The Private Equity Executive Behind a $70 Billion Investment Empire

When most people think about the private equity industry, they picture deal-makers on Wall Street. Few realize that one of the sector’s most influential firms operates from Miami, where Sami Mnaymneh has spent more than three decades building an alternative investment powerhouse.

As founder, executive chairman and CEO of HIG Capital, Mnaymneh oversees a firm managing $70 billion across seven distinct investment strategies. The company he co-founded in 1993 with Tony Tamer now employs over 1,000 team members across 19 global offices, spanning North America, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

From Wall Street to Global Finance

Mnaymneh’s path to private equity began at Morgan Stanley in New York, where he started his career in investment banking. He later joined The Blackstone Group as a managing director, gaining experience at one of the industry’s most prominent firms before striking out to create his own platform.

The decision to establish HIG Capital came at a time when middle-market private equity remained relatively underdeveloped. Mnaymneh and Tamer identified an opportunity to serve companies that were too large for small buyout funds but too small for mega-funds focusing on billion-dollar transactions.

Their thesis proved correct. Since inception, HIG Capital has invested in more than 400 companies worldwide, with combined revenues exceeding $53 billion. The firm maintains a current portfolio of over 100 active investments.

Building a Diversified Platform

Under Mnaymneh’s leadership, HIG Capital expanded beyond traditional buyouts into complementary strategies. The firm now operates funds dedicated to growth equity, real estate, direct lending, infrastructure, special situations debt and growth-stage healthcare.

This diversification reflects Mnaymneh’s belief that middle-market opportunities exist across multiple asset classes and capital structures. Rather than limiting themselves to control equity investments, HIG Capital provides both debt and equity financing to companies at various stages of development.

The firm’s direct lending arm, HIG WhiteHorse, exemplifies this approach. In August 2025, WhiteHorse closed its fourth middle-market lending fund at $5.9 billion, bringing the platform’s total capital deployed to approximately $18 billion across 285 companies. The fund targets senior secured loans to sponsor and non-sponsor borrowers with EBITDA between $30 million and $100 million.

Hands-On Investment Philosophy

What distinguishes Mnaymneh’s approach is HIG Capital’s operational focus. The firm employs over 500 investment professionals with backgrounds in operating roles, consulting, technology and financial management. This operational expertise allows the team to work directly with portfolio companies on value creation initiatives.

Mnaymneh personally approves every capital commitment made by HIG Capital, maintaining oversight across the firm’s diverse strategies. This level of involvement reflects his commitment to disciplined investing and risk management.

The firm targets companies with “elements of business, industry or transactional complexity,” according to materials describing its investment criteria. These situations often require hands-on operational improvements, management team strengthening or buy-and-build strategies to realize value.

Academic Excellence and Civic Engagement

Before entering finance, Mnaymneh distinguished himself academically. He graduated first in his class at Columbia University, earning a B.A. summa cum laude. He then attended Harvard University, where he received both a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, both with honors.

This combination of legal and business training proved valuable in structuring complex transactions and navigating regulatory environments across multiple jurisdictions. Mnaymneh has maintained connections to academia throughout his career, serving on the Board of Columbia College and the Dean’s Council of Harvard Law School.

His commitment to education extends beyond serving on advisory boards. Through these roles, Mnaymneh has influenced curriculum development and helped shape programs that prepare future generations for careers in finance and business.

Recent Expansion and Market Position

HIG Capital’s growth has accelerated in recent years. The firm announced plans to raise $1.5 billion for a new vehicle backing other private equity firms’ single-asset continuation funds, capitalizing on the booming secondaries market. This represents another strategic expansion under Mnaymneh’s leadership.

The secondaries strategy involves investing in continuation vehicles created by other private equity managers, providing liquidity to their limited partners while allowing the underlying portfolio companies to remain privately held. HIG Capital plans to invest at least $50 million in approximately 20 such vehicles, focusing on middle-market companies.

Continuation funds have become increasingly popular as elevated interest rates have curbed traditional exit opportunities. According to Jefferies Financial Group, continuation funds accounted for almost a fifth of private equity exits in the first half of 2025, up from 13% for all of 2024.

To lead this initiative, HIG Capital recruited a seasoned team from Morgan Stanley’s private equity secondaries unit, including Managing Director Dan Wieder and three other senior professionals. The team brings nearly five decades of collective experience in secondaries investing.

Geographic Expansion

While HIG Capital maintains its headquarters in Miami, Mnaymneh has overseen substantial international expansion. The firm operates affiliate offices in Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan and Paris in Europe, as well as Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Latin America. Additional offices in Dubai and Hong Kong extend the platform into the Middle East and Asia.

This global presence allows HIG Capital to source deals across multiple geographies while providing portfolio companies with resources and expertise in international markets. Many of the firm’s middle-market investments benefit from cross-border expansion strategies that leverage this network.

The European platform has grown particularly active, completing numerous acquisitions and platform builds across the continent. Recent transactions include investments in Finnish waste management, Spanish occupational health services and Italian aerospace logistics, demonstrating the breadth of sectors and geographies the firm now covers.

Looking at the Numbers

Mnaymneh’s personal wealth reflects the success of HIG Capital over three decades. Various reports place him among Florida’s wealthiest business leaders, though specific net worth figures remain private given the firm’s ownership structure.

What’s more measurable is the track record. HIG Capital has generated returns across multiple market cycles, raising successively larger funds as limited partners committed additional capital based on performance. The firm’s ability to attract $5.9 billion for a single lending fund demonstrates the institutional confidence Mnaymneh and his team have built.

The middle-market focus has proven resilient through economic volatility. Smaller companies often lack access to public capital markets, creating consistent demand for the flexible financing HIG Capital provides. This market position has allowed the firm to maintain deal flow even during periods of broader market disruption.

Management Structure and Succession

Mnaymneh shares leadership responsibilities with co-founder Tony Tamer, who serves as executive chairman. Both founders remain actively involved in the business more than 30 years after establishing the firm, an unusual longevity in private equity where many founders step back earlier.

The firm has developed a deep management bench, with managing directors leading regional offices and strategy-specific funds. This structure allows HIG Capital to pursue multiple investment opportunities simultaneously while maintaining the founders’ oversight and approval authority.

Questions about succession planning are natural given the founders’ tenure, but the firm has provided limited public commentary on leadership transitions. The development of senior leadership across the platform suggests preparation for eventual generational change, though timing remains unclear.

The Road Ahead

As HIG Capital approaches its 35th anniversary in 2028, Mnaymneh continues expanding the firm’s capabilities and geographic reach. The launch of a secondaries strategy, ongoing fundraising across multiple strategies and entry into new markets like Italian self-storage all point to continued growth ambitions.

The middle-market private equity landscape has become more competitive since 1993, with numerous firms now targeting similar-sized companies. HIG Capital’s scale, diversified strategies and operational resources provide advantages, but maintaining performance across $70 billion in assets requires constant attention to investment discipline and portfolio company development.

Mnaymneh’s dual role as founder and active CEO gives him both historical perspective on the firm’s evolution and day-to-day involvement in its operations. This combination of vision and execution has defined HIG Capital’s trajectory and will likely continue shaping its direction in the years ahead.

For now, the executive who started his career at Morgan Stanley and helped build Blackstone continues running one of the largest and most active private equity platforms serving the global middle market.