
Optimum Fortis 8 Joint Venture is a Texas joint venture formed to acquire minority working interests in eight oil and gas wells, with seven located across Oklahoma and one offshore well in the Gulf of America. The venture is managed by Optimum Energy Partners LLC, which serves as Managing Venturer and co-invests alongside participants. The offering is open to accredited investors on a best-efforts basis, with a capitalization period running through June 30, 2026.
Why This Opportunity
Diversified well portfolio: Capital is spread across eight separate wellbores operated by five different operators, reducing concentration risk associated with any single well, formation, or operator
Established operators: Wells are operated by Camino Natural Resources, Charter Oak Production, Continental Resources, Mewbourne Oil Company, and White Fleet Operating
Active basin exposure: The Oklahoma wells target the Cherokee, Red Fork, Tonkawa, and Woodford formations within the Anadarko Basin, one of the most active oil and gas plays in the country. The offshore well targets the Miocene formation in the Gulf of America
Tax-advantaged structure: Working interest participation provides access to tax benefits not available in most other investments, including first-year deduction of Intangible Drilling Costs which typically represent 60-80% of total well costs
Sponsor alignment: Optimum Energy Partners contributes 1% of initial venture capital and ties its compensation to the performance of the underlying turnkey contract
Projected returns: Estimated 20.0% IRR and 4.0x equity multiple over a 15-year hold period
Deal Structure
Minimum investment: $87,500
Up to 28 total Units offered at $500,000 per full Unit, with fractional Unit options available
Capitalization period runs through June 30, 2026
Optimum Energy Partners contributes 1% of initial venture capital and owns 1% of the venture
Structured as a Texas general partnership with participants holding voting rights on key venture decisions
Assuming full capitalization of all 28 Units, each Unit represents a 3.5357% interest in the venture
Working Interests Acquired (Assuming Full Capitalization)
Camino Well (Canadian County, OK): ~6.50% working interest / ~4.875% net revenue interest
Charter Oak Well (Custer County, OK): ~3.00% working interest / ~2.25% net revenue interest
Charter Oak Well (Roger Mills County, OK): ~1.50% working interest / ~1.125% net revenue interest
Continental Wells (Caddo and Grady Counties, OK): ~2.00% working interest / ~1.50% net revenue interest in each of 2 wells
Mewbourne Wells (Ellis and Roger Mills Counties, OK): ~3.00% working interest / ~2.25% net revenue interest in each of 2 wells
White Fleet Well (Gulf of America): ~2.00% working interest / ~1.50% net revenue interest
Unaffiliated third parties hold the remaining working interest in each well, and landowners retain approximately 25% in royalty or overriding royalty interests.
Turnkey Contract
Venture enters into a Turnkey Contract with Optimum covering acquisition of working interests, drilling, completion (including fracturing and equipping), and all organizational costs
Aggregate fixed Turnkey Price of $14,000,000 assuming full capitalization ($500,000 per Unit), capping participant exposure for initial operations with no unexpected capital calls for initial drilling and completion
Operators (not Optimum) are responsible for supervising drilling, completion, equipping, and ongoing production activities on their respective wells
Tax Benefits of Working Interest Participation
Intangible Drilling Costs (IDCs): Generally 60-80% of total drilling costs are 100% deductible in the year incurred
Tangible Drilling Costs: 100% deductible, depreciated over a 7-year schedule
Depletion Allowance: The "small producer exemption" excludes 15% of gross income from oil and gas wells from taxation for qualifying participants
Active Income Treatment: Working interests are classified as active (not passive), meaning net losses can be offset against other forms of active income such as wages, interest, and capital gains
AMT Exemption: Excess intangible drilling costs are specifically exempted as a preference item on the alternative minimum tax return
Optimum Energy Partners LLC is a Texas-based oil and gas investment sponsor headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with approximately $100M in assets under management. The firm specializes in structuring direct working interest joint ventures that provide accredited investors access to onshore U.S. oil and gas drilling opportunities across the Anadarko Basin, Permian Basin, Powder River Basin, DJ Basin, and the Gulf of America. Optimum focuses on partnerships with established operators in proven producing basins, delivering both potential cash flow and significant tax-advantaged investment structures.
Platform Overview
$100M+ in assets under management
23 prior drilling joint ventures sponsored since inception in 2021
Active deployment across Anadarko Basin (Oklahoma), Powder River Basin (Wyoming), Permian Basin (Texas), DJ Basin (Colorado), Austin Chalk (Texas), and the Gulf of America
Portfolio includes both horizontal and vertical drilling joint ventures across oil, gas, and natural gas liquids targets
Direct working interest joint venture structure providing investors with maximum tax efficiency through IDC deduction, depletion allowance, and active income treatment
Leadership
Derrick May, President & Chief Executive Officer: 17+ years of oil and gas industry experience across private equity, investment banking, and company management. Holds an MBA in Finance and Accounting from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management from Oklahoma State University. Previously served as CFO of Legacy Exploration and as a financial analyst at Melody Capital
Chance Smith, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer: 10+ years of oil and gas operations experience, most notably as a former founder of Trojan Tubular Services, a prominent oilfield service company. Oversees the operational division of the company
Joey Shelton, Co-Founder & Senior VP of Business Development (Texas): 10+ years of energy industry experience, having helped fund over 30 projects domestically. Began his career in law enforcement before transitioning to oil and gas
John Griffin, Co-Founder & VP of Business Development (Texas): Bachelor of Marketing from Louisiana Tech University. Brings deep oil and gas business development experience to investor relationships and project sourcing
Christopher Fusco, Co-Founder & VP of Business Development (New York): Nearly a decade of Wall Street experience as a licensed broker and advisor before transitioning into oil and gas. Previously co-managed a retail trading firm office in New York
Alexa May, Corporate Secretary & Executive Assistant: Texas Christian University graduate. Handles executive support, HR functions, and Board Meeting coordination
Prior Activities
Optimum has structured and managed 22 prior oil and gas drilling joint ventures since inception in 2021, with significant aggregate production results. Selected highlights from the prior track record include:
Optimum Powder River 12 JV (Converse, WY, Horizontal, June 2023): 5,576,702 BOE produced, $7.65M capital raised, $4.52M revenue
Optimum Macsodora JV (CO, OK, WY, Horizontal, August 2024): 7,304,699 BOE produced, $12.18M capital raised, $4.86M revenue
Optimum Chopper Ross 6 JV (Campbell, WY, Horizontal, August 2023): 2,962,141 BOE produced, $1.47M capital raised, $606K revenue
Optimum Warthog II JV (Ellis, OK, Horizontal, May 2024): 1,890,229 BOE produced, $3.07M capital raised, $2.18M revenue
Optimum Permian 6 JV (Campbell, WY, Horizontal, April 2023): 1,027,685 BOE produced, $1.70M capital raised
Optimum Hog (Howard, TX, Horizontal, January 2023): 575,578 BOE produced, $5.35M capital raised, $3.03M revenue
Optimum Powder River 3 JV (Campbell and Converse, WY, Horizontal, August 2024): 644,472 BOE produced, $4.21M capital raised
Optimum CLR 3 Well JV (Garvin, OK, Horizontal, January 2025): 828,498 BOE produced, $4.17M capital raised
Optimum Fortis 8 JV (OK, Gulf of America, Horizontal, February 2026): Currently drilling/completing, $12.77M capital raised
Anadarko Basin, OK
The venture's assets are concentrated in the Anadarko Basin of western Oklahoma, one of the most prolific oil and gas producing regions in the United States, with a single offshore well located in the Brazos Area of the Gulf of America.
Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma
The deepest Phanerozoic sedimentary basin in North America
The Cherokee Group has produced over 1.2 trillion cubic feet of gas to date and remains one of the most active oil and gas plays in the basin
Key productive formations (Cherokee, Red Fork, Tonkawa, Woodford) have seen renewed development activity through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing
The venture's Oklahoma wells span Canadian, Custer, Roger Mills, Caddo, Grady, and Ellis Counties within the basin's most active development corridors
Supported by established pipeline infrastructure, experienced field service networks, and a 7.5% severance tax rate
North-central Roger Mills County has experienced a recent surge in Cherokee Group activity, with horizontal wells drilled at true vertical depths of 9,000 to 10,900 feet and laterals extending 9,176 to 11,143 feet
Nearby offset wells have recorded 30-day peak production rates of 474 to 2,118 BOE per day, with estimated ultimate recoveries ranging from 685,038 to 2,454,915 BOE
Gulf of America (Offshore Well)
Located in the Brazos Area along the Corsair Fault, a proven gas-producing region
Adjacent to historically productive fields operated by Shell, Exxon, Pioneer, and Mesa
Nearby key wells have recorded cumulative production exceeding 400 BCF of gas
Oklahoma remains a top-five oil and gas producing state, benefiting from sustained drilling investment, a pro-energy regulatory environment, and continued demand for domestic production.
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