Jared Kushner's real estate startup is seeking a $100 million investment from a Saudi-backed fund
- Cadre, a real estate startup partly-owned by presidential senior adviser Jared Kushner, is seeking an investment of at least $100 million from a private fund backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
- Cadre was reportedly approached by SoftBank Vision Fund, a Japanese conglomerate which receives much of its funding from Gulf governments.
- Questions have been raised about Kushner and his business dealings with foreign entities.
A real estate startup partly-owned by presidential senior adviser Jared Kushner is seeking an investment of at least $100 million from a private fund backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Sources familiar with the plans told Bloomberg a senior executive at Cadre, which was co-founded by Kushner, recently met with representatives of SoftBank Vision Fund, a Japanese conglomerate which receives much of its funding from the Saudi and UAE governments.
The technology investment fund claims investors such as Apple, Foxconn, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, and Qualcomm. Nearly half of its $100 billion is financed by the Saudi government's Public Investment Fund, Bloomberg said. At least $15 billion has been invested by the UAE sovereign wealth fund.
According to the report, Cadre officials said Kushner doesn't play an active role in the business, and sources close to the discussions said Softbank approached Cadre with investment plans.
Still, Kushner reportedly has stakes in the parent company that owns Cadre, valued between $5 million and $25 million, according to his updated financial disclosure last year.
The discussions are especially sensitive as Kushner's and his family's business dealings with foreign entities have been called into question.
Kushner Companies took out four loans from Israel's largest bank, Bank Hapoalim, which is currently under investigation by the US Department of Justice.
Kushner himself has a close personal relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and has been instrumental in securing deals between the US and Saudi Arabia. He reportedly leaked classified information to the Saudi crown prince, who is said to have secretly boasted about having Kushner under his control.
In March, House Democrats called for an FBI probe into Kushner's personal ties to the Saudi royalty. Officials from several other countries, including China, have also bragged about having influence over Kushner.
Kushner Companies has also been linked to troubled Chinese insurance fund Anbang. Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly investigating contact between Kushner and foreign investors, particularly his links to Anbang.