Bert Jr

Bert A. "B.J." Kobayashi, Jr. is the Chairman, CEO, and Founder of BlackSand Capital, a Honolulu-based real estate private equity firm he established in 2010. He is also a founding partner and senior partner of Kobayashi Group, part of a multi-generational Hawai'i real estate and construction family legacy that traces back to Albert Chikanobu Kobayashi, Inc. Over a career spanning roughly two-plus decades, he has been involved in more than $5 billion of real estate transactions across hotels, residential, retail, land, and mixed-use developments, with expertise in private equity investment, acquisitions, project origination, and construction/permanent and mezzanine debt financing.

He was educated at Punahou School in Honolulu, then earned an International Business degree from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business (including the Oxford University–Georgetown Business Program) and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

Beyond investing, Kobayashi has held numerous civic and board roles. He has served on the Georgetown University Board of Regents, as a former board member of Hawaiian Electric Company, a former trustee of the Hawaiian Tax-Free Trust, and was appointed to the 2011 APEC Host Committee (co-chairing its Budget and Finance sub-committee) by the late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye. He co-founded the GIFT Foundation of Hawaii and serves with the Shane Victorino Foundation and Inspire the Keiki Foundation. He was named a 2007 Pacific Business News Young Business Leader of the Year and one of Hawaii Business Magazine's "25 People for the Next 25 Years."

• Invests primarily in Hawai'i real estate, positioning BlackSand as a local specialist "distinguished by its integrity, creativity, and intimate knowledge of and commitment to the Hawai'i market."
• Six stated investment categories: direct real estate, distressed debt, real estate development, land acquisition, real estate companies, and operating real estate companies.
• Leverages a multi-generational family legacy and deep local relationships to source "rare market opportunities" that outside investors typically can't access.
• Property types span hospitality/hotels, residential, retail/commercial, land, and mixed-use developments.
• Note: Despite the "angel/seed" label in the stub data, no evidence was found of Kobayashi making early-stage startup/venture angel investments; his activity is real estate private equity.