Jose E. Feliciano built his fortune by co-founding Clearlake Capital in 2006 after an investment-banking and special-situations career, then scaling the firm from three employees and a $182 million first fund into a global alternative-asset manager with more than $185 billion under management by 2026. [1][2][3]
He entered finance professionally before starting Clearlake
Feliciano began his career in investment banking, later worked at the failed dot-com company govWorks and then joined Tennenbaum Capital Partners, where he developed experience in special situations, credit and turnarounds before striking out on his own. [3]
In a 2024 interview, Feliciano described meeting future co-founder Behdad Eghbali through transactions involving Tennenbaum and TPG. Their shared deal experience became the foundation for Clearlake rather than an inherited investment firm or family office. [3]
Clearlake says the firm was founded in 2006 with three employees and a $182 million first fund. The small initial organization and institutional fundraising model place Feliciano's wealth creation squarely in building an investment-management franchise from an early-stage base. [2]
Scaling the management company created the core of his billionaire fortune
Clearlake expanded through successive private-equity and credit funds, reaching roughly $90 billion of assets under management in 2025 and more than $185 billion in 2026 after acquiring Pathway Capital Management, a dramatic increase from the firm's first fund. [2]
Forbes identifies private equity as Feliciano's source of wealth and lists him as a self-made billionaire, while Clearlake continues to identify him as co-founder and managing partner. His fortune is therefore tied to founder ownership and carried economics in an investment firm he helped create and scale rather than to inherited capital. [1][2]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Oct 6, 2026.
- Jose E. Feliciano · Forbes · Mar 10, 2026
- About Us · Clearlake Capital Group
- Q&A with Jose E. Feliciano, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Clearlake Capital Group · National Association of Investment Companies · Oct 16, 2024
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