Irradiant Partners

Three managing partners share co-chief investment officer duties: John A. Merriman, Reuben M. 'Buddy' Omega, and Michiel P. de Bruijn. Merriman and Omega co-founded the firm in 2019 after careers at Oaktree Capital Management, while de Bruijn leads the European investment effort. The trio collectively oversees credit, real estate, and infrastructure allocations through a unified investment committee structure.

The firm sources directly by originating loans to middle-market borrowers and by acquiring secondary loan portfolios from banks, insurance companies, and other institutional sellers facing regulatory or balance-sheet pressure. Relationships formed during the founders' Oaktree tenures provide access to restructurings and special situations where speed and certainty of close matter more than the lowest cost of capital.

Irradiant Partners makes both direct investments and fund commitments, though the balance tilts heavily toward direct origination and secondary acquisitions. The firm raises commingled funds for its core strategies but also manages separately tailored accounts for institutional investors seeking specific risk-return profiles within credit, real estate, or infrastructure.

In credit, the firm focuses on middle-market companies at any stage of distress or transition — from rescue financing to post-restructuring growth capital. Real estate investments target transitional properties needing capital improvement, lease-up, or recapitalization rather than stabilized core properties. Infrastructure deals center on mid-market assets with existing cash flows, avoiding greenfield development risk.

Irradiant Partners can co-invest alongside other managers when larger capital requirements exceed the firm's single-check capacity or when a partner manager brings specialized operational expertise. The firm's own direct origination efforts remain the primary engine, so co-investment is situational rather than programmatic.

Irradiant Partners has no ongoing corporate relationship with Oaktree. The firm was founded by former Oaktree senior investors and portfolio managers, including John Merriman and Buddy Omega, who departed in 2019 to build an independent multi-strategy manager. The spinout was amicable, and both firms pursue distinct investment mandates without formal ties.

The firm does not publish a current AUM figure. Allocators conducting due diligence typically request this directly from the partnership. Without a disclosed number, third-party estimates are unavailable, and the firm's public posture suggests a preference for operating outside industry league tables.