Naming a fund is a real chore, and I need your help. In my experience, fund management firms have two main different options for fund naming. They can name after themselves, or use some slightly esoteric words that describes their “values”. Examples of the first abound - Soros, Rokos, Balyasny are just a few. Of the second, we have LTCM, Citadel, Two Sigma, Renaissance Technologies, Global Asset Management are also just a few.
When I had been running the Horseman Global fund for a while, it always amused me to find investors thought the Horseman name was based on our “values” - ie the four Horsemen of the apocalypse. Of course, the firm was named after the founder John Horseman, but it still amused me. I suspect we have Zerohedge to thank for the association.
When I purchased the firm I did rename it to Russell Clark Investment Management. I toyed with names like Coast to Coast Asset Management - which reflects my love of basketball (Coast to Coast is getting a defensive rebound, and then taking the ball all the other way for a score - at least that’s what we called in in the 1990s. I liked this because I would often short companies I used to be long) - but all were either already taken, or had some negative connotations.
As I have being setting up a new fund, I have been asked if I really want to use Horsehead Capital as a name. The pros for me, is that when you get a call from Russell Clark of Horsehead Capital, you are going to know who that is. I also have this belief in the investment strategy is the business strategy - that is my investment philosophy “solves” problems for big allocators. In that way, I like to think that “I am making you an offer you can’t refuse”. Of course, some people think linking yourself to a mafia don is an unwise business move - for me, being associated with one of the greatest movies of all time is fine by me.
So dear readers, I am asking for your help. Please feel free to comment on the idea of Horsehead Capital as a name - either for or against, and even suggest alternative names. The best comment gets a free 6 month access to paid posts. Thanks in advance.
Russell
not keen. related names: would prefer Knightsman; Knightshead; Kinsman; Noble something or other.
silver horse capital
soul horse capital
sun horse capital
wild horse capital
racehorse capital for the 2xxl fund …
IMO the only thing that matters is if it pleases you.
You have to look at it and associate with it every day. If that association is positive…..
If you are going fishing for a new name despite the loss of brand- (agree with your take that everyone knows HH)- I’d suggest looking looking at some association/ inspiration for your re-emergence.
If you are only thinking in commercial terms- hard to beat the brand which was built.
4ME (you say it a lot) Capital Management
UWOTM8 Investment Advisors
EatCake Strategic Wealth Allocators
Last Train Capital…ode to the Monkees or. Rebound Capital… basketball + 2nd coming + your initials 🙂
What about Kingdon or Donaldo? Would help with the fundraising in the USA.
not sure of the its long term staying power!
But I bet you had a chuckle 😂
You also have the Horsehead Nebula - a beautiful giant molecular cloud in the constellation of Orion, within which stars are formed under unimaginable pressures.
I am a hard no on the “Horsehead” name for your fund. The first image that pop into my head is the dead bloody horsehead left on the guy’s bed in the ‘Godfather’
Horsehead reminds me of that iconic scene in the Godfather; not a good mental image. I would avoid the name.
https://www.hedgefundnamegenerator.com
WOW
Horsehead sounds like you STOLE it from the Godfather as opposed to just being inspried. Not a good look if you ask me...
Why not something like "Thoroughbred Capital" or "Thoroughbred Asset Mgmt" which has some nice connotations of a champion race horse ?
Khartoum Capital
exotic... can you explain the connection?
That's the name of the iconic stallion in The Godfather.
Also rhymes with 'doom' 😀
Strong Sudan vibes though
very strong
Hard to get past those Sudan vibes
Khartoum's Head Capital?
First reaction was The Godfather
Galloping Capital
I don’t speak Greek but the logo (chess knight) made me think of Troy, the horse, etc … so I would suggest Protome … its definition extends to a decapitated animal head, which may work as a side reference to the Godfather too
Knowing your Substack it's easy mate!
It has to be either GATTACA CAPITAL, or SWIMBACK CAPITAL.
Like you said, you live by it.
It is going to be your last fund, you either have enough in the tank for the way back, or your don't.
Good Luck
Not bad options! But I think Brumby Capital has a emotional connection I quite like too.
Thought in this hemisphere few would know what it is, and it's too close to Brummy raising questions - "what did he mean?"
Whereas the others glide past and roll off the tongue.
Russell just stick with the name. Brand recognition
I don’t like horsehead it invokes images of waking up in bed next to one. If the quality of the name being instantly recognisable is key try Horsedick :) But in reality you want the feeling to be one of confidence and security so perhaps Arkangel :)
There is a lot to unpack in this comment!
Yeah was just trying to be helpful :)
In reference to that, and your work, I would encourage you to consider that we are all striving upwards to some form of imagined greatness of character, some higher purpose, some greater truth. That is called Nobility. Not to be confused with Royalty. Nobility is that very thing we all admire and are prepared to work towards. It is the high ground.
Combining the two (just for fun) Noble Steed 🕺
Uhm.. Horsehead sounds a bit like a dead horse head on a wall… if you like horse, for your style i would tend to prefer: DarkHorse or Steedway
Bad. My first connection was the horse head scene in Godfather.
I agree with others that Horsehead is a little bloody. How about Equisetum Capital? Horses got me thinking about the plant horsetail, latin name is Equisetum - ancient, super cool patterning, and some interesting history. May be a little obscure re: the biz model, but could make an argument you are solving an ancient problem or providing staying power. Not taken as far as I can tell... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum
I think a translated version of "horse's head" mitigates many of the negatives. Capdecal (romanian) Investments is the best i could find. I think sticking with a horse theme for continuation is not bad, perhaps a horse name from mythology or fiction. Many have already been taken of course
I have considered Bucephalus - and also a Japanese version of Horsehead - Matou - but I think I am moving towards Brumby - which is an Australian wild horse - and the name of my local rugby team growing up
All kind of cool words that Aussies use. I like brumby. Could consider animals. I also thought mantis capital was nice.
Love it.
How about Shadowfax? Lord of all horses. You can be like Gandalf….QE plunged you into the abyss. Now you are the White Rider!
I like the name... but I am not sure about "shadow" for a hedge fund...
True…but you can’t find the light without the darkness
First thought was the godfather scene (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) but just what came to mind.
I like that connection - but Horsehead seems to have too many other bad connections
Horsehead holdings....
Bad memories about this one.
The bond holders ( hedge fund ) through some shenanigans have managed to bankrupt the company and defraud the shareholders..
I will avoid!
will do
How about a different chess piece; Rook Capital??
been done
Yeah. It's tough to find something that hasn't already been done using English words. How about French words related to your theme that are easy to pronounce in English:
Voltige Capital
Pari Noble Capital
Bad name
First thought it kicked up was horse's ass which is not so positive
Second one was the way carriage horse's wear blinders which may be even worse
Think I will can Horsehead
Have you seen The Offer drama series about the making of The Godfather? A fun watch.
Also, Mohnish Pabrai and Guy Spier lost a lot of money on Horsehead. Not great.
The Lansdowne approach was to name the firm after your street (hence Gladstone Management)
Location is the third most popular choices for name - Pershing Square, Bronte, Lansdowne to name a few...
As Steve and Devo noted below I also had a Godfather first reaction! If you want to use Horse at the beginning perhaps Horsepower (good strength connotations) or Horserace (some how feels apt in markets today) would be better, though they may have been used before.
i would think using your name, like "russell clark partners/investments" or "r clark partners/investments" would seem more effective b/c you've already built up a great track record/credibility and allocators would recognize you right away when reading your material. horsehead capital? not so much.
Horsehead Corp was a US-listed zinc play, went into Ch11 in about 2016, ordinary shareholders got screwed by the debt holders.
I see it on Bloomberg - so not good. I have also discovered it can be slang for bad meat... so will find another name I think
Claude suggested, Downslope Capital. I kind of like that
OK - I cheated so maybe if you use one of these give Elon a subscription LOL
Given Russell Clark’s short-biased approach, preference for labor over capital, and lean toward gold over bonds, the name should reflect a contrarian, gritty, and value-driven ethos. Here are some tailored suggestions:
1. **Bearforge Capital** - "Bear" for the short bias, "forge" for crafting value through labor, with a rugged, metallic nod to gold.
2. **Giltshadow Fund** - "Gilt" ties to gold, "shadow" hints at thriving in the downside, a contrarian twist.
3. **Ironhand Partners** - Emphasizes labor’s strength (hand) and durability (iron), with a subtle gold-adjacent feel.
4. **Aurum Drift** - "Aurum" (Latin for gold) paired with "drift" suggests a deliberate move against the bond-heavy current.
5. **Slatevein Capital** - "Slate" for a hard, grounded base (labor), "vein" for the gold running through it, quietly defiant.
These lean into his philosophy—shorting the fluff, betting on the real, and favoring the tangible over the paper chase. Does one resonate, or want to tweak the vibe further?
Interesting... they have a real "Elden Ring" vibe to them. Someone else suggested using Chat GPT for name ideas as well
Yes - refine it by adding your fund goals, long term positions, vibes etc. see how it works. I used Grok3
After watching The Godfather maybe not:) Cavalry Capital?
Good idea - but there are alot of Cavalry Capitals out there already
Not worth the copyright infringement!