Our Name
Pronounced “Kah-VAH”
“Kava” is the Southern Ute word for horse, an animal of great historical and cultural significance to the Tribe. For centuries the horse was relied upon to facilitate trade, commerce, and the exchange of knowledge with their neighbors. Horses enabled tribal members to hunt further abroad and in greater numbers, carry more tradeable goods, and protect their community. Today, the horse remains an integral part of the Southern Ute cultural and spiritual identity, representing the values of loyalty, reliability, and independence critical to the Tribe’s well-being. The use of “Kava” highlights the profound bond between the Southern Ute people and their horses, and the value and importance of their centuries-long partnership.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | Southern Ute Drum
Kava Equity Partners
Based in Denver, Colorado, Kava Equity Partners is engaged in direct lower middle market private equity investment as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund. Kava Equity Partners’ sovereign capital allows for a patient and flexible approach to investments. Unburdened by typical private equity fund constraints and capital cycles, the group is free to maximize alignment with owners and management teams and focus on building enduring businesses. Kava Equity Partners seeks to make majority or minority equity investments in companies that see business value in partnering with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and are aligned with the Tribe’s cultural, environmental, and economic values.
Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund
Established in the late 1990s and headquartered within the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in Southwestern Colorado, the Southern Ute Growth Fund manages the business investments of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. The Growth Fund holds the Tribe’s diverse array of operating businesses and investment entities engaged in on- and off-reservation oil and gas exploration, production and gathering, carbon-neutral energy infrastructure and innovation, commercial and multifamily real estate acquisition and development, private equity fund of funds, and direct private equity investments.
Southern Ute Indian Tribe
The Ute people are the oldest continuous residents of what is today the state of Colorado. Historically a loose confederation of ten bands, the Mouache and Caputa bands make up the present-day Southern Ute Indian Tribe. In the 1950s, natural gas was discovered on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. Nominal royalty payments collected from the 1950s through the 1980s did little to support tribal members. In the 1980s, in pursuit of economic and cultural self-determination, the Tribe created its own gas production company. From that initial investment, the Tribe has grown and diversified its holdings across multiple industries. Today, the Tribe is the largest employer in La Plata County, Colorado, maintains a Triple A credit rating, and oversees a thriving investment portfolio with assets in 14 states and the Gulf of Mexico.