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Kibble & Prentice Family Office
Founded in 1975, the Kibble & Prentice Family Office emerged from Arlen I.
Kibble & Prentice Family Office
Founded in 1975, the Kibble & Prentice Family Office emerged from Arlen I. Prentice's insurance and employee-benefits firm, which became one of the largest independent brokerages in the Pacific Northwest before its acquisition. Prentice's early relationship with Howard Schultz yielded a board seat and equity stake in Starbucks, forming the cornerstone of a fortune now stewarded by his son, Christopher John Prentice, as President and CEO. The office pursues a hybrid allocation spanning direct co-investments, private equity, and real assets. Its venture activity targets early-stage and growth companies in digital health, healthcare services, and AI/ML — sectors where Seattle's research-hospital and cloud-computing density provides natural deal flow. On the real-asset side, confirmed holdings include Two Union Square in downtown Seattle and the Wallula Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills. Lifestyle and sports investments round out the book, with operating stakes in Abeja Winery & Inn in Walla Walla and the Seattle Seawolves professional rugby club. Chris Prentice directs investment operations out of the Two Union Square headquarters, supported by a compact internal team that coordinates estate strategy, philanthropic planning, and the office's club-deal network. Arnie Prentice's boardroom ties — including past chairmanship of the NACD Northwest Chapter and service on the University of Washington Foster School of Business Advisory Board — give the office access to a deep bench of operating executives across the region. Philanthropic commitments flow through the Seattle Foundation and Northwest Kidney Centers, reflecting a multi-generational focus on the city where the family's wealth was built. The office's structural edge is its local operating-company adjacency — rather than a pure LP model, it behaves more like a family-backed holding company with the flexibility to acquire and operate assets directly. This blend of insurance-wealth heritage and active ownership, paired with the Starbucks liquidity event, creates a posture distinct from Seattle's cohort of tech-exit family offices.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
1975
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Seattle
Corporate office
Seattle, WA, United States
Principals
Arlen I. Prentice
Founder and Chairman
Christopher John Prentice
President and CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Kibble & Prentice Family Office?
Christopher John Prentice, son of founder Arlen I. Prentice, serves as President and CEO and directs the office's investment activities. Arnie Prentice remains Chairman and continues to influence strategy through his extensive board network in the Pacific Northwest. The office keeps a compact internal team, relying on the Prentice family's direct relationships for sourcing rather than a layers-deep investment committee.
How did the Prentice family originate its wealth?
Arlen I. Prentice founded Kibble & Prentice, an insurance brokerage and employee-benefits consultancy that grew into a major Northwest institution before its eventual sale. His early relationship with Howard Schultz led to a personal investment and board seat at Starbucks, a position he held during the company's national expansion. These two engines — the insurance-firm exit and the Starbucks equity — form the liquid core of the family office's capital base.
Is Kibble & Prentice structured as a single family office or does it serve external clients?
It operates as a dedicated single family office managing the Prentice family's financial affairs, investments, and philanthropic planning. There is no evidence that the office manages capital for unrelated families or outside institutions. The firm's insurance-brokerage legacy, which once served corporate clients, was divested separately from the family office entity.
What investment stages does the family office typically target?
The office's venture and direct-investment activity concentrates on early-stage and growth-stage companies, particularly in digital health, healthcare services, and AI/ML. Later-stage positions are held through its real-asset portfolio — including the Wallula Vineyard, Two Union Square, and the Abeja Winery & Inn — and operating businesses like the Seattle Seawolves rugby franchise. This creates a barbell of early-stage risk and cash-flowing hard assets.
Does Kibble & Prentice participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The office engages in direct co-investments, special-purpose vehicles, and private equity allocations alongside its operating-company holdings — but detailed fund-commitment disclosures are not public. Given Arnie Prentice's early-stage Starbucks involvement and the office's club-deal orientation, the portfolio likely blends both direct and intermediated exposure, though specific GP relationships remain unreported.
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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