George Soros’ Soros Fund Management has quietly been financing the Kushner-backed real estate finance startup Cadre with a substantial credit line, according to sources familiar with the matter.
A source familiar with the financing arrangement told The Real Deal that “Soros has had a long and productive relationship with the Kushner family.” Another source told TRD that Kushner Companies [TRDataCustom] president Laurent Morali played a key role arranging the financing, but a Kushner Companies spokesperson disputed that account, claiming that “Kushner Cos. has never been involved in Cadre in any capacity
Business Insider first reported the existence of $250 million credit line in June, but didn’t mention its source.
Cadre, founded by brothers Jared and Joshua Kushner and Blackstone alum Ryan Williams in early 2015, is an online investment platform that connects institutions with real estate deals in major markets like New York. Cadre generally invests in deals using the credit line before making them available to investors online.
It’s unclear what Cadre’s current valuation is. According to Pitchbook, which tracks venture funding, Cadre was valued at $99.9 million following its $18.3 million Series A round in late 2015. In January of last year, the company raised $50 million in a Series B funding round, bringing the total investment in the firm to more than $68 million. But it’s since been reincorporated as a Delaware-based entity, RealCadre LLC. It’s also unclear what deals they’ve sourced since being funded in 2015. Williams declined to name any deals the firm closed when TRD spoke to him in July, saying only that Cadre had closed over $200 million in deals in the first half of 2016.
Jared Kushner recently joined the White House as an adviser to his father-in-law Donald Trump. Politico reported that he plans to sell his stakes in 35 companies to avoid conflicts of interest.
The irony of the Soros-Kushner connection is that Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, which Jared Kushner helped orchestrate, vilified George Soros. A November campaign video showed Soros’ face while Trump’s voice sounded off on “global special interests” who “don’t have your good in mind.” The video was criticized by many for playing on anti-Semitic conspiracy theories targeting Soros, a wealthy former hedge fund manager who has long backed liberal causes around the globe.
Soros vocally opposes Trump. “I have described him as an impostor and a con man and a would-be dictator,” Soros told Bloomberg last week. “But he’s only a would-be dictator because I’m confident that the Constitution and the institutions of the United States are strong enough.” He donated $10.5 million to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to Center for Responsive Politics data cited by CNBC.