Who Owns Highmount Capital?

Illian, Flucke, and Hawkins launched Highmount Capital in January 2023, announcing the venture on LinkedIn as a growth and venture firm focused on early growth-stage and middle-market investments in transformative technology, media, and growth-oriented platforms. The three partners brought more than 50 years of combined investing and operating experience, and the firm states its partners have invested more than $1 billion across their careers.

The firm's defining public transaction came early. In April 2024, Highmount committed a nine-figure growth investment, reported by sources at between $100 million and $300 million, to Dude Perfect, the founder-owned YouTube sports entertainment company. The deal was Dude Perfect's first institutional capital and positioned Highmount as the company's minority partner in building out a broader media business, including the hiring of CEO Andrew Yaffe later that year.

Highmount operates a concentrated portfolio, with PitchBook tracking a small number of investments across technology-enabled companies, media, healthcare, financial services, business services, and leisure and sports. The firm describes its approach as long-term partnership with founders rather than conventional private equity control.