Kennedy Lewis Closes $2.1 Billion Fund, Doubling Initial Target

(Bloomberg) -- Kennedy Lewis Investment Management has closed its latest credit fund after raising $2.1 billion, more than double its initial target, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The fund is focused on lending to mid-sized companies experiencing disruption and encountered strong investor demand as Covid-19 roiled the economy, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing private information. KLIM has already deployed more than half of the money in the vehicle, the people added.

Credit funds are in vogue once again thanks to the pandemic, with investors hoping to cash in on Covid’s business disruptions. In that realm, opportunities abound: last year saw the most large corporate bankruptcy filings since the financial crisis in 2009.

Read more: Credit funds from Apollo to Diameter tally big gains in 2020

A KLIM-backed blank-check company separately raised more than $250 million this week, regulatory filings show. Helmed by Doug Logigian, the entity will look to acquire a health-care business, according to the filings.

New York-based KLIM was founded in 2017 by David Chene, who formerly led U.S. distressed debt at CarVal Investors, and Darren Richman, a former executive at GSO Capital Partners, which is now known as Blackstone Credit.

A representative for KLIM declined to comment.

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