Finance Career and Source of Capital
Strength of lead: Moderate — circumstantial, based on timeline gaps in public record
Summary
Mark Shooter ran a hedge fund that lost 40% in 2007 and closed. Yet by November 2010, he had incorporated his first property company (Kingscroft Estates), and over the following decade built a multi-property empire with offshore corporate structures. The source of capital for this transition is not explained by public records. His family connections in finance — brothers at Brevan Howard and Credit Suisse, school contemporary Alan Howard (£2.5B net worth) — provide potential sources but no documented flows.
Career Timeline
| Period | Activity | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1991–1993 | Assistant Actuary, R Watson | Entry-level |
| 1993–1995 | Derivatives trader, UBS/O’Connor | — |
| 1997 | Independent floor trader (LIFFE “local”) | — |
| 1997–2004 | Managed account within Kyte Group | ”Consistently profitable” |
| 2004–2007 | Shooter Fund Management (volatility arbitrage) | Lost 40%, closed |
| 2006 | Intermatch Brokers LLP (Kyte Group entity) | 4-month involvement |
| 2011 | Sequoia Capital Fund Management LLP | 4.5-month involvement |
| Nov 2010 | Kingscroft Estates LLP incorporated | Property empire begins |
| 2014–2015 | Silverlake Estates LLP, Saxon Square Christchurch | Expansion with offshore entities |
| 2019–2022 | Baumarkt, Gold Wynn, Heathrow House, Centric House, PDI series | Rapid expansion |
The Question
The hedge fund lost 40% in 2007. Assuming Shooter had personal capital invested (the Fimat press release says he committed “substantial” personal capital), this would have been significantly impaired. Yet within three years he was building a property portfolio that:
- Included offshore entities in Jersey and BVI
- Generated £84,000/year rent from a single Camden property
- Grew to include 26 declared company interests by 2025
- Involved partnerships with Gold Wynn (international real estate group)
Where did the capital come from? Possible explanations:
- Retained profits from the 1997–2004 LIFFE trading period (Kyte Group managed account)
- Family wealth (father Alan Shooter was involved in the Charitable Foundation)
- The FX portfolio at Shooter Fund performed well (34% return in 2007) — if profits were extracted before the equity book collapsed
- Karajan Ltd (personal investment vehicle) may hold assets from earlier career
- The offshore entities (Geonnais, Solarstone, London & Midlands) may represent external capital from unidentified investors
- Connections through the Hasmonean network (Alan Howard, Noam Gottesman) or brothers (Simon at Brevan Howard, Ben at Credit Suisse)
The Hasmonean Finance Network
- Alan Howard: Brevan Howard, £2.5B net worth, CFI director, £1.6M Tory donor, Israel property
- Noam Gottesman: GLG Partners co-founder, sold for $1.6B
- Mark Shooter: Shooter Fund Management, lost 40%
- Simon Shooter: Started career at Brevan Howard; stint at Shooter Fund Management
- Ben Shooter: Global head FX sales at Credit Suisse; Brevan Howard was biggest client (~$100M/year in sales credits)
All attended the same Orthodox Jewish school in Hendon.
Sources: Euromoney; Fimat/SocGen Press Release
Strategic Value
- The source-of-capital question is circumstantial but legitimate — a fund manager who lost 40% rapidly rebuilding a multi-property empire with offshore structures is unusual
- The Hasmonean network provides colour but no smoking gun
- This thread is best used as context/background for other findings rather than as a standalone story
- FOI or financial disclosure requests could potentially illuminate the capital flows