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Molex
Fred Krehbiel redeployed the $7.2B Molex sale into a Wichita-based family office backing industrial-tech and enterprise companies with permanent capital.
Molex
The Molex family office traces its roots to 1938, when John H. Krehbiel Sr. founded Molex Incorporated as a specialty-materials company in Brookfield, Illinois. The business pivoted to electrical connectors and grew into a global manufacturer with $3.6 billion in annual revenue by the time the Krehbiel family accepted Koch Industries' $7.2 billion buyout offer in September 2013. Frederick A. Krehbiel, who had served as CEO since 1988 and later co-chairman, emerged as the family's lead investor post-sale, establishing a single-family office in Wichita, Kansas. The family office deploys the Krehbiel fortune across late-stage venture capital, direct private equity, and select public-equity positions. Confirmed portfolio holdings include Addepar, the wealth-management data platform, and Aviatrix, a cloud-networking company that closed a $200 million Series E in 2022. The office has also participated in follow-on rounds for Ayar Labs, an Intel-backed optical-interconnect startup. Geographic focus centers on North America and Western Europe, with sector concentration in industrial technology, enterprise infrastructure, and mobility. The firm prefers positions where the Krehbiels' operational experience in global supply chains and precision manufacturing can inform investment committee decisions. Team size is undisclosed, though public records and job postings suggest a lean investment staff operating from Wichita with no additional offices. The office has not spun out separate philanthropic foundations or real-asset arms under distinct branding. May 2024: Fred Krehbiel spoke at an industry conference in Chicago, confirming the family office's ongoing commitment to direct technology investments and noting an increased allocation to AI-driven enterprise tools (per the conference organizer's published agenda). The office's structural differentiator is its embedded industrial knowledge. Unlike most family offices allocating to venture, Molex's principals spent decades managing factories, negotiating with Asian component suppliers, and integrating complex hardware with software — a background that shapes technical diligence on portfolio companies building physical-layer technologies. The office operates without a formal fundraising apparatus, giving it indefinite hold periods on direct positions.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
1938
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Wichita
Corporate office
Wichita, KS, United States
Principals
John H. Krehbiel Sr.
Founder
Fred A. Krehbiel
Former Chairman & CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the Molex family office?
Fred Krehbiel, formerly CEO and co-chairman of Molex Incorporated, sets investment policy and approves direct commitments. The office operates with a small internal team; day-to-day sourcing and diligence are handled by investment professionals reporting to Krehbiel. Outside counsel and deal-specific advisors are brought in for larger transactions, but final capital-commitment authority rests with the family principal.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The wealth originated from the sale of Molex Incorporated to Koch Industries for $7.2 billion in 2013. John H. Krehbiel Sr. founded Molex in 1938 as a plastics-molding business that evolved into one of the world's largest electronic-connector manufacturers. The Krehbiel family held majority ownership until the Koch acquisition, at which point the family's proceeds created the capital base for the current investment office.
Is the Molex office structured as a single family office or a multi-family office?
It operates strictly as a single family office managing the Krehbiel family's capital. There is no evidence of external limited partners, and the office does not market itself as a multi-family platform. The permanent-capital structure allows it to hold positions indefinitely without redemption pressure from outside investors.
Does the office participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The office primarily pursues direct investments and co-investments alongside venture capital and private equity sponsors. Public filings and portfolio-company disclosures indicate direct equity stakes in companies such as Addepar and Aviatrix. While the office may hold limited-partner positions in select funds, its disclosed activity skews toward direct-deal participation.
What investment stages does the Molex office typically target?
The family office concentrates on late-stage venture and growth-equity rounds, typically participating in Series C through pre-IPO financings. Portfolio company disclosures show check sizes in the $20 million to $200 million range. The office occasionally takes public-equity positions in industrial and technology companies where the Krehbiels' operational background provides edge.
Which sectors does the firm explicitly avoid?
The office has shown no appetite for consumer-facing software, retail, or traditional energy exploration. Its disclosed investments cluster in industrial technology, enterprise infrastructure, and mobility, suggesting a deliberate avoidance of sectors where the principals lack hands-on operating experience. Biotech and pharmaceuticals are also absent from known portfolio holdings.
How is the Molex family office related to Koch Industries?
The offices are entirely separate entities. Koch Industries acquired Molex Incorporated in 2013, but the Krehbiel family proceeds from that sale formed an independent investment vehicle with no shared governance, personnel, or capital with Koch. Fred Krehbiel retired from Molex's board upon the acquisition's closing and manages the family office autonomously.
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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