A founder-first partnership for the businesses that keep America running.
We invest in founder-owned businesses, partnering with management teams to drive long-term growth, operational excellence and strategic acquisitions.
Long-term
We invest with a long-term view and a flexible approach.
Tailored
Flexible majority and minority transaction structures aligned with founders' objectives.
Partnership focused
We partner with management teams as engaged investors, providing strategic and operational support and investing to help businesses grow.
About
Private capital for the lower middle market
JE Capital Partners is a private investment firm based in Austin, Texas that partners with founder- and family-owned businesses in the lower middle market. We work alongside owners and management teams to build durable value, with a focus on long-term value creation. Our diverse investor base gives us the flexibility to make decisions in partnership with management based on what's right for the business, not an arbitrary timeline. We believe the right people are the key to success, which is why we focus on partnering with exceptional management teams and ensuring alignment with key stakeholders from the outset.
Our Approach
Alignment from the outset
Every partnership starts with a clear understanding of the owner's goals and how they fit with the future of the business. We invest the time up front to get aligned with owners and management on goals, roles and the path forward, because we believe the right fit matters more than the number of deals we do. We're selective by design and focus on a small number of partnerships where we can add real value.
Structure that fits
Majority or minority investments. We solve for the owner's goals: liquidity, legacy, taxes, family and employees.
Hands-on, not hands-in
We act as an engaged board-level partner on strategy, finance, add-on acquisitions and building the team. Day-to-day leadership stays with the people who know the business best.
Built to last
We invest in systems, people and reporting that set the company up for its next chapter, and we protect the culture and reputation that got it here.
“We want to be the partner a founder would recommend to a friend, years after the deal closes.”
Investment Criteria
What we look for
Financial profile
- EBITDA of $2M–$25M (smaller for add-ons)
- Consistent profitability and cash flow
- U.S.-based companies
Business characteristics
- Founder, family or management owned
- Recurring or repeat customer relationships
- Clear room to grow, organically or through acquisitions
Transaction types
- Majority and minority recapitalizations
- Owner succession and retirement
- Growth and acquisition capital
- Management buyouts
Sectors
Commercial & Industrial Services
Utility Services
Business Services
Residential Services
Manufacturing & Distribution
Don't see your business here? If it's a great company, we'd still like to hear about it.
Team
Leadership
Josh Hyde
Founder & Managing Partner
After more than a decade advising on and leading transactions for founder- and family-owned businesses, Josh Hyde founded JE Capital Partners to partner with them directly, as an owner, with an emphasis on transparency and integrity. Josh leads every aspect of the firm, from building relationships with owners and management teams to executing and overseeing each investment.
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Josh has spent his career in private equity, investment banking and M&A across the middle and upper middle market, advising founders, corporations and private equity firms on acquisitions, capital raises and strategic plans. He has completed more than $10 billion in transactions, with a focus on commercial, industrial and utility services. Working alongside owners, investors and management teams to create value is what drew him to entrepreneurship and led him to start JE Capital Partners.
Most recently, Josh has led lower middle-market acquisitions from sourcing through closing as a principal alongside a private investment firm, directing every stage of the process: origination, valuation and structuring, diligence, financing and execution. Before that, he was with William Blair's investment banking group, where he focused on commercial and utility services, and worked in M&A at ITOCHU-backed Tyr Energy, investing in and acquiring North American power generation projects. He began his career at Stifel (formerly George K. Baum & Company). Josh holds a B.S. in Finance and Banking and a B.A. in International Business from the University of Missouri.
Josh lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and two daughters, and takes every opportunity he can to play a round of golf.
Contact
Let's talk about what's next.
Whether you're an owner, an intermediary or an investor, we'd like to hear from you. Every conversation is kept confidential.
josh@jecapitalpartners.com