Gabrielle “Ellie” Rubenstein is following in the footsteps of her famous father, Carlyle Group founder David Rubenstein—but with a specific niche.
Rubenstein, who cofounded Manna Tree Partners in 2018, calls her company “an asset management firm committed to providing consumers with a more transparent food supply chain from production to plate.” Manna Tree’s focus: founder- or family-led companies with annual revenues of $10 million to $50 million.
A self-described outdoorswoman, Rubenstein has long had an interest in nutrition. After graduating from Harvard in 2010, she studied agriculture economics and agribusiness management in a joint program at Purdue and Indiana. Later, she worked at the Rubenstein family office, Declaration Capital, on food investments.
With a 10 percent stake from her father, Rubenstein and cofounders Ross Iverson and Brent Drever launched Manna Tree, which is based in Vail, Colo. Its first investment was Vital Farms, a purveyor of pasture-raised eggs and butter. The firm has since put money into a company called MycoTechnology, which describes itself as a “mushroom fermentation platform,” and Nutriati, which develops and commercializes plant-based ingredients.
