# Steve Graham

> Steve Graham founded Graham Partners in 1988 and serves as senior managing partner, CEO, and chairman. Known in breaking as Silverback, he supports dancers and competitive events and co-founded The SWAG, a no-cost Philadelphia youth soccer program.

- **Role:** Senior Managing Partner, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman at Graham Partners
- **Organizations:** Graham Partners, Silverback Bboy Events, Urban Dance & Educational Foundation, Pro Breaking Tour, Silverback Educational Foundation for the Arts, Dance & Athletics, The SWAG
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A., double major in Philosophy and English, Williams College, M.B.A., Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College
- **Known for:** Founded Graham Partners in 1988., Developed the firm’s conversion-focused investment strategy and operations team., Co-founded UDEF and the Pro Breaking Tour with Cros1.

## Career timeline

- **1982** — Graduated from Williams College; subsequently worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs.
- **1983** — First encountered breaking at the Roxy in New York.
- **1984** — Learned breaking in the South Bronx; sponsored Dartmouth showcases in 1984 and 1985.
- **1986** — Completed his MBA at Tuck.
- **1988** — Founded Graham Partners.
- **1998** — His team worked on the sale of a controlling interest in Graham Packaging to a Blackstone-controlled fund.
- **1999** — Graham Partners formed its first fund.
- **2013** — Partnered with Cros1 to form UDEF and the Pro Breaking Tour; founded the Silverback Educational Foundation.
- **2014** — Pro Breaking Tour launched; first Silverback Open held.
- **2018** — Co-founded The SWAG with Scott Spangler.
- **2024** — Attended Paris Olympics as a U.S. breaking team sponsor; Graham Partners closed sixth buyout fund.
- **2025** — Firm completed PACT minority investment and announced wider team ownership opportunities.

## Achievements

- Founded Graham Partners in 1988.
- Developed the firm’s conversion-focused investment strategy and operations team.
- Co-founded UDEF and the Pro Breaking Tour with Cros1.
- Supported five Silverback Open editions from 2014 through 2018.
- Co-founded a no-cost youth soccer program serving over 2,000 young athletes by summer 2025.
- Graham Partners VI closed at over $1.8 billion in July 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Dance Mogul Magazine published an archival feature revisiting his 2015 Silverback Open interview.
- **2026-01** — Graham Partners’ 2025 review reported record capital deployment and development of Graham Genesis.
- **2025-07** — Graham Partners announced a PACT minority investment and an initial plan for ownership and economic participation by roughly 30 team members.

## Links

- Website: https://www.grahampartners.net/team-member/steve-graham/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-graham-b96b9015a
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SilverbackFilmsBboy
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silverback_1959/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/steve-graham
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-10