We buy small businesses.
To keep and protect forever.
By owners, for owners.
Backing business owners since 1999.
Invested in 100+ companies.
We acquire small, profitable businesses that make the American economy and society work, and stand the test of time. We ensure they can keep doing so for decades to come.
Companies with loyal customers, proud teams and strong cash flows.
We are a founder-led, permanent-capital company built to last for generations.
Our must-have investment criteria:
$1-10M Free Cash-Flow, 15%+ EBITDA margin, steadily growing
5+ years of continuous profitable operation under the same management
Historical management wants to keep on running their business
We acquire in all sectors but:
Software, Life Science, and AI-fragile
Real Estate
Capital Intensive
We chase no trends and shy away from the ‘hot’ frenzy of the moment.
Business Services
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Logistics & Transportation
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Healthcare
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Essential Services
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Retail
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Food & Agribusiness
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Leisure & Entertainment
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Residential Services
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Distribution
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Hospitality
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Packaged goods
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Industrials & Manufacturing
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Consumer
Business Services ⁓ Logistics & Transportation ⁓ Healthcare ⁓ Essential Services ⁓ Retail ⁓ Food & Agribusiness ⁓ Leisure & Entertainment ⁓ Residential Services ⁓ Distribution ⁓ Hospitality ⁓ Packaged goods ⁓ Industrials & Manufacturing ⁓ Consumer
Our promise to owners
Secure your family’s future
Cash-out a majority of your stake
Keep additional long-term upside
Stay in charge
Stay running your business ‘as usual’
Minimal intervention - On demand support
Protect your people
No integration shock - No layoffs - No forced hires
Success-sharing plans
Protect your legacy
Your company keeps its brand and culture
Funding available to grow
Simple, fair, fast process
Straight forward LoI and terms
Our Philosophy
Perpetuo means ‘forever’
We don’t buy to sell.
We buy to hold, protect, and grow good businesses, and the people who built them. We see ourselves more as stewards to our companies, than investors.
We only partner with people we look forward to spending decades together.
We acquire the majority, with a model of perfectly aligned co-ownership where founders and/or their historical management retain 20% long-term stake. We also strongly believe in the superior power of simple and outcome-driven incentives for employees.
None of us being eternal, we strive to help anticipate and facilitate smooth leadership transitions.
We are ourselves a generational company founded and led by a self-made repeat founder.
Decentralized, no non-sense, governance
We only acquire companies whose management has continuously proven to master their own recipe of delivering robust and growing cash-flows. Contrary to most investors, we believe it would be plain heretic to change anything about that.
It is in fact a strict condition to our acquisition that you continue to run your business, very autonomously, with minimal operational interference and additional monitoring. We focus on strategy, sustainable-growth planning, key performance indicators, continuity of great leadership and control capital allocation.
You will however always find us available as a caring sounding-board to share our decades-long experience in improving and growing businesses and leading teams, through both the good and the hard times.
We care and give back
Donate 2% of profits
Offset our HQ carbon footprint
Anonymous hotline for employees
Our principles
Accountable
Empowering
Simple
Our Team
We have been helping owners manage, improve, fund and grow their businesses since 1999.
We have invested in over 70 owner-led companies across a wide range of sectors and contexts (starting up, growth, refinancing, distress, etc). Transforming their wealth, lives and legacies.
We have founded, led or chaired several companies, managed hundreds of employees, participated in hundreds of board meetings.
Our funds come from our personal hard-earned wealth and from entrepreneurs we backed and notable professionals we have been doing business with in the past 25 years.
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Founder - CEO
A serial investor for 15 years, I am currently building my third company. My previous ventures included one of the first online English teaching platforms and a preventative healthcare business.
I grew up in a family of small-business owners across real estate, textile manufacturing, accounting, and healthcare.
Formerly a McKinsey&Co Partner, specialized in working with owners and PE funds to better run and grow their businesses. I led a number of McKinsey businesses, and had the honor to help Rio de Janeiro win its candidacy to the 2016 Olympic Games.
Married to the founder of the largest US scholarship platform (now College Board’s BigFuture).
Father of three.
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Investment Director - Greater West
CEO & CFO of a recently exited 50-employee healthcare business. Acquired as a traditional LBO search fund, picked out of 400+ opportunities.
Founding member of Deloitte's Next Gen M&A practice closing over $82B+ in mergers and acquisitions, James started his private investing career at Blackstone Infrastructure Asset Management.
Prior to his business career James served the country leading a counter-ISIL intelligence task force with Top Secret Security Clearance, recognized for outstanding service.
Grew up working in his family’s Medical Tech business, helping scale to 40 countries and IPO preparations.
Founder and executive coach of Ivy League Powerlifting Championship.Education includes MBA from the Columbia Business School where he served as Academic Chair, and Harvard University where he led award winning research in the innovation lab.
(917) 487-0200
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Investment Director - Industrial East
I invested in 20+ small and mid-sized businesses across a wide spectrum of industries ranging from niche manufacturing to essential services, healthcare, distribution, and even a world-class sports team.
I am a proud Minnesotan, where I grew up unfazed by -20° windchills and developed a serious appreciation for a state fair corn dog. I saw firsthand how small, local businesses anchor towns, and that upbringing shapes how I invest today.
Formerly, I was a Senior Director of Corporate Development at Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), where I deployed $650M+ across ten deals, including the then-largest in Broadridge's history.
After graduating magna cum laude from Georgetown University with majors in, and deep passion for, Economics and Mathematics, I began my career at Barclays then consulted on antitrust and abuse of dominant position cases.
Mother, scuba diver, and downhill skier.