Clearlake Capital Group

What Clearlake Capital Group does

Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., founded in 2006 by José E. Feliciano and Behdad Eghbali, is a privately held global alternative asset manager headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The firm manages integrated investment platforms spanning private equity, liquid and private credit (via Clearlake Credit), and customized private-markets solutions (via Pathway Capital Management). As of 2026, Clearlake reports $185 billion in assets under management across 14 offices in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, with more than 500 employees globally and a flagship Fund VIII that closed at $14.8 billion in capital commitments from nearly 300 limited partners across 35 countries. The firm invests across the capital structure in private and public transactions, focused on technology, industrials, and consumer sectors.

Clearlake's core proprietary capability is the O.P.S.® (Operations, People, Strategy) framework, an institutionalized post-investment operational improvement methodology applied across portfolio companies, supplemented by Clearlake AI Labs for AI-enabled value creation. The firm's business model is built on two primary revenue streams: recurring management fees on committed capital (industry-standard 1.5–2% annually on $185B AUM) and performance-based carried interest on successful realizations (approximately $22 billion of realizations over the past five years). Clearlake Credit provides direct lending, subordinated financing, and customized credit solutions to more than 400 sponsor-backed companies globally, with $89B+ deployed to date across liquid and illiquid credit strategies. Go-to-market relies on direct institutional fundraising relationships plus the wealth-management channel enabled through the 2026 Pathway Capital Management acquisition.

The portfolio spans enterprise software (Quest Software, Alteryx, Black Duck, Precisely, symplr), data and analytics (Dun & Bradstreet, ModMed), industrials (Qualus, Springs Window Fashions, Mold-Rite), consumer products (BakeMark), education (Discovery Education), and credit infrastructure (MV Credit, WhiteStar, LCM CLO book). The firm also holds a co-investment stake in Chelsea Football Club via the BlueCo consortium. Ownership remains with the founding partners, with no public listing or parent company.

Name

Clearlake Capital Group

Legal name

Clearlake Capital Group, L.P.

Website

https://clearlake.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Clearlake Capital Group is a Santa Monica–based private equity and alternative asset manager founded in 2006, managing $185B in AUM across private equity, credit, and private-markets platforms, serving institutional and wealth investors globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity & Alternative Asset Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Financial Vehicles (525990), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Large-Cap / Sponsor Finance Direct Lending (FSANADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Credit / Direct Lending (FSAAAHAG), Managed Account / SMA Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAGAL)

Keywords

• Private equity investments
• Alternative asset management
• Private credit solutions
• Special situations investing
• Investment management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Private Equity Management Fees: Management fees charged on assets under management across flagship funds and co-investment vehicles. The firm's AUM has grown from $3B in 2015 to $185B in 2026.
2. Carried Interest/Performance Fees: Performance-based fees from successful portfolio company exits and realizations. Clearlake has achieved approximately $22 billion of realizations over the last five years.
3. Credit Investment Returns: Returns from Clearlake Credit platform providing liquid and private credit solutions. Has deployed over $89 billion into credit investments to date.
4. Private Markets Solutions: Revenue from Pathway Capital Management platform serving institutional and wealth investors with customized access to private markets opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clearlake Capital Group is a global alternative investment firm managing $185 billion in assets under management across integrated private equity, liquid credit, and private credit platforms. The firm deploys capital through sector-focused control investments in technology, industrials, and consumer companies using its proprietary O.P.S. operational improvement framework, while also providing bespoke credit and private market solutions to investors and sponsor-backed companies worldwide.

Product overview

Clearlake Capital Group is a global private equity and alternative asset management firm, not a product company. It does not offer a standalone product, platform, or software-as-a-service offering. Clearlake manages integrated investment platforms spanning private equity, liquid and private credit, and related strategies, deploying capital through its O.P.S.® (Operations, People, Strategy) operational improvement framework. Its businesses include Clearlake Private Equity (sector-focused investing in technology, industrials, and consumer sectors), Clearlake Credit (liquid and private credit solutions), and Pathway Capital Management (private market solutions). The firm does not develop or sell technology products, SaaS platforms, or software to external customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clearlake Credit: Specialist credit platform providing flexible capital solutions including liquid credit and private credit to dynamic global businesses
• Pathway Capital Management
• O.P.S.
• Clearlake Impact Initiative
• Clearlake AI Labs

Products and services

• Clearlake Private Equity (Clearlake Capital Partners flagship buyout funds) Sector-focused private equity fund series making control investments in technology, industrials, and consumer companies, deploying capital across the capital structure in all economic cycles and partnering with management teams to drive operational improvement.
• Clearlake Private Credit
• Clearlake Liquid Credit (CLO Management)
• Pathway Capital Management — Private Market Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• $22 billion of realizations over the past five years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• AnetaccoreTechnology or Integration · 17 June 2026Quest Software, backed by Clearlake Capital, acquired Anetac to advance identity security for the agentic AI era. Anetac provides AI-powered identity security for human, non-human, and agentic identities, extending Quest's platform with continuous visibility into identity access and privilege behavior in Microsoft ecosystems.
• LCM Asset ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026Clearlake Credit assumed management of 31 CLOs managed by LCM Asset Management, adding more than $5 billion of AUM. Transaction increases Clearlake Credit's total assets to approximately $39 billion across liquid credit, private credit, and customized credit solutions.
• Pathway Capital ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Clearlake completed acquisition of Pathway Capital Management, a global provider of private market solutions with over $95 billion in assets under management. Pathway operates under its existing brand as part of Clearlake's broader private markets platform, providing customized access to private equity, private credit, infrastructure, secondaries, and co-investments for institutional and wealth investors.
• FPTflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025FPT signed a platinum partnership with Clearlake Capital to accelerate digital transformation in the private equity sector. FPT will provide enterprise technology solutions to Clearlake's portfolio companies with strategic focus on growth in US, UK, and global markets.
• MV CreditcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2024Clearlake acquired MV Credit from Natixis Investment Managers, expanding its private credit and lending capabilities globally. The acquisition increased Clearlake's credit AUM to over $28 billion and total AUM to more than $90 billion, strengthening European market presence.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KKR & Co. Inc. Global investment firm with private equity, credit, and infrastructure strategies targeting large-cap control investments. Directly comparable business mix, AUM tier, and LP relationships.
• Blackstone Inc. Largest global alternative asset manager spanning private equity, credit, real estate, and hedge funds with comparable mega-fund scale and institutional LP base. Closely comparable in AUM scale and multi-strategy breadth.
• Apollo Global Management: Major alternative asset manager with strong private equity and credit franchises including Athene. Comparable in combining private equity control investing with a large-scale credit/insurance balance-sheet strategy.
• Ares Management Corporation: Alternative asset manager with leading private equity, private credit, and liquid credit franchises. Highly comparable given Clearlake's parallel build-out of a credit platform alongside PE.
• TPG Inc. Public alternative asset manager with flagship private equity, growth, credit, and real estate strategies. Similar sector-focused investment approach and institutional LP base as Clearlake.
• Carlyle Group: Diversified global private equity firm with comparable AUM tier, sector-focused funds, and credit platform. Directly competitive in mid- and large-cap buyouts across technology, industrials, and consumer.
• Bain Capital: Private investment firm with multi-strategy PE, credit, and special situations funds at comparable scale. Similar partnership approach with management teams and operational improvement focus.

Emerging players

• Vista Equity Partners: Software-focused PE firm that is a direct sector competitor within Clearlake's technology vertical. Comparable operational improvement playbook (Vista's Best Playbook) and software buyout focus.
• Francisco Partners: Technology-focused PE firm that has co-invested with Clearlake on deals such as Quest Software, Discovery Education, and Black Duck. Highly relevant sector peer in enterprise software buyouts.

Broad incumbents

• Brookfield Asset Management: Large alternative asset manager with private equity, credit, infrastructure, and renewable power strategies. Comparable multi-strategy breadth and institutional scale, though heavier real-asset tilt than Clearlake.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/clearlake
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clearlake-capital-group-lp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A58 records

Investments78 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clearlake Capital Group