Kirkland Family Office
Building and Fortifying Wealth
Carsley & Freeman.
Brock Freeman and Chris Carsley have been close friends since the late 1990s when they met at a martial arts school they both attended. Their friendship flourished through a shared passion for skiing, with many days spent on the slopes around the Northwest. In addition to skiing, they bonded over hiking and white-water rafting adventures. Brock and his wife traveled to Mongolia to attend Chris's wedding, where they also journeyed with Chris's wife's family to explore the beautiful country, including an overland trip to Lake Khuvsgul.
Although Brock no longer practices martial arts and now keeps in shape by trail running several times a week, Chris continues his martial arts training at a local dojo. Despite their busy lives, Brock and Chris have remained close friends, their bond strengthened by years of shared experiences, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to maintaining an active lifestyle.
Both holding finance degrees, Brock and Chris began their careers on different trajectories but shared a common interest in investing. Chris, with over 25 years of experience in investment management, developed a deep expertise in portfolio and risk management, venture finance, and hedge fund operations. Meanwhile, Brock's career encompassed real estate finance and technology, with roles in non-bank real estate finance, corporate finance, and tech startups across Asia and the U.S. Over the years, they collaborated on several investments.
In 2019, motivated by a shared objective to secure fixed income with a focus on capital preservation for their own family wealth, they recognized that private real estate debt was the ideal solution. This approach not only provided the financial security they sought but also leveraged their extensive experience in real estate finance and investment management. This led to the creation of Kirkland Capital Group and the Kirkland Income Fund. Upholding values of fairness, transparency, and investor-centric practices, they and their families remain the largest investors in the fund.
Bio Details
Lasting partnership.
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Chris Carsley has over 25 years of investment industry expertise specializing in portfolio management, risk management, valuation, regulatory compliance practices, corporate and venture finance, business operations efficiency, securities research, arbitrage trading, and hedging.
Chris is the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer for Kirkland Capital Group. He is responsible for portfolio management, risk assessment, and fund operations for the Kirkland Income Fund, a micro-balance commercial real estate bridge financing fund. Chris is also a managing partner at Arch River Capital, which manages a seed/angel fund and other private equity positions.
Previously, Chris was Managing Director of Bluewater Global Ltd., an international holding company where he performed corporate analysis and invested in a variety of direct and indirect venture capital projects.
Prior to entering venture capital investments, Chris was responsible for the creation of the business risk and operational due diligence program as a senior member of the investment research and analysis team at Benchmark Plus Management. He was also the head execution trader of futures, options and OTC based trades for the Benchmark Funds. Chris was a trader for Paloma Securities where he negotiated and structured ISDAs, securities lending, and financing agreements that targeted global arbitrage opportunities primarily for Canadian and European markets. Chris was also a senior member of the hedge fund security finance team performing due diligence for the Paloma hedge funds to assist in enhanced finance/margin treatment and short coverage costs.
Chris started his professional investment career as a portfolio manager for Key Asset Management managing institutional and private client discretionary accounts and was responsible for sales, asset research/valuation and portfolio management.
Chris was a member of the Charles Wright Academy Endowment Committee, serving on the Committee since March 2017. He co-founded the Seattle Alternative Investment Association in 2004 and is Co-Head of the executive board of the Seattle CAIA chapter launched in 2017. He earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1998, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation in 2011, and holds a BBA from the University of Portland.
Connect with Chris on LinkedIn.
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Brock Freeman is a leader and expert in real estate and technology. He has led diverse teams across Asia and America, enhancing business outcomes with innovative solutions. He believes in the power of technology to boost team performance and strengthen relationships.
During his tenure in Taiwan, Brock held the position of a capital markets analyst. His journey in Hong Kong saw him working with a software startup, where he established the sales and marketing division. His leadership led his team to secure early implementations with top-tier executives from several Asia-based corporations. In the U.S., Brock established loan broker origination networks for mortgage lenders and was pivotal in designing repeatable, scalable sales methodologies and integrating CRM systems.
Brock's experience extends to underwriting and auditing loans for multiple lenders and managing the underwriting team for an outsourced loan underwriting company servicing lending banks. He was the driving force behind the creation of the technology department for a rapidly expanding mortgage lender. As the IT Director, he spearheaded a team to develop the industry's first web-based comprehensive loan underwriting, processing, and secondary marketing platform. His leadership extended to technology teams at Microsoft and TrueBlue, as well as his own construction software startup.
As the Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at Kirkland Capital Group, a distinguished investment fund manager known for its preservation of principal and exceptional returns from commercial real estate, Brock oversees the commercial mortgage sourcing, underwriting, and operations team. He has successfully built a substantial commercial loan broker network that consistently generates increasing loan origination. He has also developed a loan operations process to ensure rapid and scalable loan flow, providing industry-leading customer service while maintaining minimal loan risk. His current focus is on the implementation of AI.
Brock is an active member of the National Small Business Association Leadership Council. He is passionate about skiing and hiking, has a keen interest in U.S.-Taiwan relations, and is proficient in conversational Mandarin. He holds certifications in Six Sigma, PMP, and Scrum Agile, and has a BA in Business Administration and Finance from the esteemed University of Washington.
Connect with Brock on LinkedIn
Philosophy
The Kirkland Family Office approach is centered around leveraging in-house expertise while maintaining strategic flexibility. For investments where they have a competitive edge and desire direct control, such as in private real estate debt with the Kirkland Capital Group, they actively build and manage opportunities to ensure optimal outcomes.
Conversely, for areas beyond core expertise, they seek and invest in high-quality external funds, recognizing that partnering with established experts allows them to diversify and strengthen their portfolio without overextending resources. This balanced approach enables them to maximize returns while adhering to the principles of prudent, informed investing.
Explore this philosophy further and gain insights into investment due diligence, an area of deep expertise for Chris Carsley, through the comprehensive educational content available on the Kirkland Capital Group Blog.
Investments
Private Debt
Led by the Kirkland Capital Group and the Kirkland Income Fund.
Hedge Funds
Capitalizes Chris’s extensive expertise in hedge fund operations and risk management.
Tech Start-ups/Angel Investing
Expertise in technology and finance, along with a strong network, allows identification and support of innovative ventures with significant growth potential.
Blockchain
Combined expertise in technology and finance provides valuable insights into the transformative potential of blockchain to enhance financial systems and investment strategies
Metals & Mining
Mitigate inflation risks and leverage the strong demand for industrial metals fueled by economic expansion and technological progress.
Secondary Venture
A deep understanding of venture finance has been used to identify and acquire stakes in promising companies from existing investors.
Direct Real Estate
Offers income and the potential for property appreciation over time, along with substantial tax advantages.
Managed Futures
Utilizes Chris’s professional expertise in futures trading to attain consistent, long-term returns and mitigate market volatility.
Public Markets
Public markets capitalize on liquidity, diversification, and the potential for growth across a broad range of industries and sectors.
Kirkland Family Office does not accept unsolicited investment offers.