Family offices are clamoring for AI investments

Family of wealth managers in the United States are shifting their allocation strategy toward artificial‑intelligence startups because the upside appears more immediate than traditional long‑term assets. Djoann Fal, Atlas Capital’s family‑office advisor, explained that when a fund can triple an investment in three months versus three years, the decision is “obviously” to choose the faster return, and that the new wave of offices is bypassing blind‑pool venture funds to acquire existing shares or negotiate direct deals. This approach gives them exposure to high‑growth firms without ceding control for a decade and lets them “chase single‑name deals” with the capital they have.

The size of the market is growing. According to a 2024 Deloitte report, family offices oversee $5.5 trillion, a figure projected to reach at least $9.5 trillion by 2030. UBS’s 2026 Global Family Office Report found that 307 offices worldwide, with an average net worth of $2.7 billion, allocate 42 % of their portfolios to alternative assets such as private equity, venture capital and private credit. Direct‑investment activity climbed to 13 % of the average portfolio in 2021, but fell 53 % in the following eighteen months; by early 2025 the overall deal volume hit a decade‑low before rebounding. Fal’s own work illustrates the trend: he attracted $50‑$100 million from clients willing to pay primary‑style prices for secondary stakes in Anthropic, one of the most sought‑after AI companies.

Globally, 65 % of family offices plan to prioritize AI investments, according to a J.P. Morgan Private Bank report, even as concerns about inflated valuations and macro‑economic uncertainty persist. Investors are balancing the potential of AI as a long‑term growth engine with diversification across regions, currencies and asset classes to mitigate concentration risk. The risk appetite is high, and while some remain skeptical, many are fully committed to the sector, prioritizing returns over caution.