Nautic Partners

Name

Nautic Partners

Legal name

Nautic Partners, LLC

Website

http://www.nautic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

NAV-Based / Portfolio Finance (Liquidity for LPs/GPs) (FSANAFAM)

Keywords

• Middle market private equity
• Private equity investments
• Growth capital investments
• Buyout and recapitalization
• Portfolio management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Management Fees: Private equity firms typically charge management fees on committed capital under management, though specific rates are not publicly disclosed
2. Carried Interest: Performance-based carried interest on investment profits, typically 20% of returns above the hurdle rate

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nautic Partners is a middle-market private equity firm that makes equity commitments of $50-$400+ million in North American middle-market companies with enterprise values from $100 million to over $1 billion. The firm partners with management teams across three sector specialties — Healthcare, Industrials, and Services — to drive value creation through sales and earnings growth, add-on acquisitions, and operational improvements, generating returns through management fees and carried interest on its private equity funds.

Product overview

Nautic Partners is a middle-market private equity firm that does not offer a unified software product or platform. Instead, the firm manages a diverse portfolio of companies across three specialty sectors: Healthcare, Industrials, and Services. The portfolio includes companies with distinct products and services such as Vybond (pressure-sensitive tapes and adhesives), GovHost (SaaS-based public safety software for law enforcement), IT Solutions Consulting (managed IT services), AccessIT Group (cybersecurity solutions), SurfacePrep (abrasive products distribution), Davidson Hospitality Group (hotel management), LindFast Solutions Group (specialty fasteners distribution), and Ideal Tridon (engineered components manufacturing). These portfolio companies operate as independent entities with their own product offerings, and Nautic's role is as an investment firm rather than a product provider.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DeepSeas: Provider of world-class cyber threat detection and managed security services (formerly Advanced Threat Response)
• Vybond
• Aurora Materials Solutions

Products and services

• Middle-Market Private Equity Investments
• Healthcare Sector Private Equity
• Industrials Sector Private Equity
• Outsourced Services Sector Private Equity
• Add-on Acquisition Program
• Limited Partner Fund Investment Vehicles

Quantifiable outcome

• 123 portfolio investments exited as of December 2021
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered exited, strategic and portfolio.

• HES Facilities ManagementexitedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Nautic Partners completed the sale of HES Facilities Management to GI Partners, exiting a five-year investment that transformed the company into one of the nation's largest providers of outsourced custodial, facilities management and groundskeeping services for educational institutions.
• GI PartnersstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026GI Partners acquired HES Facilities Management from Nautic Partners. GI Partners is acquiring the platform as part of their strategy to build a position in the outsourced education services market.
• AccessIT GroupportfolioStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Nautic Partners announced a growth partnership with AccessIT Group, a cybersecurity solutions provider celebrating 25 years of operations. Nautic serves as a strategic partner for AccessIT's next phase of expansion, bringing capital and operational expertise.
• Audax Private EquitystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Audax Private Equity acquired AKAM, previously a portfolio company of Nautic Partners, from Nautic Partners. The acquisition positions AKAM to capitalize on the growing residential services market.
• AKAM Living ServicesexitedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Nautic Partners completed the sale of portfolio company AKAM to Audax Private Equity. AKAM is a property management and real estate services firm founded in 1983, operating through three subsidiaries and serving condominiums, cooperatives, and homeowner associations in New York and Florida.
• KabaFusionportfolioStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Nautic Partners completed a growth investment in KabaFusion, a nationally recognized leader in home and alternative site infusion services. Nautic's deep healthcare expertise and collaborative approach will help accelerate growth and expand access to high-quality infusion care.
• Audax Private EquitystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Audax Private Equity acquired AKAM from Nautic Partners on February 27, 2026. The transaction validates Nautic's sector strategy in professional and tech-enabled services and represents a successful exit.
• SenderraRxportfolioStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Nautic Partners made a growth investment in SenderraRx, a Dallas-based specialty pharmacy focused on complex chronic conditions. The investment supports continued investment in patient services, technology, and operational scale across the United States.
• Cenavera NutritionportfolioStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Nautic Partners acquired Cenavera Nutrition from Harkness Capital Partners. Cenavera is the leading independent foodservice management company focused exclusively on the K-12 school market, serving schools across 33 states.
• AccessIT GroupportfolioStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Nautic Partners completed the acquisition of AccessIT Group, a cybersecurity solutions provider based in Pennsylvania, partnering with its management team to expand the company's capabilities and market reach.
• Ideal Tridon GroupportfolioStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Nautic Partners acquired Ideal Tridon Group from TruArc Partners. Ideal Tridon is a global manufacturer of engineered components including clamps, brackets, fittings, and hose connections with over 60,000 SKUs and 20,000+ customers.
• SurfacePrepportfolioStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Nautic Partners purchased SurfacePrep, a distributor of surface improvement services, from CenterOak Partners LLC. SurfacePrep serves over 15,000 manufacturing customers across aerospace, medical, and transportation end markets through a network of branches and labs.
• Tabula RasaportfolioStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Nautic Partners planned to acquire healthcare company Tabula Rasa in a take-private deal, marking a strategic move into the healthcare sector. The transaction would add Tabula Rasa's capabilities to Nautic's healthcare portfolio.
• Aurora PlasticsexitedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021Wind Point and OTPP sold Aurora Plastics to Nautic Partners. Nautic acquired the company in partnership with management and rebranded it as Aurora Materials Solutions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Audax Group: Boston-based middle-market private equity firm focused on buy-and-build strategies in healthcare, industrials, and services — direct overlap with Nautic's three verticals and similar check size and deal style. Audax has acquired AKAM from Nautic, demonstrating direct head-to-head deal-making.
• GI Partners: San Francisco-based middle-market PE firm investing across healthcare, industrials, and business services with comparable equity check sizes. Acquired HES Facilities Management from Nautic, evidencing direct competition and overlap in the outsourced education/facilities services vertical.
• CenterOak Partners: Dallas-based middle-market private equity firm focused on industrial distribution, business services, and consumer products. Sold SurfacePrep to Nautic in 2024, evidencing direct overlap in industrial distribution deal sourcing.
• TruArc Partners: Middle-market PE firm investing in industrial and consumer businesses with comparable equity check size and value-creation playbook. Sold Ideal Tridon Group to Nautic in 2025, showing direct competition for industrial distribution/engineered products platforms.
• Wind Point Partners: Chicago-based middle-market PE firm with a long history of industrial and consumer investing. Sold Aurora Plastics to Nautic in 2021, evidencing direct competition in specialty industrial materials platforms.
• KSL Capital Partners: Denver-based middle-market PE firm with deep hospitality, leisure, and services expertise. Sold Davidson Hospitality Group to Nautic in 2024, evidencing direct overlap in the outsourced hospitality/services vertical.
• Harkness Capital Partners: Middle-market PE firm focused on healthcare, education, and business services. Sold Cenavera Nutrition to Nautic in 2025, evidencing direct overlap in K-12 foodservice management.
• H.I.G. Capital: Miami-based global middle-market PE firm with comparable fund sizes and multi-sector focus including healthcare, industrials, and services. Highly comparable in deal size, hold period, and sector breadth.
• New Mountain Capital: New York-based middle-market PE firm with a strong healthcare and business services focus, comparable fund sizes, and similar operating-advisor-driven model. Direct competitor for healthcare services platforms.

Broad incumbents

• TPG Capital: Large diversified alternatives manager with significant middle-market activity across healthcare, industrials, and services. Represents the 'moving-down-market' competitive pressure Nautic faces, but at materially larger fund sizes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nautic-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A28 records

Investments24 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Nautic Partners