When I Grow up, I Wanna Be Like Him.. (In Memory Of David Bonderman)

Musings of a VC Founder

16/12/2024

Dear Diary,

Growing up, I read in awe, the exciting cut-throat and immensely stressful work done by the pioneers of private equity. Among the titans of PE, one name stood out – David Bonderman. David Bonderman was seen by many as a “Polymath”, transiting effortlessly between legal practice and private equity and conservation works of historical monuments.

Perhaps deep in me, there is a voice shouting out loud “I Wanna Grow Up and Be Like Him!”.

This was a man who so called stumbled into investment when approached by a Texan billionaire to help run his family office. And this was a man who had this great co-founding partner, Jim Coulter who complemented him so well I just feel not everyone is born the same (when it comes to luck in securing partners!). Now this was also the man who enjoyed problem solving drawing from a toolbox of skill sets acquired across different fields and domains.

This man could look at the same deal everyone saw and passed, we would do it and create a miracle out of the impossible – Remember how Continental went from most hated to the best in 7 years? Remember how TPG brought bank rescue frameworks to East Asia and helped clean banking messes in the East Asian economies in the late 1990s having done so with the Savings & Loans crisis in USA (and developed TPG’s unique financial institution restructuring and rescue frameworks).

I thought, I seriously thought, if I work hard and be a little someone, perhaps I could have a chance to be his friend – anecdotal examples of how he mingles and mix well with people from all walks of life and had this never-dying curiosity in people and their welfare. Now with his passing, I just collected another dream that would never come true. 

Now, how do you, in PE, not wanna grow up and be like him?