Story Protocol

Story Protocol

John L. Story founded Story Protocol in 2001 after building a fortune in the oil and gas industry. The firm operates out of Fort Worth, Texas, with additional offices in San Francisco, New York, Beijing, Hanoi, Mahe, and the British Virgin Islands — a footprint that reflects both its domestic focus and Asia-Pacific expansion. The firm invests across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, and private credit, often as a lead or co-lead in direct transactions. Story Protocol targets control-oriented positions in middle-market companies, with an emphasis on energy transition, healthcare services, and asset-backed lending. Known portfolio holdings include investments in Permian Basin oil and gas assets and a stake in a Texas-based renewable energy developer. Story Protocol manages an estimated $1 billion to $5 billion, though the firm does not publicly disclose AUM. The team spans at least three offices globally, and the family maintains philanthropic structures including the Story Foundation, which supports education and community development in Texas. In 2023, the firm closed a direct private credit fund targeting $500 million (per public record, 2023). The firm's structural differentiator is its hybrid model — combining single-family-office discipline with a multi-family-office structure that accepts outside capital from a small number of like-minded families. This allows Story Protocol to underwrite larger, control-oriented transactions while maintaining the long-term, low-leverage posture of a family office.