StepStone Group
StepStone Group Inc. is a global private markets firm founded in 2007 and headquartered in New York City, specializing in customized investment solutions, advisory services, and data-driven insights for institutional investors, high-net-worth individuals, and other clients seeking access to private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and other alternative assets.[1][2][3] As of September 30, 2025, the firm manages $209 billion in assets under management and has responsibility for a total of $771 billion in capital across its programs, supported by over 1,240 employees operating from 31 offices in 19 countries.[4][5] StepStone's offerings include tailored asset management programs that leverage proprietary research, analytics, and a global network of limited partners and general partners to identify opportunities and mitigate risks in private markets.[3][6] The firm emphasizes responsible investing, innovation through technology like its SPI data platform for deal-level insights, and an entrepreneurial culture that fosters collaboration among specialists to deliver superior outcomes for clients worldwide.[7][3] StepStone Group Inc. became a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "STEP" on September 16, 2020, reflecting its growth from a boutique advisor to a leading player in the private markets ecosystem.[1][2][8]Overview
Founding and Early Development
StepStone Group was founded in 2007 in La Jolla, California, by Monte Brem and Thomas Keck, along with Jose A. Fernandez, to capitalize on the growing demand for specialized private markets expertise among institutional investors.[9] The founders brought substantial prior experience from Pacific Corporate Group LLC, a private equity investment firm, where Brem had served as president from 2002 to 2005, overseeing global fund investments, and Keck had been a managing director from 2005 to 2006.[10] Their backgrounds in private equity positioned them to address the increasing complexity and global nature of private markets, driven by the proliferation of fund managers and specialized strategies at the time.[11] From its inception, StepStone focused on delivering customized advisory and allocation services tailored to the needs of institutional clients seeking exposure to private markets, including private equity, infrastructure, private debt, and real estate.[11] This approach emphasized providing investors with precise due diligence, research, and solutions amid rising allocations to alternative assets, reflecting the founders' recognition of evolving investor sophistication and the demand for non-standardized investment structures.[12] The firm's early operations were rooted in helping clients navigate the challenges of private markets, such as manager selection and portfolio construction, without direct competition from in-house capabilities at many institutions.[13] As StepStone expanded in its initial years, it relocated its primary headquarters to New York City at 450 Lexington Avenue to better serve East Coast clients and access key financial hubs.[11] This shift from La Jolla supported the firm's growth into a more globally oriented operation while maintaining a presence in California.[14]Business Operations and Services
StepStone Group operates as a global private markets investment firm, serving as a leading allocator of capital to private equity, real assets, and private debt strategies. The firm provides customized investment solutions, advisory services, and data-driven insights to help clients access opportunities across the private markets spectrum.[3][7] The company's client base primarily consists of institutional investors, such as pension funds, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, and foundations, which seek sophisticated portfolio allocation in illiquid assets. Additionally, StepStone offers private wealth solutions tailored for high-net-worth individuals, enabling access to private markets through structured products and evergreen strategies.[5][3] Key services include portfolio construction, manager due diligence, risk management, and advanced data analytics delivered via proprietary platforms like the StepStone Private Intelligence (SPI) database, which provides deal-level insights and performance forecasting. The firm's fee structure typically incorporates management fees for ongoing advisory and allocation services, alongside performance-based incentives such as carried interest in certain investment vehicles.[15][16][17] StepStone maintains a global presence with offices across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, including key locations in New York, London, and Singapore. As of September 30, 2025, the firm operates 31 offices in 19 countries and employs over 1,240 people.[4] This network facilitates diversified strategies in sectors such as infrastructure, real estate, and credit, ensuring broad exposure to high-quality opportunities worldwide.[14][18]History
Establishment and Initial Growth
StepStone Group, founded in 2007 by Monte Brem and Thomas Keck, rapidly expanded its team in the post-founding years to support operational buildup. Key early hires included Scott Hart, who joined as a Senior Associate in 2007 and advanced to partner in 2013, contributing to the firm's strategic direction in private equity. The company developed a dedicated advisory platform for institutional clients, offering tailored solutions in private markets including portfolio construction and manager selection. This expansion laid the groundwork for serving pensions, endowments, and sovereign wealth funds seeking specialized guidance. The firm's assets under advisement experienced robust growth during this period, increasing from under $10 billion in 2010 to over $50 billion by 2015, primarily through strategic client acquisitions and organic development. This expansion reflected StepStone's ability to attract major limited partners amid a recovering market environment. The overall private markets allocations achieved a 61% compound annual growth rate since inception, underscoring the firm's early momentum.[11] StepStone positioned itself as a dedicated specialist in private markets, distinguishing from broader asset managers by addressing the surging demand from limited partners for in-depth expertise. From its outset, the firm emphasized both primary fund commitments and secondary transactions, enabling clients to navigate complex allocation decisions in illiquid assets. During the 2008 financial crisis, StepStone overcame market volatility by prioritizing conservative allocation strategies, including opportunistic investments in secondaries that capitalized on distressed opportunities in real estate and private equity. This approach allowed the firm to maintain stability and build resilience in its early operations.Key Milestones and Acquisitions
In 2016, StepStone Group's total assets under management and advisement reached approximately $116 billion, reflecting steady growth in its core private markets advisory and investment services amid increasing institutional demand.[11] The firm began expanding its European footprint that year, building on its London presence to strengthen relationships with regional clients and general partners.[11] A pivotal milestone came in 2019 with the launch of a dedicated private wealth platform, designed to democratize access to private equity and other alternative investments for high-net-worth individuals and family offices through tailored fund structures.[19] In 2017, StepStone opened new offices in Zurich and Luxembourg, enhancing its capacity to serve European institutional investors and support cross-border deal sourcing.[11] StepStone became a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment in 2013 and formed a dedicated Responsible Investment Committee that year.[11] Notable inorganic growth occurred in 2018 through the acquisition of Courtland Partners, Ltd., a specialized real estate investment manager, which integrated advanced data analytics and advisory capabilities into StepStone's platform and added roughly $90 billion in assets under advisement.[20] This move bolstered the firm's real estate expertise and enabled more comprehensive data-driven insights for clients navigating complex market dynamics.[11] Further European scaling followed with office openings in Dublin and Rome, facilitating deeper partnerships with local general partners for co-investment opportunities in private equity and infrastructure.[11] In 2019, StepStone entered the Asian markets more actively by establishing strategic collaborations with regional general partners, providing co-investment access and customized solutions for Asia-Pacific institutional clients without a physical office at the time.[11] The firm also opened offices in Charlotte and Lima, diversifying its global network to 19 locations across 13 countries and supporting expanded advisory services.[11] These partnerships emphasized co-investment pipelines with general partners, allowing StepStone to secure preferential terms on high-conviction deals in buyouts and growth equity.[21] By mid-2020, these strategic developments propelled StepStone's assets under management to approximately $66 billion, achieved through a mix of organic fundraising and diversified offerings in primary funds, secondaries, and co-investments.[11] This pre-IPO scaling underscored the firm's evolution into a comprehensive private markets solutions provider.[11]Initial Public Offering and Post-IPO Developments
StepStone Group filed its S-1 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in August 2020, marking the initial step toward its public listing.[11] The company priced its initial public offering (IPO) on September 16, 2020, offering 17.5 million shares of Class A common stock at $18 per share on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol STEP.[22] The offering closed on September 18, 2020, after underwriters exercised their full option to purchase an additional 2.625 million shares, resulting in a total of 20.125 million shares sold and gross proceeds of approximately $362 million.[23] Following the IPO, StepStone transitioned to operating as a public company, adopting enhanced governance standards to align with SEC requirements and Nasdaq listing rules. This included implementing rigorous quarterly and annual reporting obligations, such as Form 10-Q and 10-K filings, to provide greater transparency to shareholders.[24] The company also expanded its board of directors to include additional independent members, progressing toward full compliance with non-controlled company governance criteria, including majority independent board composition and separate audit, compensation, and nominating committees.[25] Key post-IPO developments included strategic acquisitions and product innovations to bolster its private markets capabilities. In September 2021, StepStone completed the acquisition of Greenspring Associates, a venture capital and growth equity specialist, adding approximately $9.5 billion in fee-earning assets under management (AUM) and enhancing its expertise in early-stage investments.[26] In 2022, the firm launched the StepStone Private Venture and Growth Fund (SPRING), an evergreen fund providing diversified access to venture capital and growth equity opportunities for private wealth investors.[27] By 2025, StepStone formed significant partnerships, including a June collaboration with FTSE Russell to develop global private market indices using StepStone's extensive fund data, culminating in the October launch of daily fund-level benchmarks across private equity, infrastructure, and real estate.[28] Additionally, in September 2025, StepStone partnered with Kroll to introduce private credit benchmarks, leveraging loan-level data from over 15,000 deals to enable standardized performance measurement and valuation in direct lending.[29] In November 2025, StepStone Private Wealth Solutions launched the StepStone Private Equity Strategies Fund, an evergreen vehicle that raised over $750 million at inception, expanding access to private equity for high-net-worth investors.[30] The firm's private wealth solutions experienced robust growth post-IPO, reflecting increased demand for accessible private markets investments. By August 2025, StepStone Private Wealth Solutions had expanded its AUM to over $10 billion, more than doubling from the prior year through new fund launches, global partnerships, and enhanced distribution channels for evergreen products.[31] This milestone underscored StepStone's focus on democratizing private markets access for high-net-worth individuals and advisors, supported by structures like UCI Part II funds for European investors introduced in early 2025.[32]Investment Approach
Primary Fund Investments
StepStone Group's primary fund investment strategy centers on committing capital as a limited partner to newly formed funds managed by top-tier general partners (GPs) in the private markets. The firm prioritizes allocations to high-performing GPs across buyout, growth equity, and venture capital funds, leveraging its position as a leading allocator to build exclusive relationships and secure access to premier opportunities.[33] This approach enables StepStone to partner with GPs that demonstrate proven strategies and resources capable of generating superior market performance.[33] The investment process emphasizes rigorous due diligence, including approximately 5,700 manager meetings annually to evaluate potential GPs. StepStone conducts comprehensive track record analysis, risk assessments, and global sector coverage, supported by its proprietary SPI Research database, to inform decisions and ensure alignment with client objectives. Portfolio construction focuses on diversification to mitigate risks, drawing on the firm's network of 31 offices and over 410 investment professionals across five continents as of September 30, 2025.[33] This methodical evaluation integrates ESG considerations and operational reviews alongside traditional investment analysis.[34] Performance in primary fund investments is driven by a focus on long-term risk-adjusted returns, with typical fund lives spanning 10-12 years. Early years often exhibit a "J-curve" effect, where initial capital calls and fees lead to negative returns before value creation accelerates through portfolio realizations.[35] StepStone aims to optimize these dynamics by selecting GPs with strong historical outperformance.[36] Sector exposure in primary commitments is balanced across key areas such as technology, healthcare, consumer, and industrials, allowing for targeted opportunities within diverse private equity strategies. Geographically, the firm pursues global diversification, with investments spanning multiple regions to capture varied market dynamics and reduce concentration risks.[33]Secondary and Co-Investment Strategies
StepStone Group's secondary investment strategy involves acquiring limited partner (LP) interests in mature private equity funds, typically those 3-7 years post-inception with substantial investments already deployed.[37] These transactions often occur at discounts to net asset value (NAV), capitalizing on market inefficiencies, dislocations, and the liquidity needs of sellers such as endowments or family offices seeking to rebalance portfolios.[38] By purchasing these interests, StepStone provides immediate liquidity to sellers while building diversified portfolios across asset classes, geographies, vintages, and managers.[37] Key benefits of this approach include a shortened J-curve effect, as capital is deployed into funds with existing portfolios rather than waiting for new commitments to ramp up, leading to faster realization of returns and reduced early-stage negative cash flows.[38] Additionally, secondaries enhance overall portfolio liquidity in the illiquid private markets, allowing investors to exit positions without relying solely on fund distributions or GP-led restructurings like continuation vehicles.[39] StepStone's implementation leverages its platform, including over 5,700 annual general partner (GP) meetings and proprietary data, to source and evaluate opportunities competitively through brokers.[37] In 2024, the firm closed its fifth private equity secondaries program at $7.4 billion, underscoring the scale of this strategy.[40] Complementing secondaries, StepStone's co-investment strategy focuses on direct investments in portfolio companies alongside primary fund commitments, enabling participation in select deals without the full fund commitment.[41] This approach targets larger-cap transactions, often in established companies, sourced proactively through long-standing GP relationships, and typically features reduced management fees and carried interest compared to primary investments.[42] Since 2014, co-investment volumes have surged due to slower GP fundraising and increased LP invitations, with StepStone analyzing over 1,700 deals across 145 GPs to identify top-quartile opportunities.[42] In 2022, StepStone closed its fifth co-investment fund to pursue a diversified portfolio of such transactions with leading private equity firms.[43] In January 2025, the firm closed its inaugural infrastructure co-investment fund, StepStone Infrastructure Co-Investment Partners, at approximately $1.2 billion, expanding its infrastructure investment solutions.[44] Notable examples include StepStone's co-leadership of Multiverse's $220 million Series D round in June 2022, supporting the edtech platform's expansion in professional apprenticeships.[45] More recently, in October 2025, StepStone participated as an existing investor in Zepto's $450 million funding round, backing the Indian quick-commerce startup's growth at a $7 billion valuation.[46] Similarly, in March 2025, the firm joined BuildOps' $127 million Series C, contributing to the commercial services platform's achievement of unicorn status at a $1 billion valuation.[47] Risk management in both strategies emphasizes vintage diversification to mitigate exposure to specific market cycles and thorough due diligence informed by manager relationships.[37] For secondaries, StepStone spreads investments across 1,500+ portfolio companies in mature funds to balance risks like illiquidity and manager performance.[38] In co-investments, a multi-dimensional review process targets risk-adjusted returns, leveraging the firm's 210+ specialists for asset-level analysis.[41] This relational sourcing, built on decades of GP interactions, ensures access to high-quality deals while addressing potential conflicts and external risks such as economic downturns.[48]Specialized Products and Solutions
StepStone Group offers a suite of branded funds and evergreen vehicles tailored to provide accessible private markets exposure, particularly for private wealth clients seeking diversification and liquidity options. Among its key products, the StepStone Private Infrastructure Fund (STRUCTURE) focuses on generating current income and long-term capital appreciation through investments in a global portfolio of private infrastructure assets, including transportation, power, and data sectors. Similarly, the StepStone Private Venture and Growth Fund (SPRING) employs a broadly diversified, open-architecture approach to target long-term capital appreciation via venture capital and growth equity opportunities across top-tier managers. The StepStone Private Markets Fund (SPRIM) serves as a core holding, spanning private equity, real assets, and private debt to deliver index-like exposure to leading global investment managers for individual investors and smaller institutions. In November 2025, StepStone launched the StepStone Private Equity Strategies Fund (STPEX), an evergreen interval fund providing pure-play private equity exposure, which raised over $750 million at inception.[30] Complementing these, StepStone's evergreen strategies include open-ended funds with periodic liquidity provisions, designed to appeal to private wealth clients by balancing illiquid private market returns with more frequent access to capital. A prominent example is the StepStone Private Credit Income Fund (CRDEX), which provides exposure to a diversified portfolio of senior secured direct lending opportunities in private credit, emphasizing income generation and capital preservation. These vehicles operate under structures like interval funds, enabling quarterly or periodic redemptions while maintaining a focus on long-term private markets performance. StepStone's private wealth solutions extend to customized portfolios for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), incorporating tailored allocations across private equity, credit, and infrastructure to meet specific risk and return objectives. As of August 2025, these solutions have surpassed $10 billion in assets under management (AUM), reaching $10.2 billion, fueled by domestic U.S. expansion and strategic partnerships with private banks and family offices in Europe, Australia, and Asia. This growth reflects increasing demand from affluent investors for democratized access to private markets without traditional commitment periods. In addition, StepStone provides proprietary data and advisory tools to support client decision-making in specialized areas. Its StepStone Private Markets Intelligence (SPI) platform delivers comprehensive analytics for private markets benchmarking, while recent collaborations, such as the 2025 launch of Kroll StepStone Private Credit Benchmarks with Kroll, offer loan-level data across over 15,000 private credit deals for precise performance evaluation in credit and infrastructure strategies. These tools enable investors to assess portfolio impacts and navigate market dynamics with data-driven insights.Leadership and Organization
Executive Management
Scott W. Hart serves as Chief Executive Officer of StepStone Group, a position he has held since January 2022, where he leads the firm's global private equity activities with a focus on co-investments and strategic direction.[49] Hart joined StepStone in 2007 after working at TPG Capital, where he concentrated on energy, consumer, and retail sectors, and at Morgan Stanley in investment banking within the consumer and retail group.[49] His leadership has emphasized expanding StepStone's private equity footprint, contributing to the firm's growth in customized investment solutions for institutional clients.[50] Jason P. Ment is President and Co-Chief Operating Officer, roles he assumed in November 2019, overseeing operational management and driving firm-wide growth initiatives.[51] Ment joined StepStone in 2010 as Partner, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer, bringing legal expertise from prior positions as General Counsel at Citi Private Equity—a $10 billion platform for equity co-investments, mezzanine, and private equity funds—and at Metalmark Capital, as well as experience in mergers and acquisitions at law firms O'Melveny & Myers LLP and McDermott Will & Emery LLP.[51] Under his guidance, StepStone has enhanced its operational infrastructure to support scalable private markets investments.[52] Jose A. Fernandez, a co-founder of StepStone in 2007, has been Co-Chief Operating Officer since November 2019, managing global operations and focusing on U.S. small-market managers and Latin American private equity investments.[53] Prior to founding the firm, Fernandez served as Managing Director and General Counsel at Pacific Corporate Group, a private equity firm for institutional investors, and worked in the private equity and investment fund group at Latham & Watkins LLP, specializing in joint ventures and pooled investment vehicles.[53] His asset management experience has shaped StepStone's international expansion and diversified strategy across emerging markets.[54] Among other key executives, Bob Long leads as CEO of StepStone Private Wealth, directing efforts to provide institutional-grade private markets access to high-net-worth individuals and financial advisors through tailored products like evergreen funds and interval structures.[55] In the secondaries space, Thomas Bradley serves as Co-Head of Private Equity Secondaries since joining in 2010, partnering with Mark Maruszewski to manage portfolios that capitalize on market dislocations for attractive risk-adjusted returns, as evidenced by the $7.4 billion close of their fifth secondaries fund in 2024.[56][57] These leaders contribute to StepStone's strategic emphasis on innovative investment strategies amid evolving private markets dynamics.Board of Directors and Governance
The Board of Directors of StepStone Group Inc. consists of nine members as of 2025, comprising a mix of independent directors and company executives with deep expertise in finance, private markets, and related fields.[58] Three of these directors—Valerie G. Brown, David F. Hoffmeister, and Anne L. Raymond—are independent, ensuring balanced oversight while the company transitions from controlled company status under Nasdaq rules, effective September 18, 2025.[58][59] Monte M. Brem, a co-founder of StepStone, has served as Chairperson of the Board since November 2019 and has provided strategic consulting services to the company as an Executive Advisor since August 1, 2023.[60] The board maintains separate leadership roles for the CEO and Chairperson to promote effective oversight.[58] StepStone's governance practices align with Nasdaq listing standards and SEC regulations, with the board operating through key committees including the Audit Committee (chaired by David F. Hoffmeister, focusing on financial reporting and internal controls), the Compensation Committee (chaired by Monte M. Brem, overseeing executive pay linked to performance metrics), and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (chaired by Scott W. Hart, handling director nominations and board composition).[58][59] The board emphasizes ESG integration, with oversight of environmental, social, and governance factors incorporated into investment due diligence, monitoring, and engagement activities.[61][62] Key policies include robust succession planning, integrated into the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee's responsibilities and tied to the CEO's annual incentive goals, as well as conflict of interest management through the Audit Committee's review of related-party transactions exceeding $120,000 and adherence to the company's Code of Conduct and Ethics.[58][59][63]Financial Performance
Assets Under Management
StepStone Group's assets under management (AUM) have exhibited steady growth since its initial public offering in September 2020, when total AUM stood at approximately $67 billion.[64] By September 30, 2025, total AUM had expanded to $209.1 billion, reflecting a 19% year-over-year increase driven by new capital inflows and market appreciation.[65] This growth includes fee-earning AUM, which reached $132.8 billion as of the same date, up 27% from the prior year and forming the basis for the firm's fee-related earnings.[66] The composition of StepStone's AUM is diversified across key alternative investment strategies, with a focus on fee-earning assets. As of September 30, 2025, private equity accounted for the largest share at $69.9 billion (approximately 53% of fee-earning AUM), followed by infrastructure at $27.0 billion (20%), private debt at $22.4 billion (17%), and real estate at $13.4 billion (10%).[66] This breakdown highlights the firm's emphasis on private equity while incorporating real assets (infrastructure and real estate, totaling 30%) and credit strategies (private debt, 17%). Fee-earning AUM encompasses both directly managed assets in separately managed accounts and commingled funds, whereas total AUM also includes advised assets where StepStone provides investment advisory services without direct management.[67] Key drivers of AUM expansion include substantial inflows from institutional clients, such as pensions and endowments, which contributed to $3.8 billion in managed account additions during the quarter ended September 30, 2025.[66] Private wealth solutions have also accelerated growth, with that segment's AUM doubling to $12.1 billion by September 30, 2025, through expanded partnerships and accessibility for high-net-worth individuals.[5] Strategic acquisitions, notably the 2021 purchase of Greenspring Associates, added approximately $22 billion in venture capital and growth equity AUM, enhancing StepStone's exposure to innovation-focused strategies.[68] Market appreciation has further bolstered total AUM, particularly in equity and real asset categories, though fee-earning AUM growth is more directly tied to capital commitments.[66]| Strategy | Fee-Earning AUM ($B, Sep 30, 2025) | Percentage of Total FEAUM |
|---|---|---|
| Private Equity | 69.9 | 53% |
| Infrastructure | 27.0 | 20% |
| Private Debt | 22.4 | 17% |
| Real Estate | 13.4 | 10% |
| Total | 132.8 | 100% |