Justin Ernest saw a choke point in venture capital: family offices and smaller institutions wanted stakes in fast‑growing AI firms but lacked cap‑table access. After five years at Playground Global, he used his founder and investor network to create a shortcut. Instead of a traditional fund, he forms single‑deal SPVs, cutting the usual 12‑to 18‑month setup lag.

Through Sabertooth Capital, Ernest has deployed $500 million across ten late‑stage firms, notably Anthropic, Anduril and SpaceX. Checks range from $10 million to $275 million, giving him sizable equity chunks and direct participation in approved rounds. The SPV model lets investors lock in a single company’s upside while avoiding cross‑company risk, earning family‑office CIOs’ trust.

Sabertooth already logged a marquee exit when Nvidia acquired chipmaker Groq for $20 billion, and the firm stands ready for imminent liquidity events such as SpaceX’s IPO and Anthropic’s planned listing. By packaging each deal as an independent vehicle, Ernest delivers transparent, high‑conviction exposure to elite startups, cementing a model that sidesteps traditional fund‑raising timelines.

Ernest’s ultimate aim remains a conventional fund, but the strong returns from deals like Nvidia’s Groq acquisition already prove his track record to prospective LPs.