# Starboard Partners

Starboard Partners is an Asset Manager based in Southport, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** Southport, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** New York, NY, United States
- **Founded:** 2011
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** starboardpartners.com

## About

Starboard is a pioneer in unlocking and creating value in the special situations environment for more than 10 years. It is the first Special Situations / Distressed-for-Control fund in Brazil. The firm has R$ 11 billion in historical AUM and R$ 8 billion in current AUM, with a historical gross IRR of 67% and average DPI of 3.2x.

## Sectors

- Enterprise Software
- Technology
- Business Services

## People

- Jeffrey Smith — CEO & Chief Investment Officer

## Questions

### Does Starboard invest in private companies or venture capital?

No. Starboard focuses exclusively on public-equity investments in already-listed companies. It does not participate in private funding rounds, venture capital, or direct co-investments alongside early-stage general partners. The entire strategy is built around activist campaigns at public firms.

### What is Starboard's track record on proxy contests?

Starboard has a strong record of winning board seats through both settlements and contested votes. The firm has taken board representation in over 100 companies since its founding, with notable full-board replacements at Darden Restaurants in 2014 and successful campaigns at companies including Papa John's, AOL, and Mellanox Technologies (per public SEC filings and Bloomberg reporting).

### How does Starboard Partners differ from other activist funds like Elliott Management?

Whereas Elliott Management runs a multi-strategy platform spanning activism, credit, private equity, and real estate, Starboard is a pure-play activist focused entirely on public equities. Starboard also differentiates through exhaustive operational blueprints — its public presentations routinely exceed 50 pages and prescribe specific operational fixes rather than just financial engineering.

### Who makes investment decisions at Starboard?

Jeffrey Smith, as CEO and Chief Investment Officer, is the central decision-maker for campaign selection, position sizing, and board-slate composition. The firm operates with a small, concentrated team, and Smith personally leads engagement with target companies alongside a core group of partners.

## Related profiles

- [Latin Capital](https://altss.com/profile/latin-capital)
- [Lend Lease Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/lend-lease-ventures)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:08:11.274Z

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