One of the world's largest hedge funds, founded by Andreas Halvorsen, a former Norwegian naval special forces officer.
Life story
Ole Andreas Halvorsen was born in 1961 in Borge, Norway. He graduated from the Norwegian Naval Academy and, as a naval officer, led a Norwegian SEAL-type special forces team. Little is publicly known about his parents.
He then moved to the US, earning an economics degree from Williams College in 1986 (where he was on the ski team) and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1990.
How they got started
Halvorsen worked in Morgan Stanley's investment banking division, then joined Julian Robertson's legendary Tiger Management, where he served as an analyst, director of equities and senior managing director.
In October 1999 he founded Viking Global Investors with Tiger colleagues Brian Olson and David Ott, making Viking one of the best-known "Tiger Cubs" — funds started by Robertson alumni. As of March 31, 2021, it managed $59 billion.
In 2017 chief investment officer Dan Sundheim left after 15 years, and Ben Jacobs and Ning Jin became co-CIOs. That same year Viking returned $8 billion to investors to deliberately reset to a smaller size.
Investment style
Viking is a fundamental, research-driven firm with a long-term perspective. It is best known for long/short equity: buying companies it expects to outperform and shorting those it expects to lag. It also runs long-only, private equity and credit strategies.
The firm stresses "intellectual honesty" and concentrating capital in its most promising ideas. Halvorsen serves as CEO and the firm's risk manager.
Best decisions
From Tiger alumnus to a hedge fund giant
Started in 1999, Viking grew into one of the world's largest hedge funds, managing $59 billion by 2021. Halvorsen ranked 11th (2012) and 9th (2015) on Forbes' list of top-earning hedge fund managers.
Deliberately shrinking (2017)
Where most funds chase assets, Viking returned $8 billion in 2017, saying a smaller Viking would have the best opportunity for success — widely seen as a disciplined move.
Biggest mistakes
Leadership turnover (2017)
In 2017 CIO Dan Sundheim left to start his own firm, at the same time as the fund was shrinking. Detailed public accounts of Viking's specific investment mistakes are limited.
Today
According to its website, Viking manages more than $56 billion (as of June 30, 2026), with offices in Stamford, New York, London, Hong Kong and San Francisco. Halvorsen (about 65) remains founder and leader. In early 2025 the firm was reported to have built a large new position in Boeing.
Halvorsen is a trustee of Williams College and the Clark Art Institute; he lives in Connecticut with his wife Diane and has three children.
What to learn from following the portfolio
- A 13F shows only long positions — Viking's shorts are invisible, so you see only half of the strategy.
- Viking trades relatively actively; given the 45-day lag, positions may already have changed. Long-held and growing positions are more reliable signals than short-term ones.
- The firm owns banks and financials (usually not halal), but its healthcare, industrial and consumer positions may be. Check each position's halal status in the Portfolio tab.
An introduction based on public sources — not investment advice. Spotted an error? Let us know.