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C.V. Starr
Cornelius Vander Starr founded C.V. Starr in Shanghai in 1919 as an insurance agency before it evolved into the American International Group (AIG).
C.V. Starr
Cornelius Vander Starr founded C.V. Starr in Shanghai in 1919 as an insurance agency before it evolved into the American International Group (AIG). After AIG went public, Hank Greenberg built the privately held C.V. Starr into a global specialty insurer while leading AIG. Control now resides with the Greenberg family, and in 2025, Jeffrey W. Greenberg and L. Scott Greenberg stepped into co-leadership roles, formalizing the multi-generational succession. C.V. Starr operates as a specialty-lines carrier with $12.4B in gross written premium and $43.9B in total assets. Its property and casualty book spans Aviation & Aerospace, Construction, Marine, Energy, and Financial Lines. The firm runs ten rated insurance carriers, including Starr Indemnity & Liability, Starr Surplus Lines, Starr Europe Insurance, Starr International Insurance (Singapore), and Starr Syndicate Limited at Lloyd's of London. Investment activity flows through Starr Investment Holdings, a multi-billion-dollar captive adviser that deploys insurance float into direct private equity, real assets, and minority partnerships. Confirmed investments include ownership of 399 Park Avenue in New York City and a sponsorship agreement with the New York Yankees that places the firm's logo on the team's jersey. The firm also holds exposure to SPDR Gold Trust. C.V. Starr conducts business through a network of rated balance-sheet entities across North America, Europe, and Asia. Total shareholders' equity stands at $14.9B. The firm does not publicly disclose headcount. In 2025, Jeffrey and L. Scott Greenberg formalized their co-leadership roles, taking over from their father and signaling the next generation's operational control. Adjacent activities include The Starr Foundation, a major philanthropic vehicle, and curatorial assets such as the Starr Collection of Portrait Miniatures housed at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. C.V. Starr's structural differentiator is its permanent-capital insurance platform feeding an in-house investment arm that operates without fund-life constraints. Starr Investment Holdings explicitly markets itself as duration-agnostic, absorbing the frictionless capital of an 'A'-rated underwriting machine. This architecture lets the firm hold concentrated positions indefinitely, a posture nearly impossible for standalone private-equity managers.
General information
Firm type
Insurance
Year founded
1919
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
399 Park Ave, New York, NY 10022, United States
Principals
Maurice R. Hank Greenberg
Founder
Altss tracks 2 additional named team members for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
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Frequently asked questions
Who runs C.V. Starr?
Maurice R. 'Hank' Greenberg founded the firm and remains an active figure. In 2025, his sons Jeffrey W. Greenberg and L. Scott Greenberg formally assumed co-leadership roles, consolidating the family's second-generation operational control over the insurance platform and its affiliated investment activities.
How does C.V. Starr source proprietary deal flow?
C.V. Starr invests through Starr Investment Holdings, its captive investment adviser, which draws from the insurance operating companies' permanent capital base. The firm's deal flow originates from the Greenberg family's global network, including long-standing relationships in the U.S. and Asia, as well as the firm's direct presence across specialty insurance markets. It does not fundraise from external limited partners.
What is the relationship between C.V. Starr and AIG?
C.V. Starr is the entity that originally spawned AIG. Cornelius Vander Starr founded the insurance agency in Shanghai in 1919, and it later grew into AIG under Mr. Greenberg's leadership. After AIG became a public company, Greenberg continued to build C.V. Starr as a separate, privately held global insurer and investment platform. The two entities are now wholly independent.
What investment stages does Starr Investment Holdings target?
Starr Investment Holdings describes itself as a duration-agnostic investor that partners with owners and management teams for the long term. It does not restrict itself by fund cycle or specific stage. The vehicle makes control and minority investments, with a mandate to minimize the friction of short-duration capital and allow portfolio companies to execute multi-decade growth plans.
Which sectors does C.V. Starr explicitly avoid?
C.V. Starr does not publish a negative screening list. Its disclosed underwriting focus is heavily weighted toward specialty Property & Casualty lines — Aviation, Construction, Marine, Energy, and Financial Lines — which implies limited appetite for standard retail auto, workers' compensation, or mass-market life insurance. The firm has not detailed excluded investment sectors for its buy-side book.
How is the Starr Foundation separated from C.V. Starr's commercial operations?
The Starr Foundation is a separate philanthropic entity funded by the Greenberg family and C.V. Starr. It does not commingle charitable assets with the insurance balance sheet. The foundation supports educational, cultural, and medical institutions, including the Starr Collection of Portrait Miniatures at the Nelson-Atkins Museum and the Starr Foundation China Galleries at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
What is C.V. Starr's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
C.V. Starr does not publicly market a co-investment program for third-party LPs. Starr Investment Holdings states it partners with businesses for direct equity investments. Given the firm's permanent-capital insurance float, it can act as a co-investor or sole sponsor without needing to syndicate to outside allocators, though it may selectively co-underwrite with partners it declines to name publicly.
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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