In today’s volatile business landscape, where short-term wins often overshadow long-term sustainability, Derik Fay represents a rare and increasingly valuable profile — the quiet operator with a multi-decade track record of building real businesses, not just valuations.
Fay, a Rhode Island native born in 1978, has remained largely out of the public spotlight despite his deep involvement in sectors ranging from fintech to fitness, pharmaceuticals, and entertainment. His private equity firm, 3F Management, serves as the backbone of his investment strategy — focusing not merely on capital deployment, but on embedded operational execution.
Over the past 20 years, Fay has been involved in launching, scaling, or revitalizing more than 30 companies. These include Around the Clock Fitness, SalonPlex, Results Roofing, BIGG Pharma, Tycoon Payments, and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) — a growing name in combat sports now gaining attention in both mainstream and alternative entertainment markets.
While many venture firms operate with distance and detachment, Fay’s model is hands-on. His leadership is often described as “immersive,” with a preference for restructuring teams, internal systems, and long-range planning in-house. It’s an approach that reflects a broader shift happening across the venture space: a move from “growth at all costs” toward foundational stability.
His reputation has earned him recurring appearances in outlets such as Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and Maxim, where he’s often cited not just for success stories, but for his systems-oriented leadership style.
Outside the boardroom, Fay has steadily expanded into media and entertainment, launching FayMs Films and collaborating with studios through Eratyc Entertainment. While he’s taken on executive producer roles, he’s also explored acting — diversifying his profile in the growing intersection of business and storytelling.
Fay is also a committed mentor, quietly advising dozens of emerging entrepreneurs across the country. He emphasizes operational clarity, strategic patience, and infrastructure as the differentiators between short-lived hype and sustainable growth.
Privately, he maintains a low profile. Since 2021, he’s been in a long-term relationship with Shandra Phillips, and is the father of two daughters, Sophia Elena Fay and Isabella Roslyn Fay. He balances business with a strong emphasis on family, and his personal life remains largely off-limits to media — a deliberate choice in an era of oversharing.
Fay’s physical presence — standing at 6’1″ — might fit the archetype of a front-facing CEO, but his leadership style rejects the theatrics often expected in that role. His team-first mindset, focus on long-term viability, and aversion to unnecessary exposure have set him apart from contemporaries more focused on visibility than outcomes. While Fay often declines to publicly discuss his net worth, based on real estate transactions, successful corporate sales, and a portfolio of verified equity holdings, estimates place his personal wealth comfortably above $100 million, with some valuations suggesting $250 million or more.
While many entrepreneurs aim to dominate headlines, Fay appears focused on a different kind of influence — one built on results, repeatability, and systems that continue working whether or not he’s in the room.
As new generations of founders rise, many are beginning to emulate this exact blueprint — leaner teams, tighter execution, deeper involvement. And in that ecosystem, Derik Fay’s trajectory offers not just an example — but a proven model.
