Investment firms linked to some of the world’s wealthiest individuals kicked off the year with a handful of eye-catching deals, including an investment in professional motorcycle racing. Still, early 2026 has been relatively muted for family office activity overall, with a notable slowdown in direct investments.
According to data from private wealth platform Fintrx, family offices completed 52 direct company investments in January, marking a 32 percent decline compared with the same period last year. This follows a similarly restrained pace throughout 2025, as firms pulled back amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and uncertainty around trade policy.
High-profile transactions did continue. David Blitzer, the Blackstone billionaire known for owning stakes across all five major US professional sports leagues, added another asset to his portfolio when his firm, Bolt Ventures, joined a consortium acquiring MotoGP team Red Bull KTM Tech3 for $50 million.
Elsewhere, Jeff Bezos’ family office, Bezos Expeditions, co-led a $1.4 billion funding round for AI robotics company SkildAI. The firm also partnered with Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective in a $480 million seed round for Humans&, a startup focused on developing AI systems designed to work alongside humans rather than replace them.
Despite fewer overall deals, family offices continue to show strong interest in large funding rounds. Mega-rounds now dominate venture capital markets. In 2025, PitchBook data shows that half of the $339.4 billion raised globally went to just 0.05 percent of all completed deals.
Other notable January transactions included backing for a $257 million Series D round in Cellares, an automated cell-therapy manufacturing company, by Michael Bloomberg’s Willett Advisors and Stanley Druckenmiller’s Duquesne Family Office. Meanwhile, Li Ka-shing’s Horizon Ventures participated in a $150 million Series D for brokerage technology firm Alpaca, whose clients include Kraken.
