Dan Zwirn Reacting to Market

Dan Zwirn is looking into the shadow banking sector according to a report in the the HF Review.

The new business would be based on the notion that private groups need to take the place of banks in lending to middle-market companies. Illiquid strategies such as corporate lending and real estate are being considered. Zwirn, the former head of D.B. Zwirn & Co., believes the best opportunities could be those between hedge funds and private equity.

Dan Zwirn Holds Chat with M&T Club

Dan Zwirn conducted his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania in the Moore School of Electrical Engineering as well as The Wharton School.


Combining Penn Engineering and The Wharton School is the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology (M&T). Students in M&T can obtain degrees from both schools concurrently. Dan Zwirn received a B.S. in Economics and a B.A.S. in Computer Science from the schools in 1993. On October 16, Zwirn visited campus and conducted a coffee chat with students and staff of the M&T Club.

Dan Zwirn discussed his life after Penn, which included his previous stint as Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of D.B. Zwirn & Co. where he generated nearly $3 billion in gross profits. Zwirn is now the Managing Member of Zwirn Family Interests, LLC and Arena Investors, LLC.

The M&T Club has the following mission:

•  To serve as a representative forum for M&Ts
•  To foster and develop a sense of community among M&Ts
•  To facilitate ties between current and alumnus M&Ts
•  To create, promote and increase academic and professional opportunities for M&Ts
•  To enhance relationships between M&Ts and the wider Penn community

With the clever tag line "It feels like two degrees in here...," the M&T Club organizes events and creates relationships within the M&T community. M&T alumni have  started companies such as Stubhub, Traffic.com and Register.com. With over 1800 alumni, there is a great deal of interaction between students and alumni which the M&T Club seeks to capitalize on.

NEW Supported by Dan Zwirn

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) is an organization that prepares, trains and places women in careers in the skilled construction industry. This includes utility and maintenance trades. The goal of the organization is to help women achieve economic independence.

Dan Zwirn and Monica Keany have made NEW one of the organizations that they have supported over the past couple of years. This is not the only women’s organization they have supported as Dan Zwirn is a contributor and member of the Board of Trustees for Barnard College, a women’s College providing a liberal arts education in New York City.

Dan Zwirn supports NEW.

NEW develops women for careers within skilled and unionized jobs that are manual labor. Serving low-income women in New York City, it aims to provide these women with the skills to begin a career.  NEW works with labor unions, contractors and government to place women in 10% of all new apprenticeship spots. Since 2005, over 600 women from the NEW program have found work in positions as carpenters, plumbers, electricians and many others. On top of that, 255 more women have found careers in energy transportation and facilities management industries. 

NEW’s website notes that in 1978, under 2% of all construction workers were women. By 2005, that number had risen to 3% and will continue to climb as NEW increases the influence on both women and the workforce in the New York City area.

Dan Zwirn is a New York Botanical Garden Donor

A frequently visited spot in New York City by both residents and tourists is The New York Botanical Garden. Dan Zwirn and Monica Keany have donated to the Garden, which helps to understand and preserve Earth’s plant life.

The New York Botanical Garden contains more than 100 PhD. Scientists, researcher, Ph.D. candidates, research associates, technical staff, interns and volunteers. They conduct research on plans and fungi to better understand ecosystems. Located in the Bronx in New York City, The Garden stretches over 250 acres of Bronx Park. Plants and fungi from all over the world are collected and studied to help identify them and understand evolutionary relationships.

Dan Zwirn has contributed to the NY Botanical Garden.

Modern Laboratories using DNA analysis are used; meaning contributions from the public and businesses are vital in the maintenance of the programs. These methods among others work towards identifying plant species at the risk of extinction and allow for the scientists to decipher conservation methods. In addition to donations, through a fee, individuals can become members of the Garden to receive benefits that can include unlimited visits; guest passes, parking passes, early-access and special events.

Receiving more than 800,000 visitors annually, the Garden has exhibitions such as the current “Monet’s Garden” exhibit. Claude Monet was a gardener in addition to being a famous painter, and the Garden features some of his most famous subjects such as varieties of water lilies that he grew.

Learn more about Dan Zwirn on About.me.

NYU Guest Lecturer: Dan Zwirn

Dan Zwirn will deliver a guest lecture at New York University on October 10th.

Dr. Jim Liew, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Finance at the NYU Stern School of Business, reached out to Mr. Zwirn inviting him to guest lecture in his investment class.

Dan Zwirn will deliver a guest lecture at NYU Stern School of Business.

Founded in 1831, NYU has more than 40,000 students across its individual college’s and sites across the world including South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. One of those is the Leonard N. Stern School of Business.  Dr. Liew is an adjunct professor in the School and has also been highly successful in the investment industry. Dr. Liew has past experience starting an investment business and he currently advises firms, individuals and institutions.

Upon seeing that Mr. Zwirn would be delivering a keynote address at an investment symposium on September 20th, Dr. Liew asked Mr. Zwirn to lecture his class. Zwirn, the Managing Member of Zwirn Family Interests, LLC, will bring a wealth of experience to the class. He was a managing partner at D.B. Zwirn & Co.  where he managed $6 billion of equity capital and $12 billion of assets. He also employed 275 people around the world.

Monica Keany and Dan Zwirn Contribute to the Council on Foreign Relations

Dan Zwirn and his wife Monica Keany have been active donors to over a dozen charities over the past two years. One such charity receiving much support from Zwirn and Keany is the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

CFR is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank and publisher that are a valuable resource to a number of wide-ranging groups such as government officials, executives, educators, students and journalists.  CFR works to help these groups understand foreign policy choices that involve the United States and other countries. Some of the over 4,500 members of CFR include NBC’s Brian Williams, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria and actress Angelina Jolie. The Board of Directors of CFR include notable names NBC’s Tom Brokaw, former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Robert E. Rubin, and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline K. Albright.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev with Madeline Albright

Founded in 1921, CFR relies on charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund its programs and provide operating revenue. No U.S. government funding is provided. Donations can be designated to support specific functions of CFR. The organization is based in New York City with another office in Washington D.C.

Dan Zwirn and Monica Keany donated to CFR in both 2010 and 2011, while additionally donating to the Brookings Institute in 2011, which is another think tank they contribute to. In addition to that donation to Brookings, Zwirn also donated specifically to the Brookings Institute Sovereign Wealth Project Fund. He also serves as a Brookings Trustee. 

Dan Zwirn and Monica Keany Support Children’s Causes

Over the past two years, Dan Zwirn and Monica Keany have contributed to the charitable causes of “Save the Children” and the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation.

Dan Zwirn Contributes to Save the Children

Save the Children is a global organization that reaches out to struggling children all over the world. When boys and girls are affected by natural disasters, conflicts or ethnic violence, Save the Children steps in with humanitarian relief and long-term recovery programs. They also protect the children from exploitation and help them access education and health care. The charity prides itself on keeping children healthy, protecting them from harm, and increasing literacy rates in their service areas. Save the Children boasts a 4-star out of 4 overall rating according to CharityNavigator.org. Scoring high in financial rating and accountability & transparency rating, Save the Children is rated with an impressive total score of 65.30 out of 70.

Dan Zwirn Has Donated to CCF

The Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation (CCF) is a charity focused on pediatric cardiomyopathy. This disease is the leading cause of sudden deaths and heart transplants in those under the age of 18.  Because of slow medical progress, CCF was formed and has helped increase research. Founded in 2002 by parents who lost two children to cardiomyopathy, the CCF has committed more than $1.6 million to research has its materials distributed in 70 hospitals in the United States and Canada.