3 Family Offices Investing in Education

As various industries continue to gain traction from family offices, we continue to shine a light on the alternative wealth space and private capital markets by providing detailed analysis with regard to the past investment history of these private wealth groups. In utilizing FINTRX, which provides intel into thousands of direct deal transactions made by over 4,000 family offices worldwide, we explore three family offices directly investing in the education industry. 

1. Smith Family Circle (Will Smith Family Office)

Smith Family Circle, the single-family office of Will Smith, is based in Calabasas, CA and manages the wealth and business ventures of Will Smith and his family. With an estimated net worth of $250M, Mr. Smith is a globally recognized actor, musician, producer, and media personality whose career includes nominations for two Academy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards, along with three Grammy wins.

Smith Family Circle provides a broad suite of personal and financial services, including risk management, business strategy, capital formation, and capital allocation. The firm focuses primarily on venture capital, life sciences, and direct investments. Target sectors span media, sports, entertainment, education, consumer goods, healthcare, retail, cosmetics, technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, health and wellness, business services, transportation, and science, among others. The firm typically invests at the Seed and Series A stages, with a preference for early-stage companies in their first or second year of operation.

In March 2015, Smith Family Circle made a direct investment in Age of Learning, a Glendale, California–based education technology company that develops e-learning tools designed to help children build a strong academic foundation for lifelong success. The firm also invested in Tuition.io Inc. in February 2013 and again in July 2017. Tuition.io enables employers to offer student loan repayment assistance as an employee benefit.

Beyond education-focused investments, Smith Family Circle has backed a diverse range of companies, including Uber, One Inc., The Black Tux, Mattermost, Modern Meadow, JUST Water, Fancy, G-Ro, Barefoot Scientist, Away, BioBeats, Chromatik, Domo Technologies, and Double Robotics, among others. The firm has also invested in professional sports franchises such as the Philadelphia 76ers and AS Roma.

2. Michael Grabner Media (Grabner Family Office)

Established in 2007, Michael Grabner Media, the single-family office of Austrian entrepreneur Michael Grabner, is based in Vienna and manages the family’s wealth and private investments. Mr. Grabner built his fortune through a successful career in the media and publishing industries, complemented by a series of personal investments. The firm positions itself as an impact investor, prioritizing portfolio companies that demonstrate a balanced, socially responsible approach.

Michael Grabner Media invests across both Austrian and international media markets, with additional focus areas including education, software, e-commerce, travel, healthcare, technology, real estate, retail, and manufacturing, among others. In June 2015, the firm made a direct investment in Studydrive, a Berlin-based e-learning platform. The firm often co-invests alongside other aligned family offices and private investors, with primary geographic interest in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.

3. LAFAM Holding

Founded in 2010, LAFAM Holding is a Neustadt, Germany–based single-family office that manages the wealth of the Lang family and serves as its direct investment arm. The firm was established by Günter Lang, who built his wealth through a series of successful business ventures in the late 1990s and early 2000s. LAFAM was created to function as both the family’s private office and long-term investment platform.

Today, LAFAM Holding invests primarily across the private equity landscape, with a focus on early-stage and mid-market companies. The firm concentrates its investment activity in sectors including education, software, robotics, and technical services. In May 2017, LAFAM made a direct investment in Studybees GmbH, a Mannheim-based e-learning platform offering personalized learning paths for university students. LAFAM typically deploys long-term, patient capital to support the strategic growth of its portfolio companies and often invests opportunistically alongside other LPs and family offices.

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