PE firm Brightstar secures investment from Claure Group

• From 2008 to 2011, Brightstar founder and CEO Andrew Weinberg was chief operating officer and chief strategy officer of Likewize, a company founded by Claure
• Claure also formerly held senior executive roles at SoftBank Group, including CEO of SoftBank Group International
• Claure is also the former CEO of Sprint

Claure Group has acquired a minority stake in New York-based Brightstar Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm. No financial terms were disclosed.

Founded by Marcelo Claure, Claure Group is an investment firm that targets high growth sectors including tech, media, crypto, sports and real estate.

The investment comes as a result of a business relationship formed between Brightstar founder and CEO Andrew Weinberg and Claure. From 2008 to 2011, Weinberg was chief operating officer and chief strategy officer of Likewize, a company founded by Claure.

Claure also formerly held senior executive roles at SoftBank Group, including CEO of SoftBank Group International. Earlier, he was CEO of Sprint, leading its turnaround and eventual merger with T-Mobile.

“I have great confidence in the Brightstar team’s ability to continue to grow and I’m excited to be a partner on that journey,” said Claure in a statement. “This investment is a testament to my belief in Andrew’s talent and the potential of the firm. I believe Brightstar has built a well-deserved reputation that brings a differentiated approach to sourcing investments in closely-held businesses, adding value to those investments, and ultimately benefitting all stakeholders.”