Colony Capital

No. Colony Capital rebranded to DigitalBridge in 2019 after selling its legacy real estate and credit businesses. The surviving entity is a digital infrastructure investment manager with no connection to the firm's original distressed real estate strategy. Any reference to 'Colony Capital' as an active fund manager is historical.

Thomas J. Barrack Jr. founded Colony Capital in 1991. The firm initially acquired pools of distressed real estate loans from the Resolution Trust Corporation, the US government entity created to resolve the S&L crisis. It expanded into international property, hospitality, and private credit, relying heavily on Barrack's relationships in the Middle East for capital.

Colony listed on the NYSE in 2009, operating as a publicly traded partnership and later a REIT for tax purposes. This permanent capital vehicle gave it a fixed pool of equity unlike the closed-end fund structures typical of private equity real estate firms. The public listing also imposed quarterly reporting and mark-to-market discipline that private funds avoid.

Tom Barrack stepped away from active management in 2016. New leadership including Marc Ganzi redirected the firm's entire portfolio into digital infrastructure — data centers, fiber networks, and cell towers — selling or winding down the legacy real estate credit and property businesses. The shift was completed in 2019 with a name change to DigitalBridge.

Yes. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia provided early backing, and various Gulf state entities invested alongside Colony in major deals over the years. These relationships were central to the firm's ability to underwrite large, complex transactions globally.