R. Adam Smith
R. Adam Smith is an experienced investor in, advisor to, and builder of, tens of startup, venture and private equity-backed companies in the U.S., and abroad, since the mid-1990s. Adam is an expert in the branded space with a focus on all matters related to the consumer, including luxury, accessories, retail, apparel, beauty, art and design, digital & media, food & beverages, wellness, and real estate and wealth management.
Through private equity partnerships he has led and/or sponsored since 2002, Adam has invested in over a dozen privately-held companies (including seven acquisitions) with a combined $600 million in sales and over $250 million of contributed equity invested capital, and forming and serving on the Board of Directors, or Advisory Boards, of each.
In 2002, Adam founded Circle Peak Capital LLC, a private investment merchant banking partnership based in NYC he still manages today and which has served tens of limited partners with over $50 million of invested capital. Earlier, Adam served as a principal at two leading private equity firms based in New York City, Caxton-Iseman Capital, an affiliate of Caxton Associates, one of the world’s legendary alternative investment organizations (founded 1993), and Castle Harlan, Inc. (founded 1987) each holding over $2 billion in aggregate managed equity capital. Adam was also the first employee of, and instrumental in the success of, a global emerging markets (half a billion) dollar hedge fund formed in 1996, Columbus Advisors LLC, founded by the heads of Merrill Lynch emerging markets.
Adam started his career on Wall Street in 1993, holding positions at top firms including Salomon Brothers Inc., J.P. Morgan, and Lehman Brothers Inc. After Salomon Brothers, Adam earned an MBA in 1998 with high honors (Beta Gamma Sigma) from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University (CBSGSB), and a BA cum laude in International Relations and Economics from Boston University. Adam is an active alumnus of CBSGSB, and is a founding board member of the CBSGSB Private Equity Advisory Board, and a founder in 1996 of the school’s now legendary Investment Management Conference.
In addition to his role as Founder and CEO of his three primary holdings, Circle Peak Capital LLC, Big Sky Partners LLC, and Family Office Private Advisors LLC, Adam is involved in several companies, including a special advisor to Rocket Dog Holdings LLC (since 2006), Stride Capital LLC (since 2010), and – having been recently appointed to the Advisory Board – the NY Tech Fashion Lab, a collaboration with the Partnership Fund for New York City and leading fashion organizations.
Adam is married with two boys, and is active in the arts, design, and is an avid collector. Adam has been a host, patron and / or sponsor of numerous arts related events including the International Fine Art and Antique Show, Weill Carnegie Recital Hall, The Avenue Show, and has been an amateur classical pianist since the age of 5. Adam is an active philanthropist, having led or supported campaigns involving several million dollars, as a founder and supporter of cancer Leukemia Fighters at Weill Cornell College, and recently joined the Board of Directors of National Sawdust (originally, Original Music Workshop) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and previously, advised the Museum of Arts and Design, and the Tanenbaum Center.
Social Media:
Website - bigskypartners.net
Twitter - @rasvintage