Markel’s principal business is to market and underwrite specialty insurance products. Through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Markel Ventures, Inc., we make strategic and generally controlling investments in businesses that operate outside of the specialty insurance marketplace. The long-term goal of Markel Ventures is to build a great company comprised of solid businesses with talented management teams.

In evaluating each of these opportunities, we follow the same four-part checklist that we have used for the last two decades, whether investing in privately-held companies or publicly-traded securities. We look for:

1) Profitable businesses with good returns on capital
2) Talented management teams and a culture of integrity
3) Reinvestment opportunities and capital discipline
4) Fair prices 

What Makes Markel Ventures Unique?

The Markel Ventures business model is unique relative to the world of traditional private equity investing and buyouts. Our acquisitions are financed with little or no debt using “permanent” capital. This means that our investments are long term in nature with no plans for an exit in the future. Therefore, business owners that partner with Markel Ventures do not have to worry about operating in a leveraged environment and can focus on running their businesses profitably over the long term.

Markel Ventures Companies   (downloadable PDF)