Jessica Hamlin

Los Angeles, New York, United States

Senior Funds Columnist at PitchBook

senior funds columnist @pitchbook. writing Capital Pool newsletter. Tips? [email protected] or on Signal at jessicahamlin.08.

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Articles

PE realizations suffer under tariff uncertainty

2 days ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin

It’s no secret that President Donald Trump’s tariff policy saga clouded buyout managers’ ability to transact and get capital back to their limited partners. But the scale at which the trade war has impacted even the largest and most exclusive private market fund managers is just now coming to light.
Thoma Bravo closes $24.3B flagship buyout fund

3 days ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin

Featured image by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Thoma Bravo Thoma Bravo completed fundraising for its latest flagship buyout fund amid a challenging fundraising environment for private equity. The software buyout behemoth gathered $24.3 billion for Thoma Bravo Fund XVI to continue its software buyout strategy, the firm announced on Tuesday. The figure comes directly in line with its predecessor vehicle, Thoma Bravo Fund XV, which closed at $24.3 billion in December 2022.
Taylor Swift shakes off private equity

1 week ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin |Rosie Bradbury

Taylor Swift is private equity’s new antihero. The 14-Grammy-winning artist repurchased her catalog of music from Shamrock Capital, after the buyout firm bought the rights in 2020 from her then-manager Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, according to a statement on Swift’s official website. “All I’ve ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright.” Swift wrote in the statement.
Mubadala Capital doesn't bark, it buys

3 weeks ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin

Mubadala was one of the world’s largest and most active sovereign investors last year. Its subsidiary, Mubadala Capital, was a big part of the story. Abu Dhabi’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund made $32.4 billion in commitments in 2024, up nearly a third from 2023, and its AUM grew 9% year-over-year, according to industry tracker Global SWF.
SQ Capital shoots for $1B first-time secondaries fund

4 weeks ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin

Mustafa Siddiqui’s secondaries firm, SQ Capital, is seeking roughly $1 billion for its first fund, capitalizing on an uptick in LP interest for exposure to the asset class, Buyouts reported. The former global head of Blackstone’s GP stakes strategy launched the firm in January to buy into both LP-led and GP-led transactions in the US and Europe, focusing on assets from middle-market funds between $350 million and $10 billion.
West Virginia University's new CIO is starting at a 'difficult time to allocate' endowment capital

4 weeks ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin

West Virginia University’s endowment has a new chief investor whose recent track record of beating Ivy League returns may help the portfolio navigate liquidity constraints. On Thursday, the WVU Foundation named Jim Bethea its VP of investment and chief investment officer. Bethea, who has overseen investment at the University of Iowa Center for Advancement since 2010, will succeed West Virginia’s long-time CIO, Rick Kraich.
Virginia retirement chief: PE is 'dead' through 2025

1 month ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin

The chief investor at Virginia’s $113.9 billion public pension fund thinks tariff uncertainty, paired with overvalued assets, will keep PE dealmaking down through 2025. “My view is private-equity transactions are pretty much dead for the rest of the year,” Andrew Junkin, chief investment officer of the Virginia Retirement System, told attendees at the Milken Institute 2025 Global Conference on Tuesday.
Treasury chief Bessent pitches Trump economic plan to international investors

1 month ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pitched the American economy to foreign investors at the Milken Institute on Monday. Bessent opened the annual global conference with a speech that framed the Trump administration’s trade, tax and deregulatory policies as part of an effort to prime the US economy for outside investments. The US is “the premier destination for international capital,” Bessent said.
Harvard to lose tax-exempt status, Trump says

1 month ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin

After weeks of uncertainty, President Donald Trump renewed his threats to remove Harvard University‘s tax-exempt status. The move could threaten the endowment’s fundraising and investing capabilities. “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Friday. It remains unclear whether the IRS will meet Trump’s demand.
NYC puts asset managers on notice

1 month ago | pitchbook.com | Jessica Hamlin

Last week, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced that his office will recommend dropping asset managers from the city’s pension plans if they fail to submit adequate Net Zero plans by the end of June. The move counters Trump-era rollbacks on climate infrastructure and disaster preparedness funding and supports Lander’s long-standing climate agenda, also fitting neatly into his mayoral bid.