About Us › Our Story
Our story

Built for conviction.

From a single strategy to a global, multi-franchise platform — Polen Capital’s story is one of patient growth, principled leadership, and an unwavering commitment to our clients.
Colleagues collaborating in an office
Our mission

Our Mission is to empower exceptional investment teams to deliver outstanding outcomes for clients.
Our vision

To build an enduring platform where independent investment teams thrive, long-term convictions deliver for clients, and success reaches the colleagues and communities closest to us.

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We exist to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients — powered by teams that control their own portfolios and invest with conviction, backed by the infrastructure of an institutional platform, and united by an ownership culture that aligns our interests with our clients.
Our brand promise
The beginning

A founder's conviction.

In 1979, David Polen founded the firm in New York with a singular thesis: that owning a concentrated portfolio of the highest-quality businesses — and holding them for the long term — was the surest path to wealth creation and preservation.

A decade later, in 1989, that conviction crystallized into the Focus Growth Strategy — Polen’s flagship. The approach was deliberately contrarian: invest in just 15 to 25 companies with strong sustainable growth, and hold them. No chasing momentum. No following the herd. From 1989 to 2020, that discipline compounded at approximately 15% annually.

In 2002, the firm relocated its headquarters to Boca Raton, Florida, establishing the base from which it would grow into a global platform over the next two decades.
Founding principles
High conviction
Own the best, not the most. Concentrated portfolios of 15-25 names.
Quality-first
Invest only in businesses with sustainable competitive advantages and strong growth potential.
Long-term holding
Low turnover, patient capital. Years, not months.
Preservation and growth
Growing clients' money also means protecting it.
A new chapter

From boutique to platform.

The firm’s founding era ended in 2012 when David Polen passed away. But the business foundation and next generation of leadership were already in place. Over the next decade, the firm began a deliberate transformation from a single-strategy boutique to a multi-strategy global asset manager.

The principles of investment team autonomy and robust centralized distribution and operational support with clear separation and accountability were refined and built. Onboarding of new teams and acquisitions followed.
Professional walking through a modern office
Strategic partnership

In 2016, London-based iM Global Partner (then iM Square) acquired a 20% equity stake in Polen Capital — providing global distribution capabilities and a strategic partnership that would accelerate Polen’s international expansion while preserving the firm’s independence and investment autonomy.
Expanding the platform

Building through strategic acquisitions.

Each expansion has followed the same playbook: find an exceptional team with a proven track record and compatible culture, bring them onto the platform with full investment autonomy, and give them the institutional infrastructure to do their best work.
2022
Credit

Acquisition of DDJ Capital Management

Polen acquired DDJ Capital Management, a Boston-based high-yield credit specialist founded in 1996, managing over $8.3 billion in assets. The DDJ team — led by founder David Breazzano — became Polen Capital’s fourth autonomous investment franchise and was rebranded as Polen Capital Credit. The acquisition marked Polen’s expansion beyond growth equity into the leveraged credit markets, including high yield bonds, syndicated bank loans, private credit, and special situations.
2025
Growth Equity

5Perspectives Growth team joins Polen

Polen onboarded the 5Perspectives Growth team, adding a multi-discipline growth equity franchise investing across the capitalization spectrum. The team employs a differentiated process integrating fundamental, thematic, and technical perspectives to identify emerging opportunities sooner.
2025
European Credit

Launch of European and Global High Yield strategies

Polen and iM Global Partner launched a European High Yield strategy, led by Ben Pakenham and a team previously responsible for managing more than $2 billion in European and Global High Yield assets.
2026
International Equity

New International Equity franchise established at Polen

Experienced four-person investment team led by Ajoy Reddi establishes a new International Equity franchise. The team brings a long-term track record and applies a disciplined investment approach centered on identifying inflection points in fundamentally attractive businesses globally.
Ownership

Employee-owned. Client-aligned.

As an employee-owned organization, our interests are directly aligned with those we serve. We take responsibility for outcomes, hold ourselves accountable, and invest meaningfully alongside our clients.
72%
Employee-owned
20%
iM Global Partner
8%
Polen Family Trust
Timeline

Key milestones.

1979
Founded in New York by David Polen
1989
Launch of Focus Growth Strategy
2002
Headquarters moved to Boca Raton, FL
2010
Launch of first mutual fund
2012
Transition to current leadership under Stan Moss
2015
Launch of Global Growth Strategy
2016
Strategic investment from iM Global Partner. Named to P&I's Best Places to Work
2017
Opened Boston office
2020
Opened London office
2022
Acquired DDJ Capital Management — Leveraged Credit franchise
2025
5Perspectives Growth team. European & Global High Yield launch
2026
New International Equity franchise established

Learn how our model works.

See how autonomous teams and shared infrastructure come together.

Our multi-franchise model →
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