Eric Becker is the Founder and Co-Chairman of Cresset, an award-winning multi-family office with over $250B assets under management and advisement¹. Alongside Founder and Co-Chairman, Avy Stein, Eric was one of Cresset’s first two clients. He shares his extensive experience to advise founders, entrepreneurs, private equity partners, and ultra-high net worth families in addition to serving on the firm’s leadership team.
Eric has a long history of starting, backing, and nurturing companies. Prior to Cresset, Eric co-founded Sterling Partners (1983), a value-added, growth private equity firm that raised eight funds with over $5.7B of capital. At Sterling, Eric served for 32 years as Senior Managing Director and Co-Chairman of the Operating Committee.
Eric also founded the Caretta Group (2015), a private investment firm that invests in and partners with customer-focused growth companies that have a compelling mission; Vennpoint (2015), a real estate investment firm that invests in value-added real estate in the path of progress; and LifeCard International (Co-Founder), a healthcare technology company that automated claims processing and developed digital portable medical records.
Eric is the bestselling author of The Long Game, an acclaimed work that empowers entrepreneurs to lead with vision, think beyond the short term, and create enduring impact. He also hosts The Long Game Podcast, where he speaks with founders, CEOs, investors, and multigenerational leaders about the decisions, discipline, and long-term thinking required to build companies that last.
Across the United States, Eric is active in a range of civic and philanthropic organizations and holds multiple board positions. In 2016, Eric received the Adams Entrepreneurial Pioneer Award in recognition of exemplary leadership and demonstrated commitment to mentorship, guidance & service in the promotion of entrepreneurship from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Eric served as the Co-Chairman of Chicago Ideas Week, a premier annual gathering of global thought leaders created to provoke new ideas and inspire actionable results. He is also past Chapter Chairman of YPO Washington Baltimore Chapter and past Tiger21 member. He is a current member of R360, Peakline, Chesapeake Spice, and Karma for Cara Foundation. Eric attended The University of Chicago and studied Economics before launching his entrepreneurial career.
