The Family Office Sherpa 5 Family Office Investment Team Types
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Nov 9, 2025 Discover the five distinct investment team types within family offices, from deal-focused units to endowment-style allocators. Learn why asset-class specialists excel in domain knowledge while manager-of-managers depend on broad expertise and strong relationships. Explore the challenges of aligning values with rigorous investment strategies and the importance of cultural fit and personality in team dynamics. Shaun offers insights into building your ideal investment team, emphasizing the need for adaptability and thorough alignment with family objectives.
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Direct-Deal Teams Need Transaction Rigor
- Direct-deal teams need transaction, negotiation and private-market experience to execute, structure and model deals effectively.
- Shaun warns of overconfidence and weak governance when teams rely solely on past sector success.
Specialists Excel But Risk Narrow Focus
- Asset-class specialists bring deep domain knowledge and strong performance attribution within their focus area, often real estate.
- Shaun cautions they can neglect due diligence and governance in other portfolio areas without external expertise.
Endowment Model Requires Process Discipline
- Endowment-style allocators prioritize long-term strategic asset allocation, liquidity management and process discipline.
- Shaun says they need governance literacy and patience to ignore short-term noise and stick to policy.