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Clarity Partners
Barry Porter's Clarity Partners runs a generalist PE platform out of Los Angeles, owning stakes in live entertainment, telecom, and natural resources.
Clarity Partners
Clarity Partners operates out of a single Wilshire Boulevard office in Los Angeles with an eight-person investment team led by co-founders Barry Porter, David Lee, and Stephen Rader. All three serve as Managing General Partners. The firm's website lists a compact senior bench that includes a General Partner/CFO — W. Jack Kessler, Jr. — rather than a separate institutional CFO, suggesting a lean operating model where deal leads also carry portfolio oversight and finance responsibilities. The firm pursues a generalist buyout and growth-equity strategy spanning four sectors: media, telecom, business services, and resources. Current and former portfolio companies illustrate the breadth. On the media side, Clarity Partners backed motion-picture exhibitor Vue and cable network Oxygen, along with out-of-home advertising platform Buytime Media in China. In telecom, confirmed positions include wireless operators MetroPCS and PrimeCo, wireline provider TPx, and optical-network company Opnext. Resource bets have included copper miner Skye Mineral Partners, silver producer International Silver, and oil-and-gas entity Vaca Energy. Live entertainment is an equally active lane — current portfolio asset BASE Entertainment produces and owns interests in Las Vegas shows including Jersey Boys and Absinthe, and programs venues at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and through a joint venture with Globo Organizations in Brazil. Beyond the three founders, the firm lists General Partners Joshua L. Gutfreund and Clinton W. Walker, plus Managing Director Mark Swaine. No additional offices appear on the firm's materials. The website does not disclose a total AUM figure or the size of its most recent fund. Its current portfolio company BASE Entertainment is held across Clarity Partners L.P. and Clarity Partners II L.P., confirming at least two flagship fund vehicles. No recent operational event within the last 24 months could be verified from public sources. Clarity Partners stands apart from many institutional private equity platforms in both structure and communications posture. There is no fund-performance data, no press release archive, and no investor-relations portal — only a static company overview and a portfolio page that mixes current and historical holdings without demarcation. This quiet, generalist approach contrasts with peers that specialize narrowly or market to limited partners on a predictable fundraising calendar. The firm's portfolio — combining a macro copper bet, a Chinese out-of-home advertising roll-up, a Las Vegas theater operator, and wireless carrier investments — reflects conviction-led deployment rather than sector-thesis checklist investing.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Los Angeles
Corporate office
11601 Wilshire Blvd - Suite 1600, Los Angeles, CA 90025-0317, United States
Principals
Barry Porter
Co-founder and Managing General Partner
Dr. David Lee
Co-founder and Managing General Partner
Stephen P. Rader
Co-founder and Managing General Partner
Joshua L. Gutfreund
General Partner
Clinton W. Walker
General Partner
Mark Swaine
Managing Director
W. Jack Kessler, Jr.
General Partner/CFO
Andrea Caoile
Controller
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Clarity Partners?
The three co-founding Managing General Partners — Barry Porter, David Lee, and Stephen Rader — collectively lead the firm's investment decisions. Joshua L. Gutfreund and Clinton W. Walker serve as additional General Partners, and Mark Swaine holds the title of Managing Director. The firm's website does not detail a separate investment committee structure.
How is Clarity Partners structured — does it raise discrete funds or invest on a deal-by-deal basis?
The firm has raised at least two commingled fund vehicles: Clarity Partners L.P. and Clarity Partners II L.P. Both are referenced as current or former fund-level shareholders in portfolio company descriptions, such as BASE Entertainment. The firm does not disclose fund sizes or vintage years.
What investment stages does Clarity Partners typically target?
Altss research indicates the firm targets buyout, growth, expansion, late-stage, and recapitalization investments. The portfolio confirms a mix of control positions in mid-market operating companies — including wireless carriers and mining assets — alongside growth-oriented bets such as the Chinese out-of-home advertising platform Buytime Media.
Which sectors does Clarity Partners invest in?
The firm operates across four primary verticals: media (motion picture exhibition, cable programming, live entertainment), telecom (wireless and wireline services, optical networks), business services (IP video surveillance, supply chain logistics), and resources (copper, silver, oil and gas). There is no stated allocation target per sector.
Does Clarity Partners co-invest alongside other institutional investors?
The firm's portfolio includes joint ventures with other large strategic partners. For example, BASE Entertainment's Brazilian operations are structured through a joint venture with Geo Eventos, a unit of Globo Organizations. This suggests the firm is willing to partner with corporate strategic investors rather than operating solely as an independent financial sponsor.
What are Clarity Partners' known exits?
The firm's website does not separate current from fully realized investments, but former portfolio companies include wireless operator MetroPCS — which merged with T-Mobile in 2013 — and cable network Oxygen, acquired by NBCUniversal in 2007. The site lists Out-of-home advertising company Buytime Media and telecom infrastructure provider Comstellar as prior investments.
Does Clarity Partners have an office outside the United States?
No. The firm operates exclusively from its single headquarters at 11601 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. Portfolio companies, including Buytime Media in China and BASE Entertainment in Singapore and Brazil, are managed remotely or through local operating partners.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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