Executive Business Financial Planning

Investment authority rests with William Austin, the founder and CEO of Starkey Laboratories. Austin has managed the family office in parallel with the operating business since acquiring Starkey in 1967, and there is no public evidence of a separate CIO or investment committee. The firm's structure reflects a singular decision-maker model common among first-generation family offices tied to an active operating principal.

The wealth originates from Starkey Laboratories, a hearing-aid manufacturer founded in 1967 and today one of the largest in the world with estimated annual revenues north of $800 million. Austin built the company from a small repair shop into a global enterprise with facilities across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He has signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of that wealth through the Starkey Hearing Foundation.

Both entities are controlled by William Austin but serve different purposes. The foundation is a philanthropic vehicle distributing hearing aids in underserved communities, while the family office manages for-profit investments. The two share a common founder and headquarters geography, but the office does not disclose any formal co-investment structure or overlapping governance with the foundation.

The office appears to favor direct investments in real estate and private companies, with no public record of significant fund-of-fund commitments or mandates to outside managers. Given Austin's long-standing control over capital allocation at both Starkey and the family office, the preference for direct, observable assets aligns with a pattern common among industrialist-founded family offices.

There is no public evidence that Executive Business Financial Planning actively syndicates deals or participates in club-like co-investment networks. The office's investments appear self-directed and privately negotiated. This contrasts with family-office platforms that deliberately co-invest with peers, and likely reflects the concentrated governance model centered on Austin.