Trivest Partners
Trivest Partners is a private equity firm founded in 1981 and headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, exclusively focused on founder-led and family-owned businesses in the United States and Canada. The firm operates four fund strategies (Mid-Market, Growth/TGIF, Discovery, Recognition) and manages approximately $6.1 billion in AUM across 13 institutional funds, using its proprietary Path to 3x value creation methodology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersCoral Gables, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Trivest Partners does
Trivest Partners is a private equity investment firm founded in 1981 and headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, with regional offices in Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto. The firm is exclusively focused on investing in founder-led and family-owned businesses across the United States and Canada, operating four distinct fund strategies: the Mid-Market Fund (control investments in the lower middle market), the Trivest Growth Investment Fund or TGIF (non-control investments in companies with EBITDA greater than $4 million), the Discovery Fund (small companies in fragmented industries), and the Recognition Fund (larger scaled family-owned companies). Trivest employs its proprietary 'Path to 3x' value creation methodology across portfolio companies and explicitly does not use an operating partner model, instead serving as active board members while founders retain operational control.
The firm has completed more than 400 investments totaling approximately $7 billion in transaction value, with 180+ new investments and exits over the past three years. Trivest manages approximately $6.1 billion in assets under management across 13 institutional private equity funds, with the most recent fund (TGIF III) closing at $730 million in capital commitments in October 2024. The firm generates revenue through management fees on committed capital plus carried interest on investment gains, with capital sourced from endowments, corporate pensions, insurance companies, funds of funds, family offices, and individuals. Distribution occurs via direct business development outreach through six regional offices, investment banking intermediaries, portfolio company referrals, and an annual CEO and Investor Conference.
Recent platform builds span vacation rental management (VueStay, ~4,500 homes across eight states), residential garage door services (Wheelhouse), early childhood education (Lunchline Youth Brands), residential roofing (Canopy Services), and AI/engineering services (Algoworks). The team comprises more than 95 professionals led by five Managing Partners, each heading a fund strategy, with a senior team drawn from PwC, Credit Suisse, ADP, Morgan Lewis, Lehman Brothers, Hamilton Lane, and GE. The firm has been recognized as a BluWave Top PE Innovator for four consecutive years (2022-2025) and has appeared on Inc. Magazine's Founder-Friendly Investors List for four consecutive years.
Trivest Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trivest Partners
- Legal name
- Trivest Partners Corporation
- Website
- https://trivest.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Trivest Partners is a private equity firm founded in 1981 and headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, exclusively focused on founder-led and family-owned businesses in the United States and Canada. The firm operates four fund strategies (Mid-Market, Growth/TGIF, Discovery, Recognition) and manages approximately $6.1 billion in AUM across 13 institutional funds, using its proprietary Path to 3x value creation methodology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trivest Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Equity Fund Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)
Keywords
Where Trivest Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Coral Gables
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Trivest Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Private Equity Fund Management: Trivest generates revenue through management fees charged on committed capital across its four investment funds, plus carried interest (performance fees) on investment gains. The firm manages approximately $6.1 billion in assets under management across institutional private equity funds.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Trivest Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trivest Partners is a private equity firm that invests in founder-led and family-owned businesses through four distinct institutional fund strategies. The Mid-Market Fund makes control/majority investments in lower middle market companies, the Growth Investment Fund (TGIF) makes non-control investments allowing founders to retain majority stake, the Discovery Fund targets small companies in fragmented industries, and the Recognition Fund invests in larger scaled founder/family-owned businesses.
Product overview
Trivest Partners is a private equity firm offering multiple distinct investment fund strategies for founder and family-owned businesses. The firm's product offerings consist of four investment funds: the Mid-Market Fund (control investments in lower middle market), Growth Investment Fund/TGIF (non-control investments for fast-growing businesses with EBITDA > $4M), Discovery Fund (investments in small companies in fragmented industries), and Recognition Fund (investments in larger scaled companies). The firm also builds and manages portfolio company platforms across various industries including garage door services (Wheelhouse), vacation rentals (VueStay Vacations), early childhood education (Lunchline Youth Brands), and residential roofing (Canopy Services).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Trivest Growth Investment Fund (TGIF): Non-control investment fund for fast-growing businesses with founders looking to retain majority stake
- Trivest Discovery Fund
- Trivest Mid-Market Fund
- Trivest Recognition Fund
Products and services
- Trivest Mid-Market Fund A private equity fund that makes control, or majority, investments in founder and family-owned businesses in the lower middle market. For investors and founders seeking full or majority ownership transitions with active board-level involvement from Trivest.
- Trivest Growth Investment Fund (TGIF) A non-control fund that invests in fast-growing businesses with founders looking to retain a majority stake in their company, targeting companies with EBITDA greater than $4 million. Provides capital and strategic guidance while founders retain operational control and majority ownership.
- Trivest Discovery Fund A fund that invests primarily in small, successful companies within fragmented industries that have enormous potential to scale. Targets companies that are too small for traditional lower middle market buyout funds but show strong growth potential.
- Trivest Recognition Fund A fund that invests in larger, successful founder and family-owned companies that have already begun to scale. Serves the upper end of the firm's target market with larger founder/family-owned businesses seeking institutional capital partners.
Quantifiable outcome
- 180+ new investments and exits completed over the past three years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Trivest Partners
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Trivest Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Trivest Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Portfolio Company EcosystemcoreNetwork of 180+ portfolio companies across various sectors including home services, transportation, food manufacturing, restoration services, and more, that benefit from Trivest's investment and operational support.
- Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Legal Advisor)minorServed as legal advisor to both Total PowerGen Solutions and Trivest Partners.
- Kirkland & Ellis LLPminorServed as fund counsel for TGIF III.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Trivest Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Atlantic Street Capital: Lower-middle-market PE firm focused on founder and family-led businesses with a partnership-oriented approach. Directly comparable to Trivest on founder-friendly positioning and check size.
- Sun Capital Partners: Middle-market private equity firm making control investments in founder and family-owned businesses across diversified sectors. Sun Capital and Trivest compete for the same lower-middle-market founder-owned companies with comparable control-buyout structures.
- HIG Capital: Global alternative investment firm with extensive middle-market PE activity including control and non-control investments. Competes with Trivest for lower-middle-market founder-owned deals across multiple sectors.
- Audax Group: Middle-market PE firm focused on building platforms via add-on acquisitions. Audax is a direct competitor and has been a buyer of Trivest portfolio companies (e.g., Total PowerGen Solutions), illustrating deal-flow overlap in the same middle-market niche.
- Carousel Capital: Charlotte-based PE firm investing in founder and family-owned lower-middle-market businesses. Direct competitor with a comparable regional, founder-focused approach and similar fund size.
- Centre Partners: Middle-market PE firm historically focused on control investments in founder/family-owned consumer and services businesses. Closely comparable to Trivest on thesis (founder-led businesses) and execution style.
- Shore Capital Partners: Chicago-based lower-middle-market PE firm focused on micro-cap founder-owned healthcare and non-healthcare services companies. Comparable to Trivest Discovery in target size and founder-friendly approach.
- Cortec Group: Middle-market PE firm that invests in founder/family-owned businesses, frequently partnering with management to execute buy-and-build strategies. Direct thesis overlap with Trivest's Mid-Market and Discovery funds.
Broad incumbents
- Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe: Large healthcare-and-technology focused PE firm that also invests in services and consumer. Larger and more diversified than Trivest, with overlapping interest in founder-led lower-middle-market platforms.
- Main Street Capital: Publicly traded BDC/PE hybrid making primarily non-control debt and equity investments in lower-middle-market companies. Comparable to Trivest TGIF in non-control lower-middle-market positioning, though Main Street is principally debt-oriented and publicly listed.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Trivest Partners social profiles
Digital presenceTrivest Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trivest Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Trivest Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trivest Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A9 records
Investments46 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Trivest Partners
What does Trivest Partners do?
Trivest Partners is a private equity firm that invests in founder-led and family-owned businesses through four distinct institutional fund strategies. The Mid-Market Fund makes control/majority investments in lower middle market companies, the Growth Investment Fund (TGIF) makes non-control investments allowing founders to retain majority stake, the Discovery Fund targets small companies in fragmented industries, and the Recognition Fund invests in larger scaled founder/family-owned businesses.
Is Trivest Partners a public or private company?
Trivest Partners is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Trivest Partners founded?
Trivest Partners was founded in 1981. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Trivest Partners based?
Trivest Partners is headquartered in Coral Gables, United States, in the North America region.
How does Trivest Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: private Equity Fund Management.
Who are Trivest Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Atlantic Street Capital, Sun Capital Partners, HIG Capital, Audax Group, Carousel Capital, Centre Partners, Shore Capital Partners and Cortec Group. Broad incumbents are Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and Main Street Capital.
Does Trivest Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trivest Partners.
What industry is Trivest Partners in?
Trivest Partners's product category is Private Equity Fund Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANACAO, Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.