W esley Edens is a self-made American billionaire who is a prominent private equity investor and professional sports team owner. He is the co-founder and co-CEO of Fortress Investment Group, a major global alternative investment management firm. He co-founded the firm in 1998, and they built it into a powerhouse, with a diversified portfolio of investments across private equity, credit, and real estate. Fortress became the first major private equity firm to go public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007, a deal that made Edens a billionaire. The firm was later acquired by SoftBank.

In addition to his success in finance, Edens is a major figure in the world of professional sports. He is the co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a team he and his partner, Marc Lasry, purchased in 2014 and led to an NBA championship victory in 2021. They sold a majority stake in the team in 2023. He is also the co-owner of the English Premier League football club, Aston Villa, which he owns with the Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris.