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Flat World Partners
Flat World Partners is an advisory and investment firm founded in 2014 in New York, New York.
Flat World Partners
Flat World Partners is an advisory and investment firm founded in 2014 in New York, New York. The firm serves Pensions, Foundations, Endowments, Family Offices, registered investment advisors (RIAs), and other Financial Institutions. It offers services including private market and thematic research, asset management, and advisory services.
General information
Firm type
Generalist
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Anna-Marie Wascher
Founder and CEO
Kate Starr
Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Flat World Partners?
Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer Kate Starr leads investment decisions, drawing on her prior role at the Heron Foundation. CEO and co-founder Anna-Marie Wascher oversees firm strategy and client relationships. Managing Director John Scanio leads the climate investment practice.
How does Flat World Partners source proprietary deal flow?
The firm uses a hybrid model — allocating to emerging impact fund managers and making direct co-investments alongside them. This structure gives the firm visibility into deal flow sourced by underlying GPs while retaining the right to invest directly in portfolio companies alongside those managers and co-investors such as Bloom8.
Is Flat World Partners a single-family office or does it operate as an asset manager?
Flat World Partners is structured as an asset manager, not a single-family office. It serves external institutional clients through fund-of-funds vehicles and thematic impact portfolios, and is not tied to a single family's wealth.
Does Flat World Partners participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The firm does both. It commits capital to impact-focused fund managers and also co-invests directly into individual portfolio companies. This dual-track capability allows the firm to offer allocators diversified exposure as well as targeted company-level investments.
Which sectors does Flat World Partners explicitly target?
Climate technology and renewable energy are central to the strategy, led by Managing Director John Scanio. Residential affordable housing in the United States is another defined allocation. The firm also has a history in thematic impact portfolios, YvesBlue — a fintech co-founded by Anna-Marie Wascher — and broader sustainable investing themes, giving it exposure across energy transition, real estate, and financial technology.
How is Flat World Partners related to Flat World Foundation?
Flat World Foundation is the philanthropic arm founded alongside the asset management firm. It operates as a separate structure, consistent with the firm's broader emphasis on impact across both for-profit investment vehicles and grant-making.
What is Flat World Partners' known posture on co-investments with external GPs?
The firm actively co-invests alongside external managers. Co-investor relationships include Bloom8, a frequent partner across portfolio companies. This posture is built into the firm's architecture — using fund commitments to build GP relationships and then exercising co-investment rights in high-conviction opportunities.
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