Edens is one of the co-founders of Fortress Investment Group, one of the largest private equity firms in America. He also has been a director at PayPal’s parent company eBay since 2008, which earned him a net worth of over $2 billion. However, he isn’t content with being rich and famous – he has invested heavily in technology companies such as Uber and Airbnb that have revolutionized society as we know it today by acting as disruptors to traditional industries such as taxis and hotels.
His Achievements
The Fortress is a world-leading financial and infrastructure investment firm operating across the debt, equity, and credit markets. Its core focus areas are tangible assets, private equity, and credit investments, with particular emphasis on the financial services market. Fortress has offices in more than 30 countries worldwide.
Fortress generated close to $9 billion in investment proceeds in 2013 alone to back companies with a focus on technology innovation and disruptive business models that have the potential to improve productivity and standards of living around the world. According to its website, Fortress has committed more than $24 billion as of 2013.
In addition, Wes Edens is a venture partner at the New York City-based prestigious private equity firm BlackRock, LLC. He joined BlackRock in 2001 before the company was spun off from Merrill Lynch with $11.8 billion in assets under management. As of 2013, it had grown to over $3 trillion in AUM and manages a wide range of investment strategies for institutional and individual clients worldwide.
Edens is also an advisor to various organizations such as the IDG-Accel China Technology Investment Fund [2013] and The Jordan Hospitality Fund [2014], an affiliate fund for Canadian pension giant OMERS Capital Partners.
Through Fortress, Edens has led the firm’s investments in various companies such as Softbank Corp. in Japan, Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd in Australia, and AG Financial Group in Brazil. He is also a portfolio manager at the Fortress Global Opportunities Fund, seeking investments in global opportunities.
For Edens, investing in businesses that bring value to society is very important. He also believes in making long-term investment decisions and sticking with projects for a significant period before surrendering control of them to others.