The firm has backed companies including CoreWeave, SpaceX, Anthropic, Figma, Airtable and Rippling. — Bloomberg
MIAMI: Goanna Capital has begun discussing raising a combined US$1.3bil for a new fund and a co-investment platform through which investors could back sought-after companies including SpaceX, Figma, Anthropic and CoreWeave, according to a source.
West Palm Beach, Florida-based Goanna, led by founder Robert Hilmer, aims to deploy the capital over three years, said the person.
Before founding Goanna in 2020, Hilmer held roles at Coatue Management, Equidate, now known as Forge Global and Goldman Sachs Group Inc, his LinkedIn profile showed.
In addition to discussions with institutional investors, including family offices, Goanna has held talks with certain Wall Street banks about raising capital through their private wealth platforms, though no decisions have been made, the person said.
The firm is targeting US$300mil for the fund and US$1bil for the co-investment platform, on which Goanna is likely to waive management fees for large investors, and to offer discounted performance fees, or carry, the person said. A Goanna representative declined to comment.
The firm plans to structure each deal on the Goanna Global Tech Leaders Investment Platform as a standalone special purpose vehicle, and participants will have discretion over each transaction.
The company also plans to get exposure to in-demand startups through primary funding rounds or secondaries, which may involve tender offers or so-called strip sales, the person said.
Goanna Capital manages around US$500mil in assets through existing funds and co-investment vehicles, the person familiar with the matter said.
According to its website, the firm has backed companies including CoreWeave, SpaceX, Anthropic, Figma, Airtable and Rippling, and has exited positions in Toast, Robinhood, Marqeta and Instacart. — Bloomberg
