Colvest Holdings

Colvest Holdings

Colvest Holdings was formed in Montreal by Mitch Garber following the landmark 2017 sale of Caesars Interactive Entertainment's social and mobile gaming division to a Chinese consortium for $4.4 billion. Garber had previously served as CEO of Caesars Acquisition Company and chaired Cirque du Soleil, building a network that spans casino licensing, entertainment operations, and institutional finance. The firm functions as the primary investment arm for Garber's post-exit capital, though it has also attracted co-investment from Canadian family offices and institutional partners on select transactions. The firm's strategy centers on structured real estate credit and private debt, with an emphasis on US middle-market commercial real estate and special situations lending. Colvest provides bridge financing, mezzanine debt, and preferred equity to operators and developers across multifamily, hospitality, and industrial assets. Beyond real estate, the firm has deployed capital into direct lending platforms and FinTech ventures. Observed investment activity includes involvement with mortgage origination and servicing entities, aligning with a thesis that connects Canadian LP capital to yield-generating US credit instruments. Geographically, the firm concentrates on US Sunbelt and Northeast markets while maintaining deal origination capabilities in both Montreal and New York. Colvest operates with a lean team, drawing on Garber's relationships across gaming, real estate, and Canadian institutional circles. The firm does not publicly disclose its headcount or total AUM. In 2023, Garber expanded the firm's profile through board appointments and public commentary on private credit markets, reinforcing a posture of opportunistic deployment rather than blind-pool fund management. Adjacent to Colvest, Garber maintains active board roles — including at Rackspace Technology — but the family office itself remains the core vehicle for Garber's principal investments. Colvest is distinguished by its founder's regulatory and operational profile. Garber holds gaming licenses in multiple US jurisdictions — an uncommon credential for a family office principal — which gives Colvest unique sourcing access to casino-anchored real estate and hospitality credit deals that many institutional lenders avoid due to regulatory complexity. This niche, combined with a cross-border Canadian-US capital structure, yields a deal pipeline that competing private credit funds rarely replicate.