From Vision to $700M: How I Built Carbonado Capital Into a Premier Hedge Fund

-

By Gregory A. Thomas, Ph.D., MBA, BA, BAS


When I founded Carbonado Capital Investments, it wasn’t just about wealth accumulation—it was about building a principled engine of growth rooted in strategy, precision, and long-term value creation. Today, with over $700 million in Assets Under Management (AUM), Carbonado stands as a premier hedge fund with a diverse client base, a cross-sector portfolio, and a reputation for identifying high-performing investments before the crowd.


This success didn’t happen by accident—it was forged through discipline, rigorous analysis, and a deep commitment to intelligent diversification.



Strategic Foundations: How I Built Carbonado


From the beginning, I knew Carbonado Capital needed to be different. I built it on five key principles:


  1. Macro-Aware Allocation – Every investment begins with a top-down macroeconomic analysis. Before entering a sector, we examine interest rate policy, global liquidity trends, geopolitical movements, and sector-specific economic data.
  2. Diversified Conviction – Unlike funds that chase momentum, Carbonado targets asymmetric opportunities: assets with high upside potential but protected downside through intrinsic value. We allocate across public equities, private equity, REITs, and alternatives to insulate clients from single-market shocks.
  3. Discipline Over Emotion – Our strategy isn’t shaken by headlines. We rebalance with intent and maintain our positions based on data, not drama.
  4. IPO Intelligence – We don’t just get in early—we get in smart. Our internal team performs deep fundamental analysis on upcoming IPOs, evaluating everything from institutional float to lock-up expiration risks.
  5. Relational Capital – Relationships are our strongest currency. From boardroom conversations to pre-IPO placements, we’ve cultivated elite networks across the venture and investment landscape.

The Next Big Moves: IPOs We’re Watching


At Carbonado, our watchlist isn’t based on buzz—it’s based on what we believe will become blue-chip within five years. Here are three IPOs we’re currently assessing for potential early-stage entry:


  • Stripe – With the global rise in digital payments and fintech infrastructure, Stripe’s fundamentals signal long-term market dominance. We’re closely examining valuation-to-revenue multiples compared to peers like PayPal and Adyen.
  • Databricks – The future of AI and enterprise data is here. As a platform for unifying data analytics and machine learning, Databricks offers unmatched scalability.
  • Reddit – Controversial, yes—but community engagement equals monetizable attention. With a growing ad model and strong Gen Z/Millennial adoption, we’re bullish on its niche advertising potential.


Why I’m Long on TKO Group Holdings



I don’t just follow trends—I bet on cultural megatrends. That’s why TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), the powerhouse behind WWE and UFC, is one of my most conviction-heavy holdings right now.


Here’s why:


  • Sports Entertainment is Undervalued – While traditional sports like the NFL and NBA garner massive valuations, combat sports have been historically underpriced. TKO brings two global brands under one umbrella with scalable media rights and global tour potential.
  • Monetization Muscle – With a combined library of over 100,000 hours of content and new streaming deals ahead, TKO has a built-in subscription and licensing empire waiting to explode.
  • Brand Loyalty + Global Reach – UFC and WWE are not niche. They’re multigenerational brands with rabid fanbases across North America, South America, the Middle East, and Asia.
  • Underrated Synergies – TKO’s merger allows for cost optimization, talent cross-promotion, and greater media leverage across pay-per-view, OTT, and live event revenue streams.


Despite market noise, I believe TKO will outperform even its forward-looking statements, especially when paired with upcoming international expansion and digital monetization plans.



Final Thoughts

Building Carbonado Capital Investments into a $700M+ hedge fund wasn’t just about the math—it was about the mindset. I’ve always believed that real wealth comes from clarity, courage, and calculated risks.


Today, we’re not only outperforming the market—we’re shaping it.


If you’re looking for a hedge fund that understands the pulse of global markets while maintaining unshakable principles, welcome to Carbonado.



— Gregory A. Thomas, Ph.D., MBA, BA, BAS

Founder & Advisory Partner, Carbonado Capital Investments

COO, Global Hair 4U | Managing Partner, Thomas & Thomas Holdings | Author of Investing for Beginners: Diversifying Is a Must


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Blueprint for Generational Wealth—A Personal Reflection on My Father’s Financial Masterpiece

-
Image
  By Kylie Thomas Growing up, I had a front-row seat to a lesson most people spend a lifetime trying to learn—how to build real, lasting wealth. Not the kind of wealth that comes and goes with a good job or a market boom, but the kind built on discipline, strategy, and the unwavering belief that no matter where you start, you can finish wealthy. That’s the legacy my father, Dr. Gregory A. Thomas, is leaving through his groundbreaking new series, The Wealth Blueprint Series. Over the next year, this six-part financial education collection will guide readers from their very first investment to mastering advanced strategies once reserved for Wall Street boardrooms. As his daughter, I’ve seen firsthand the heart behind this work. My father built Carbonado Capital Investments into a $700 million hedge fund during some of the most volatile financial periods in history—including the COVID-19 pandemic. While the world panicked, he remained calm. He didn’t just protect wealth; he grew ...
Read more

Don’t Panic—Why Long-Term Investors Should Stay the Course

-
Image
  By Carla Mendosa, Financial Columnist In a world fueled by algorithmic trades, geopolitical headlines, and social media hysteria, it’s easy to feel like every market fluctuation is a signal to act. But for one of the country’s most forward-thinking investment strategists, this week’s market jitters are not a cause for panic—but a call for perspective. “The stock market is not broken. Your patience might be.” That quote comes from Dr. Gregory A. Thomas, Ph.D., MBA, BA, BAS, founder and Advisory Partner of Carbonado Capital Investments, a hedge fund managing over $700 million in assets under management. He’s also the author of the highly anticipated financial textbook Investing for Beginners: Diversifying Is a Must, releasing this May. Weathering the Storms—Including a Pandemic Dr. Thomas isn’t your average economist. He’s a strategist who made his mark by navigating one of the most uncertain financial periods in modern history—the COVID-19 pandemic—without missing a beat. His...
Read more