Samara Shepherd
Samara Shepherd is a partner in the Investment Funds practice in the Houston office. Her practice primarily focuses on representing private fund sponsors in the formation, structuring and operation of private equity funds, management companies and other related entities. Samara advises both established and emerging fund managers, including guiding first-time fund managers through the complexities of launching their inaugural funds, offering tailored strategies and practical solutions to address the unique challenges those emerging sponsors face. Her experience spans a broad spectrum of fund sizes, structures, and strategies, including sponsors that are focused on growth and buyout thematic investments. She also advises fund managers on a variety of general corporate counseling matters, management company events, secondary transactions and fund-related aspects of M&A transactions, including co-investment arrangements, and other key operational considerations.
Experience Highlights
AEA Investors LP in the formation of AEA Growth Equity Fund, an inaugural $384 million growth equity fund
AEA Investors LP in the formation of AEA Investors Fund VII, a $4.8 billion middle market focused private equity fund
AEA Investors LP in the formation of AEA Investors Fund VIII, a $5.25 billion middle market focused private equity fund
AEA Investors LP in the formation of AEA Investors SBF IV, a $877 million lower middle market focused private equity fund
AEA Investors LP in the formation of AEA Investors SBF V, a $1.3 billion lower middle market focused private equity fund
Basin Oil and Gas Management, LP in the formation of Basin Acquisition Fund II, a mineral and royalty interests fund
Beecken Petty O’Keefe and Company in the formation of BPOC Fund V, a $400 million healthcare buyout fund
BPGC Management in the formation of a special purpose vehicle to acquire the Clean Technologies business of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. for $510 million
Cibolo Energy Partners in the formation of Cibolo Energy Partners II LP, a $279 million private debt fund focused on providing growth capital to upstream and midstream energy companies
Eir Partners Capital, LLC in the formation of Eir Partners Investment Program II, a $496 million middle market private equity investment program focused on healthcare technology and tech-enabled services
Frontenac Company in the formation of Frontenac Capital XII, a $520 million middle market focused private equity fund
Frontenac Company in the formation of a continuation fund to fund future growth initiatives of portfolio company, Motion & Control Enterprises, a leading industrial distributor and services provider of highly engineered, full lifecycle fluid, flow, automation and air solutions
Greenbelt Capital Partners in the formation of a continuation fund vehicle involving an energy producer
InfraRed Capital Partners in the formation of InfraRed Energy Transition Fund, an open-end energy infrastructure fund
JP Morgan Private Capital in the formation of 270 Life Sciences Private Capital Fund I, an inaugural $500 million biotechnology venture capital fund
MFG Partners in the formation of MFG Partners Fund I, a $299 million inaugural private equity fund focused on closely held lower-middle market industrial companies
Mountain Capital Management in the formation of Mountain Capital Partners II, a $500 million middle-market energy fund
NGP Energy Capital Management, L.L.C. in the formation of NGP Energy Transition Fund IV, a $700 million energy transition fund
NGP Energy Capital Management, L.L.C. in the formation of NGP Natural Resources XII, a $4.3 billion oil and gas fund
NGP Energy Capital Management, L.L.C. in the formation of NGP Natural Resources XIII, a $2.5 billion oil and gas fund
NGP Energy Capital Management, L.L.C. in the formation of NGP Royalty Partners II, a $527 million U.S. oil and gas minerals and royalties fund
NGP Energy Capital Management, L.L.C. in the formation of various co-investment vehicles, side cars and funds of one
Stronghold Investment Partners in the formation of SRP Ventures 2020, LP, an energy and natural resources fund
The Sterling Group in the formation of Sterling Group Partners V, a $2 billion operationally focused middle market private equity firm
Ubiquity Management in the formation of a new joint venture with Montage, Generate Capital and others to operate and expand Ubiquity’s sustainable infrastructure business
Credentials
- Vanderbilt Law School, J.D., 2015 (Vanderbilt Moot Court Board Notes Editor, Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law, Law and Business Certificate)
- Florida State University, B.S., Finance, summa cum laude, 2012 (Honors College)
- Texas
- Florida