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Strategic capital for lower middle market businesses

Trendline Capital focuses on making equity investments in lower middle market companies located primarily throughout the Mid-Atlantic U.S.
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We seek to partner with owners and experienced management teams of “traditional” manufacturing, distribution, transportation, and select service businesses to provide growth capital and strategic oversight with the dual objectives of: (1) creating liquidity for business owners, and (2) building great companies.

Why Trendline?

Empathetic

We have the unique perspective of having been day-to-day operators for over a decade.

Knowledgable

We have spent nearly all of our careers working with or in lower middle market and small privately held companies.

Focused

At Trendline, we only do a few things, but we think we do them well.

Experienced

We have generated more than $100 million in sales growth, hired more than 500 employees and achieved returns significantly higher than industry targets.

Criteria For Investment

PROFILE
    • Traditional manufacturing, distribution, transportation, and select service businesses
    • No high-tech, health sciences, highly regulated, retail, or “Main Street” businesses
    • Attractive growth prospects
    • Defensible market positions
    • Stable competitive dynamics
GEOGRAPHY
    • Primarily Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Southern New York
SIZE
    • Revenues of $5 million to $50 million
    • EBITDA of $1 million to $3 million
      • (We will invest in companies with EBITDA above $3 million by utilizing co-investment arrangements with select private equity partners and family offers)
    • $2 million to $4 million of equity investment per platform
MANAGEMENT
    • Seasoned management team in place
    • Motivated to manage in a metrics-driven and continuous improvement environment
    • Ability to integrate add-on acquisitions
STRUCTURE
    • Complete buyouts
    • Majority buyouts
    • Minority investments
BUY-SIDE/FINDER'S FEES
    • We welcome introductions to great businesses from buy-side intermediaries and will pay referral fees for completed transactions