Navigator shakes off Blue Owl pain to bet $145m on Canadian AI firm
The ASX-listed GP staking shop has been unfairly caught on the wrong side of the AI trade dominating markets. Now it’s playing offence.
After finding itself caught on the wrong side of the AI mania sweeping through markets, Navigator Global Investments has stopped playing defence and gone on the attack.
On Monday the GP-staking firm, backed by New York private equity giant Blue Owl and favoured by Australia’s smart money set, bought 4.5% of Canadian growth equity firm Georgian for USD100 million ($145 million). Georgian specialises in AI investments across the stack, and also operates an AI lab that works closely with its portfolio companies.
“This is a private market firm that differentiates our portfolio and diversifies it,” chief executive Stephen Darke told Capital Brief. “It’s pretty bespoke and a very clever, innovative structure.”
Founded in 2008, the Toronto-based technology investment manager specialises in business to business AI, from infrastructure to cybersecurity and developer tools. It notably backed e-commerce darling Shopify early.
