Star Mountain Capital, LLC, a specialized investment manager focused on the goal of generating alpha for its clients from the complex, labor intensive and underserved U.S. lower middle-market (established small and medium-sized private businesses that generally have at least $15 million of annual revenues), has continued to grow its team and support smaller businesses. During this pandemic, Star Mountain has stayed active supporting its portfolio companies and providing debt and equity capital to new attractive private businesses, recently completing its 100th private investment.
I’m grateful for our investors who continue to support us and to our aligned and dedicated team who have helped us assist numerous companies grow, including by financing strategic acquisitions. We are actively investing in new attractive private businesses, recently helping us achieve the milestone of our 100th investment,” says Star Mountain Capital Founder & CEO, Brett Hickey. “With the aging demographic and challenged economic environment we anticipate financing even more mergers and acquisitions as well as strategic organic growth initiatives, helping protect and grow American jobs.”
Since 2010, Star Mountain has made 79 direct investments in private U.S. small and medium-sized businesses and 21 secondary / fund investments within its Collaborative Ecosystem ®, exclusively focused on the U.S. lower middle-market. “The data-driven insights we are able to generate from our Collaborative Ecosystem help us make better investment decisions and also helps our team develop,” says Chris Birosak, Chairman of Star Mountain’s Investment Committee. Chris, like other members of the senior investment team, helps bring large market expertise to smaller businesses with over 30 years of leveraged finance, private equity, and banking experience. His distinguished career includes being the former Co-Head of BAML Capital Partners (the internal private equity investment group of Bank of America / Merrill Lynch) where he oversaw approximately $6 billion of private equity investments. Earlier in his career Chris was also a former Managing Director in leveraged finance at Merrill Lynch where he led the underwriting of over $15 billion in M&A and leveraged buyout financings and co-founded Merrill Lynch’s Loan Syndication Group.
With nearly $1.5 billion in assets under management as of the end of September and over 40 team members, Star Mountain is dedicated to this large market of underserved smaller businesses with its specialized business model established to address the challenges and opportunities of supporting these companies1. As part of its commitment, Star Mountain has trademarked Investing in the Growth Engine of America ®.
As it expands with the goal of adding value to private business owners across the U.S., Star Mountain opened new offices in Dallas, Texas and Denver, Colorado this year. Star Mountain and its Charitable Foundation have been supporting local New York City charities during this time of need and are keeping connected with stakeholders via digital media assets. For example, Star Mountain’s Chief Risk Officer, Dr. Lev Borodovsky (former Chief Risk Officer of GSO / Blackstone), has been publishing regular content on the macroeconomic impact of the pandemic on Star Mountain’s YouTube channel.
Star Mountain continues to grow its team including welcoming two former interns as full-time analysts after their university graduations in May as well as continuing its annual full-time summer internship program despite the pandemic. Star Mountain continues to seek additional full-time team members and senior advisors / operating partners as assets under management continue to grow.
Star Mountain was recently named a Best Places to Work by Pensions & Investments and named one of the 2019 Best Places to Work by Crain’s New York Business.