Early Life and Education
José E. Feliciano was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He emphasized the importance of education from a young age, instilled by his family. He graduated from Princeton University with a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering in 1994. He later received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Rise to Success
Feliciano's career began in investment banking, working in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance groups at Goldman Sachs. He served as Chief Financial Officer at govWorks, Inc.. In 2006, Feliciano co-founded Clearlake Capital with Behdad Eghbali. Clearlake Capital has become a leading private equity firm. The firm's headquarters is in Santa Monica, California.
Key Business Strategies
Clearlake Capital focuses on private equity, credit, and related strategies, investing in both private and public transactions across the capital structure. The firm makes control investments, including buyouts, divestitures, recapitalizations, and reorganizations. Their approach includes targeting market dislocations, underperforming industries, and companies at various stages of the economic cycle. Clearlake Capital is known for its investments in the technology, industrial, and consumer sectors. Feliciano and Clearlake joined a consortium to acquire Chelsea Football Club in 2022.
Philanthropy
Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, co-founded the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative in 2014. This organization focuses on education, entrepreneurship, equity, and empowerment. They have committed over $200 million to these efforts. Feliciano serves on the boards of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Robert Toigo Foundation, LA28, and others.