private investment firm founded by Soo Kim that deploys capital into operating companies through equity stakes, merger transactions, and strategic investments. The firm completed merger transactions with Bally's Corporation and The Queen Casino & Entertainment in February 2025, resulting in a stake in a 19-casino gaming platform spanning 11 U.S. states, and was actively pursuing a potential investment in Warner Bros. Discovery's cable television assets in December 2025.
Product overview
Standard General is an investment firm. No specific products or services are described in the available source material.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Standard General
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Standard General technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Standard General partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Standard General competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cerberus Capital Management: Private investment firm known for special situations, distressed assets, and complex multi-party transactions with operational involvement. Closely comparable in approach to complex deals such as Standard General's Bally's three-way merger.
- Owl Creek Asset Management: Event-driven investment firm focused on special situations and corporate restructurings. Comparable in approaching complex situations across sectors with structured deal capabilities.
- Sandell Asset Management: Alternative investment manager with focus on special situations and activism across sectors. Comparable in multi-sector deployment and event-driven approach to complex situations.
- Davidson Kempner Capital Management: Alternative investment manager focused on event-driven and multi-strategy situations, including complex multi-counterparty transactions. Comparable in deal sophistication and willingness to engage in special situations.
- Brigade Capital Management: Alternative investment manager focused on distressed and event-driven situations. Comparable in structuring capability and appetite for complex credit and equity-linked transactions.
- Alden Global Capital: Investment firm with notable media and newspaper holdings. Highly relevant given Standard General's active pursuit of legacy media assets (WBD cable assets including CNN).
- Jana Partners: Activist investor focused on strategic events and special situations. Comparable in active engagement approach and willingness to take concentrated positions in pursuit of corporate change.
- Starboard Value: Activist investor with focus on strategic change at portfolio companies. Comparable in active engagement approach and willingness to take concentrated positions to influence outcomes.
- Elliott Investment Management: Activist investor and alternative asset manager with track record of large strategic deals and engagement in contested corporate control situations. Comparable in willingness to engage in hostile and contested deal environments such as the WBD situation.
- Apollo Global Management: Large global alternative investment firm engaged in complex leveraged transactions and special situations across sectors. Comparable to Standard General in deal scale, multi-sector exposure, and willingness to use structured financing such as senior secured notes.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Standard General social profiles
Digital presenceStandard General financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Standard General leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Standard General funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Standard General 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 Standard General
What does Standard General do?
Standard General is a private investment firm founded by Soo Kim that deploys capital into operating companies through equity stakes, merger transactions, and strategic investments. The firm completed merger transactions with Bally's Corporation and The Queen Casino & Entertainment in February 2025, resulting in a stake in a 19-casino gaming platform spanning 11 U.S. states, and was actively pursuing a potential investment in Warner Bros. Discovery's cable television assets in December 2025.
When was Standard General founded?
Standard General was founded in 1941. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Standard General based?
Standard General is headquartered in Calgary, Canada, in the North America region.
Who are Standard General's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cerberus Capital Management, Owl Creek Asset Management, Sandell Asset Management, Davidson Kempner Capital Management, Brigade Capital Management, Alden Global Capital, Jana Partners, Starboard Value, Elliott Investment Management and Apollo Global Management.
Does Standard General have an API?
No public API is recorded for Standard General.
What industry is Standard General in?
Standard General's product category is Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSACAFAK, Equity Capital Introduction & Prime Services.