Any Independent Sponsors out there Operating as a Micro PE Fund?

searcher profile

August 30, 2020

by a searcher from Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT Sloan School of Management in Florida, USA

I like the search fund model but am focused on a multi-target acquisition and roll-up strategy which will seek to consolidate several businesses into a core. I am also interested in running this as a small PE fund where we manage a portfolio of companies versus a single acquisition search fund play.

My initial thoughts are to execute an initial acquisition of the core first to launch with LPs (independent sponsor to begin), then acquire add-ons over time, integrate post-merger, optimize balance sheet and expand earnings, and rinse and repeat, etc.

I envision this would have me serve as a "global CFO" of sorts maintaining the financials, searching for new targets, reporting to LPs, etc., for all operating entities while my management team executes on the day-to-day operations making sure we are running a tight ship.

Is anyone else doing this and free to speak by phone sometime? If so, please comment or like and I will reach out to you directly. Thanks!

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commentor profile
Reply by a professional
from University of Maryland at College Park in Danville, CA, USA
We know many independent sponsors who look and act just like private equity funds.

My colleagues and I at McGuireWoods lead a large independent sponsor initiative, which helps more than 1500 independent sponsors and over 4000 capital providers meet each other and connect on opportunities.

We host an annual conference (www.independentsponsorconference.com - last year we had 830+ registrants) plus independent sponsor-only networking groups around the country. I co-lead our groups in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Dallas. As a way to add value, we regularly introduce independent sponsors to capital providers - last year we made over 4000 such connections.

I'm always glad to connect with independent sponsors and every day help them with their deals.
commentor profile
Reply by a searcher
from Northwestern University in Los Gatos, CA, USA
That's how we're operating (founded###-###-#### cubinvestments.com - and focus on value plays around retirement succession in regional service businesses. We have a mix of own-operate platforms each simultaneously pursuing a organic business-building/modernization growth strategy plus opportunistic add-on acquisitions. We also make minority interest equity investments into other own-operate sponsors running the same growth playbook.
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