Baran Tekkora
Partner
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- Full Name
- R. Baran Tekkora
- Title
- Partner & Head of Private Equity
- Firm
- Riverstone Holdings LLC
- Firm Type
- Private Equity (energy, power & infrastructure)
- Investment Stage
- Buyout / growth equity / control & large-minority private equity (institutional scale — not seed/angel)
- Check Size
- Large institutional equity commitments; Riverstone PE deals have ranged from hundreds of millions to multi-billion dollars (e.g., ~$1.6B and ~$2.685B transactions he led)
- Target Company Profile
- Established energy, midstream, terminals, and infrastructure platforms — operating businesses with real assets, not early-stage startups
- Sector Focus
- Energy and power; midstream and infrastructure; storage/terminals; increasingly energy transition and decarbonization
- Geographic Focus
- Primarily North America (U.S. energy/midstream), with Riverstone's broader global mandate
- Location
- New York, NY
Background
Baran Tekkora is a Partner of Riverstone Holdings and Head of the firm's Private Equity business, based in New York. He joined Riverstone in 2005 and has focused on the firm's private equity activity, leading many of Riverstone's investments in the midstream and infrastructure sectors. Riverstone Holdings is an energy- and power-focused private equity firm founded in 2000 (by David Leuschen and Pierre Lapeyre), managing roughly $24 billion across multiple investment funds.
Before joining Riverstone, Tekkora spent nearly a decade at Goldman Sachs in the Natural Resources Group, which he joined in 1996. He rose to Vice President and focused on all segments of the energy and power industry, covering client coverage, M&A and strategic advisory, and capital markets work. He served as the group's "sector captain" for the midstream/infrastructure segment and completed a one-year assignment in London covering industrial and natural resources clients.
He received his B.A. from Hamilton College in New York. Over his career at Riverstone he has held board/director roles tied to portfolio companies, including entities such as Lucid Energy Group II and other midstream platforms the firm has owned.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Invests through Riverstone's private equity funds in energy, power, midstream and infrastructure — control and large-scale equity positions in operating asset-heavy businesses, not venture/seed checks.
- Focus on terminals and storage, gas processing/midstream, and infrastructure that can be operationally improved to deliver returns; Riverstone "has a long-standing track record owning and operating terminal assets."
- On the IMTT deal he stated: *"Riverstone has a long-standing track record owning and operating terminal assets, and we are excited about the opportunities at IMTT to drive growth and performance to deliver attractive returns to our investors."*
- Increasingly oriented toward the energy transition / decarbonization: he has argued that as the energy transition accelerates there will be strong demand for midstream infrastructure that is environmentally progressive and lower-carbon, and that much existing midstream infrastructure can be repurposed for the transition (citing IMTT's dual focus on traditional energy and decarbonization products).
- Notes the industry has shifted to a business model focused on return of capital with responsible capital expenditures.
Notable Investments
- International-Matex Tank Terminals (IMTT) — Bulk liquid storage terminals business; Riverstone agreed to acquire it from Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation for ~$2.685 billion (announced Nov 9, 2020). Tekkora led/championed the deal.
- Lucid Energy Group II — Largest privately held natural gas processor in the Permian (Delaware Basin); Riverstone Global Energy and Power Fund VI and Goldman Sachs acquired the Delaware Basin business for ~$1.6 billion (2018). Tekkora was a director of Lucid Energy Group II.
- Lucid Energy exit — Targa Resources acquired Lucid Energy from Riverstone and Goldman Sachs Asset Management for $3.55 billion (2022), a notable realized outcome.
- Reported director roles at additional Riverstone-backed energy companies (e.g., Bridger and Abaco Energy Technologies) per aggregator profiles.
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