Key points
- Family offices invest directly, through funds and alongside sponsors
- They are private by design and rarely publish a mandate
- Relationship and referral matter more than with funds
- They value discretion, alignment and a credible sponsor
Family offices manage the wealth of a single family or several families. Many now invest directly in private assets rather than only through funds, and renewable energy and the wider energy transition feature prominently in their direct programmes. For a developer or sponsor, they can be attractive partners: flexible on structure, often patient, and able to decide quickly when the right people are convinced.
They are also difficult to find. Unlike funds, family offices are private by design. Many have no website, publish no mandate and do not announce their investments.
How family offices invest in renewable energy
- Through funds: as limited partners in infrastructure and energy transition funds. This does not help a project directly.
- Co investment: alongside a fund or sponsor in a specific project or portfolio, usually as a minority partner.
- Direct investment: taking stakes in projects, platforms or developers, sometimes with a dedicated team that behaves much like a fund.
- Development partnerships: funding a developer's pipeline in exchange for an equity share or a right to acquire the projects.
How they differ from funds
A family office is not bound by a fund's life, so it can hold assets for longer and accept structures a fund cannot. It may have strong views on the type of asset, the geography or the values it wants to reflect. Decisions often rest with a small number of people, sometimes family members themselves, which makes trust in the sponsor and the introducer central.
Identifying family offices active in the sector
- Transaction records: co investors named in project acquisitions, financings and platform deals.
- Company filings: shareholders in project companies and developers.
- Industry events and networks: family office forums and energy investment conferences.
- Advisers and placement contacts: those who already work with the office.
- Introductions: from people the family office already trusts, which remains the most effective route.
What family offices look for
Everything a fund would check, and in particular an experienced, committed sponsor with capital of its own at risk; alignment on hold period and exit; clear governance rights proportionate to the stake; and discretion. A family office that has been approached carelessly, or has seen its name on a distribution list, rarely gives a second hearing.
How to approach
Personally, through an introduction, with a short summary first and the full materials only on request. Be clear about the role you want the family office to play: lead investor, co investor, or development partner. We cover the mechanics in how to approach institutional investors.
BriHel's investor records include family offices mapped by sector appetite, stage, geography and ticket size. We introduce prepared renewable energy opportunities where the fit is genuine.
Before you approach the market. The Investor Readiness Review tells you what an investor will conclude from your materials, and what to fix first. £995 plus VAT.
This article is general information, not investment, legal, tax or financial advice. BriHel Capital introduces only and does not arrange transactions, provide advice, or carry out regulated activities.