Tampa private equity firm Weatherford Capital closes $355M investment fund
August 16, 2021 -
Tampa private equity firm Weatherford Capital, managed by former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford and his brothers, has closed its first investment fund at $355 million, the firm announced on Monday. The Weatherford Capital Fund I, launched in April 2020, was targeting $300 million and $350 million as its hard cap. The investment gives Weatherford Capital a “blind pool” of capital they can invest more nimbly, rather than finding a startup to invest in and then raising funds around that deal, according to the release. Most of the investors are high-net-worth families from around the country, Weatherford said. The company invests in 18 companies and aims to invest about $100 million to $150 million per year. The firm typically does not largely work with startups; however, in January, the firm provided $22.5 million to Tampa’s SOMA Global, a startup that develops dispatch software for law enforcement and first responders.