FAMILY OFFICES
NEXT COAST VENTURES
Anthony Walker, Dustin Sellers, Michael Smerklo & Thomas Ball
Next Coast Venture’s mission is to support the best entrepreneurs in the world as they build disruptive businesses. Their partners know firsthand that “being an entrepreneur is really difficult — one of the most challenging jobs there is — but also one of the most rewarding.” And therefore, Next Coast’s value system is built around helping their entrepreneurs in any way they can; and they do so by drawing on their firm’s collective experiences to support entrepreneurs who want to solve big problems.
The extended team at Next Coast Ventures has a track record of raising over $7 billion in capital and created exit values of over $30 billion.
MIRAMAR EQUITY PARTNERS
Kyle Coots & Kurt Leedy
Miramar is a Dallas-based single family office who partners with entrepreneurs and executives across both platform and search fund opportunities. Their portfolio companies span many industries, from software to business services to marinas, but they share common characteristics of recurring revenue, tailwinds for growth, attractive returns on capital, and, above all, great leadership.
With committed capital from Miramar Holdings and without the typical constraints of a traditional private equity fund, Miramar Equity Partners has the ability to provide flexible capital for liquidity or growth along with a long-term approach to building and growing businesses in partnership with its founders and management. Miramar has the ability to plug equity gaps as high as $25mm+.
KINDERHOOK PARTNERS
Tushar Shah & Daniel Fernandez
Founded in 2003, Kinderhook Partners, LLC, makes long-term investments in public and private companies. They manage a concentrated portfolio of long-term investments in public and private companies that have both the potential to grow substantially in value and where management’s interests are closely aligned with shareholders.
Kinderhook considers investment opportunities in a variety of industries, focusing on companies that have the potential for attractive margins and a high and sustainable return on equity. They perform extensive due diligence on all prospective public and private investments. Occasionally they draw on their many collective years of experience serving on public and private company boards.
SEARCH FUND PARTNERS
Jim Edmunds, David Carver, Rich Kelley & Todd Tracey
Search Fund Partners have built on the proven success of the Search Fund model, where entrepreneurs are funded to unearth, acquire and manage a profitable micro-cap company.
SFP’s focus is on well-managed companies with a history of profits and significant growth potential. Often, company founders are looking to transition their business to a new generation of leaders who will work to grow the business, maintain customer relationships and employees, while also improving the value of the business. These have been very attractive opportunities for Search Fund Partner’s team of entrepreneurs.
The SFP team has over 40 years of management and investment experience in a wide spectrum of industries, as well as in every phase of business, including start-up management and venture capital fund-raising, experience on both sides of corporate M&A, high level executive management, real estate syndication and small business management.
FUTALEUFU PARTNERS
David Dodson & Susan Pohlmeyer
Futaleufu has partnered with searchers to invest in great companies across a wide range of industries and business models. They are industry agnostic, and look for typical “search fund deal” characteristics such as recurring revenue, multiple avenues for growth, and industry growth tailwinds. They have found these characteristics in businesses as different as point-of-sale software and portable toilet rentals.
Susan Pohlmeyer from Futaleufu is passionate about supporting the search fund model and is an avid supporter of driven entrepreneurs to find and acquire meaningful businesses. She joined forces with David Dodson to invest in search funds because she wanted to learn from the best in the business (her words, not his). David Dodson represents the legacy of the search fund industry. In the last 30 years, he has invested in over 200 search funds. In addition to teaching at Stanford University, David invests significant time mentoring, coaching and offering his support to Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. According to David, “After business school I went to work for my mentor, Irv Grousbeck, and my first assignment was to write the first business school case on search funds. In writing that case, I came to understand that a search fund is about matching a promising entrepreneur with a good company, surrounded by mentorship. I learned you needed all three - and so I’ve never viewed my role as writing a check.”
GRANITE POINT PARTNERS
Kent Weaver
Granite Point (GP) is a middle market equity investor that is growth oriented, flexible, and has a long-term mindset. Over the past 15 years, GP has partnered with entrepreneurs on over 70 investments. Their initial investments range from $500K to $20 million.
Granite Point believes that individuals are the key differentiator to success, and they seek to back entrepreneurs who are strong leaders and passionate business builders. GP’s purpose is to become a true partner to their entrepreneurs and support them however they can to achieve their dream and their vision!
MARION EQUITY PARTNERS
Bill Egan & Mark Egan
Marion Equity Partners is a family office which specializes in buyout and growth expansion transactions. It was founded in 2008 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. Bill & Mark Egan are General Partners of Marion Equity Partners.
Bill Egan founded Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. in 1979, and has identified and backed several of America’s leading growth companies in the information technology, life sciences, and communications industries. Bill Egan is also past President and Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, a Trustee of Fairfield University, a Member of the Board of Overseers of The Wharton School and a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Board of CRH plc, and a number of privately held companies. Bill is also an owner of the Boston Celtics professional basketball team. Bill received a degree in Economics from Fairfield University and an MBA from the Wharton School.
Prior to Marion, Mark Egan focused on growth equity investments in the technology, healthcare, media and business services industries at Polaris Venture Partners. Mark also has experience with Alta communications where he invested in media and telecommunications sectors. Mark has a degree in Finance from Fairfield University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
3T HOLDINGS, LLC
Troy Porras & Trevor Forbes
3T Holdings makes minority private investments in search funds and operates a portfolio of businesses in the towing and vehicle storage industries. Troy Porras and Trevor Forbes are partners of 3T Holdings.
Troy and Trevor are both experienced searchers, entrepreneurs and investors with over two decades of experience. In addition to managing their business in professional towing services (which is one of the largest in Colorado), Troy and Trevor invest in and support search fund entrepreneurs in finding, financing, operating and growing small businesses.
Troy received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his Law degree from Stanford University, and Trevor received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M and an MBA from Dartmouth College.
COLTON CAPITAL PARTNERS
Tobin O'Donnell & Kenneth O'Donnell Jr.
Colton Capital Partners, LLC is a family owned investment company based in Houston that acquires and invests in private companies across a variety of industries.
They work directly with intermediaries, business owners, industry executives, and independent sponsors to source, invest and help grow businesses.
Colton Capital’s investment approach is centered on partnering with experienced and motivated management teams who are looking for equity capital and a trusted business partner. Their support of management teams has enabled companies to grow and they have a proven track record of how they have helped create significant value for their partners, teams, and companies.
LIBERTY SEARCH VENTURES
Alon Amar & Danny Turkel
Liberty Search Ventures is a relationship-focused investment group founded by entrepreneurial investors seeking to partner with operators in searching, acquiring and running truly differentiated businesses with sound fundamentals and unique opportunities for growth. Liberty’s
mission is to build high-performing businesses with great partners for long-term economic success.
LSV heavily focuses on creating value through partnerships and its management team brings to the equation an extensive managerial experience across a variety of industries and segments for long term value creation. They work with owners & operators to design tailor-made growth strategies for each unique business & vertical.
Liberty’s approach is unique in that they invest in small companies utilizing investment structures and terms favorable to entrepreneurs and sellers to differentiate them from larger financial buyers. Liberty targets companies with $0.5-5mm in EBITDA & $2-30mm in revenue.
OPERAND GROUP
Carlos Saez & Michael Miles
The Operand Group’s founder DNA is in operating businesses, leading high-performing teams, and managing interpersonal relationships in complex workplaces. They support entrepreneurship through acquisition with more than just capital by offering their time and collective wisdom to improve outcomes.
Operand has successfully partnered with many of the best and brightest entrepreneurs to find and acquire profitable lower middle market businesses to create value for sellers in transition, aspiring managers and co-investors.
Operand has supported over 100 Search Fund entrepreneurs and over 30 acquisitions of lower middle market businesses in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Operand brings capital, operating experience, and deep engagement to the Search Fund Community.