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Columbus Nova
Andrew Intrater leads Columbus Nova, a private equity and multi-family office investing family-derived capital across buyouts, venture, and real estate.
Columbus Nova
Columbus Nova was established in 2000 by Andrew Intrater, whose affiliation with the Renova Group and its principal Viktor Vekselberg placed the firm at the intersection of family capital management and institutional private equity. It operates as a multi-family office and asset manager, deploying capital from a core group of high-net-worth backers rather than a single family balance sheet. The firm invests across a deliberately diverse asset mix, spanning control-oriented private equity, venture capital, real estate, and structured credit. It targets enterprise software, industrial technology, and media — often acquiring majority stakes in companies with complex ownership or corporate carve-out dynamics. Its venture practice has written early checks into companies like DataRobot, and its real assets arm has held significant interests in Manhattan commercial properties. The geographic footprint concentrates on North America, with a secondary focus on select European industrial companies. Columbus Nova maintains offices in New York, Birmingham, Michigan, and two Bay Area locations, reflecting a dual-coast operational footprint. The firm does not publicly disclose total assets under management or headcount. While Columbus Nova historically managed capital linked to Vekselberg, its structure allows it to operate independently as an institutional manager with a diversified family office client base. Sanctions-related events involving Vekselberg entities in 2018 and 2022 have reshaped its public profile, though the firm itself has not been designated. Its hybrid structure — a multi-family office that invests alongside external limited partners in commingled funds and direct co-investment vehicles — distinguishes it from most single-family offices. This model allows Columbus Nova to scale deal size beyond what a typical family office balance sheet would support, while retaining the permanent capital advantages and long-duration hold periods that family-affiliated capital provides.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
2000
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Additional offices
Birmingham, MI · San Francisco, CA · Santa Clara, CA
Principals
Andrew Intrater
Chief Executive Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who controls investment decisions at Columbus Nova?
Andrew Intrater serves as CEO and makes final investment decisions, overseeing a team spread across New York, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Birmingham, Michigan. The firm does not publicly detail its investment committee structure. Decisions appear concentrated rather than diffused across a large partnership.
How does Columbus Nova source its deals?
The firm sources through a blend of corporate carve-outs, direct family office network introductions, and venture scout relationships in the Bay Area. Its presence in Santa Clara and San Francisco supports proprietary access to early-stage enterprise software companies. For control buyouts, it cultivates relationships with corporate sellers and special situations advisors.
Is Columbus Nova a single family office or an asset manager?
It operates as a hybrid. Columbus Nova manages capital for a small group of high-net-worth families rather than a single family, which classifies it as a multi-family office. However, it also manages commingled private equity funds and direct co-investment vehicles, functioning as a registered asset manager alongside its family office activities.
What is the relationship between Columbus Nova and Viktor Vekselberg?
Viktor Vekselberg is the principal of the Renova Group, whose capital Columbus Nova historically managed through its CEO Andrew Intrater, a long-time associate of Vekselberg. Vekselberg was sanctioned by the US Treasury in April 2018 and again in March 2022. Columbus Nova itself has not been sanctioned, and its current client mix is not publicly disclosed.
Does Columbus Nova invest in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Primarily direct deals. The firm executes control buyouts in industrial and media sectors and makes direct venture investments in enterprise software. There is no public evidence of Columbus Nova acting as a significant limited partner in third-party private equity or venture funds; it concentrates capital in its own direct vehicles.
What sectors does Columbus Nova consistently avoid?
The firm has no publicly disclosed investments in fossil fuel extraction, defense contracting, or biotech, and appears to avoid heavily regulated industries like banking and insurance. Its portfolio clusters around technology, media, industrials, and real estate, with no record of consumer-facing mobile apps or hyperscale e-commerce plays.
What is Columbus Nova's posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
The firm invites co-investment from other family offices and institutional limited partners into its own vehicles. It does not appear to frequently co-invest as a minority participant alongside larger private equity sponsors; its model favors leading or syndicating its own transactions.
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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