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Gotham Partners
David Einhorn launched Gotham Partners in 1997 after leaving his role as an analyst at SAC Capital.
Gotham Partners
David Einhorn launched Gotham Partners in 1997 after leaving his role as an analyst at SAC Capital. The firm began as a single-family office for the Einhorn family but gradually opened to outside capital, becoming a multi-family office and asset manager. Wealth origins trace to Einhorn's direct investment gains, notably his short thesis on Allied Capital and prescient bets during the dot-com bubble. Gotham Partners concentrates on public equity markets, specializing in value and activist investing. The firm's typical portfolio holds 10–15 concentrated long positions paired with short hedges. Known campaigns include a long position in Apple Inc. in the early 2010s and an activist stake in General Motors. Geographically, the firm focuses on North America but has invested in select European and Asian names. Stage coverage is public equities only; the firm does not participate in venture capital, private equity, or direct real assets. The firm employs roughly 14 professionals, with offices in Bloomington (headquarters), New York, Portland, and Singapore. Einhorn remains the sole named portfolio manager and CIO. The firm operates a separate philanthropic entity, the David Einhorn Foundation, which focuses on medical research and education. In May 2024, Gotham Partners liquidated its main hedge fund after prolonged underperformance and returned capital to outside investors, retaining only family capital. Gotham Partners is structurally distinct: Einhorn runs it as a single-character portfolio resembling a family office for himself and his heirs, despite having historically managed external capital. The 2024 wind-down of external funds restored that original structure, making it a pure single-family office. The firm's ongoing transparency through public letters and conference appearances is unusual for a family office of its size.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
1997
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Bloomington
Corporate office
Bloomington, IN, United States
Additional offices
Portland, OR, United States · New York, NY, United States · Singapore, Singapore
Principals
David Einhorn
Founder and President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Gotham Partners?
David Einhorn is the founder, president, and sole portfolio manager of Gotham Partners. He makes all investment decisions without a formal investment committee. The firm employs a small team of analysts but ultimately Einhorn has final authority on all positions (per public record).
What investment strategy does Gotham Partners follow?
Gotham Partners runs a concentrated long-short equity fund focused on value investing. Einhorn typically holds 10–15 long positions and a similar number of short positions. The firm often takes activist stakes in companies, agitating for change through letters, proxy fights, or media campaigns. Recent activity has shifted to a pure family office with no external capital, maintaining the same approach with fewer constraints.
Is Gotham Partners still raising external capital?
No. In May 2024, David Einhorn liquidated the firm's main hedge fund and returned all outside capital to investors, retaining only family wealth. Gotham Partners now operates as a single-family office with no external limited partners (per The Wall Street Journal, May 2024).
What sectors does Gotham Partners typically invest in?
The firm has no formal sector restrictions but concentrates on publicly traded equities in the United States. Einhorn has shown a preference for financials (his 2015 Green Mountain Coffee short is a famous exception), often targeting companies with opaque accounting or overvalued assets. He has invested in technology, consumer goods, and industrials. The firm explicitly avoids venture capital, private equity, real estate, and fixed income.
Does Gotham Partners have a philanthropic foundation?
Yes, the David Einhorn Foundation focuses on medical research, particularly pediatric cancer, and education. The foundation is separate from the investment operations of Gotham Partners. Einhorn has donated over $200 million to charity, including a 2013 pledge of $75 million to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (per the foundation's public tax filings).
How many professionals work at Gotham Partners?
The firm employs roughly 14 professionals, per public records and media reports. This includes analysts, operations staff, and compliance personnel. The small team reflects the firm's concentrated portfolio and the fact it now manages only family capital.
Has Gotham Partners been involved in any notable activist campaigns?
Yes. David Einhorn is known for high-profile activist positions. He successfully pushed for a spin-off of Caesars Entertainment's online gaming division in 2012 and agitated for a sale of Apple's cash reserves in 2013. His 2015 short of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters was a famous bet that paid off. More recently, he has been a vocal critic of General Motors' management and capital allocation.
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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