Sherrese Clarke’s HarbourView Equity Partners Invests $30M In David Steward II’s Lion Forge Entertainment
HarbourView Equity Partners is making another major move in entertainment, this time with a $30 million investment in Lion Forge Entertainment, the award-winning studio founded by David Steward II. According to a press release, the deal is set to expand Lion Forge’s intellectual property portfolio and fuel its premium franchise pipeline.
HarbourView, founded by Sherrese Clarke, manages approximately $2.67 billion in assets and focuses on investment opportunities in music, media, sports, and entertainment, per the press release. The Steward Family and Polarity are investors in the round and remain majority owners of the studio.
“We believe that content has the extraordinary power to influence the world,” Clarke shared in the press release.
“This is a unique moment in the kids and family space, and Lion Forge is seizing an opportunity to tell compelling stories authentically and cultivate global franchises at scale. This synchronizes with our vision of how the next generation of multi-platform media companies can grow — by introducing fresh images, ideas and paradigms that reflect the evolving world in which we live and creating culturally authentic and socially relevant content,” she continued.
For Steward, the investment represents validation of the company’s trajectory.
“Sherrese is a trailblazing investor, leading a culture-driving company,” he said in the press release.
“Her knowledge and track record will be immensely additive as we continue to scale our company and properties,” Steward added. “This is a validating moment for our young company. The synergy between the shrewd investment strategy of HarbourView and the franchise-building blueprint at Lion Forge will enable us collectively to optimize opportunities at the nexus of entertainment, culture and content and grow into a category defining leader from a position of strength.”
Lion Forge is known for projects such as the Oscar-winning short “Hair Love” and the animated series “Iyanu,” a children’s program on both Cartoon Network and HBO Max, as Forbes reports. Lion Forge has greenlit Season 2 of the series along with two feature films, expanding the studio’s creative universe. The company also maintains strategic partnerships with Nickelodeon, Penguin Young Readers, Simon & Schuster, and the Bob Marley Estate, among others, per the release.
Stephanie Sperber, president and chief creative officer at Lion Forge, highlighted the impact of HarbourView’s support.
“We work with incredible creators and exceptional IP, and the backing of HarbourView will allow us to expand our library,” she said. “Sherrese and her team see what we see — an opportunity in the marketplace for premium kids, family and YA franchises.”
HarbourView’s deal with Lion Forge follows a series of high-profile investments. AFROTECH™ reported that the firm recently secured $500 million in debt financing from KKR, bolstering its strategy to back creative companies with cultural impact.
According to the release, HarbourView has also invested in Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Animaj, a French AI-powered media company.
The press release cites that, since its launch in 2021, HarbourView has built a diverse portfolio, acquiring over 70 music catalogs spanning more than 35,000 songs. Business Wire reports that their portfolio includes artists such as Nelly, Wiz Khalifa, and T-Pain. With Lion Forge now included, Clarke and her team continue to focus on elevating voices and stories that reflect the evolving global culture.
