RedBird Capital Partners

Founder Gerry Cardinale sets the strategic direction and leads the investment process for all major capital allocation decisions. He works alongside a senior team of operating partners and sector heads who drive diligence, execution, and portfolio-company oversight within the Sports, Media & Entertainment, and Financial Services verticals.

RedBird operates two principal fund strategies: Flagship, which takes controlling equity positions in established companies like AC Milan and Paramount Skydance Corporation, and Capital Solutions, which deploys structured equity, preferred instruments, and credit-oriented capital into bespoke opportunities. The firm also builds businesses from scratch — 40% of its portfolio companies are de novo platforms created in partnership with entrepreneurs or rights holders.

RedBird first invested in David Ellison's Skydance Media in November 2019. That partnership expanded into the July 2024 definitive agreement for the Ellison Family and RedBird to invest over $8 billion to acquire National Amusements and merge Skydance with Paramount Global, a transaction that closed in August 2025 and created Paramount Skydance Corporation.

The firm primarily executes direct, concentrated investments in platform companies and special situations. RedBird runs an active co-investment program that allows its blue-chip institutional and family office limited partners to invest alongside the flagship funds in specific transactions, functioning as a hybrid of a direct investor and a curated deal-by-deal club.

RedBird concentrates exclusively on three ecosystems: Sports, Media & Entertainment, and Financial Services. This self-imposed perimeter covers verticals ranging from professional football clubs and live-event experiences to insurance distribution and wealth management consolidation. Geographically, the firm deploys capital across North America, the United Kingdom, continental Europe, and New Zealand, with offices in 10 cities including New York, London, and Milan.

RedBird X functions as the firm’s proprietary artificial intelligence arm, building and commercializing AI tools across the portfolio. It incubates standalone companies — a production-grade filmmaking platform was built for Hollywood and acquired by Netflix in March 2026 — while also deploying enterprise AI at portfolio companies like AC Milan for fan engagement analytics and at Bishop Street Underwriters for insurance risk modeling.

RedBird uses limited leverage, emphasizes permanent-capital structures, and actively creates new companies rather than relying solely on acquisitions. Its model blends direct controlling equity with structured capital solutions, and it has deep operational integration through dedicated AI and operating teams. The firm’s willingness to originate platforms like EverPass Media with the NFL and Artists Equity with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon gives it a company-formation profile closer to a strategic holding company than a conventional buyout fund.