Avance Investment Management

What Avance Investment Management does

Avance Investment Management is a New York-based private equity firm founded in 2020 by David Perez, Luis Zaldivar, and Erik Scott, each with 15+ years of prior experience at firms including Palladium Equity Partners, General Atlantic, Apollo, and Two Sigma. The firm invests in founder-owned, North American middle market businesses with $25–$250 million in revenue and $10–$75 million in EBITDA, targeting four sectors: Business & Technology Services, Infrastructure & Commercial Services, Consumer Products & Services, and Financial & Insurance Services. Its portfolio of 10+ active platforms spans e-commerce ingredients (Wholesale Supplies Plus), Hispanic-focused insurance (UniVista), equipment rental (Synergy Equipment / Opifex-Synergy), revenue management software (RIA Advisory), digital product development (Lumenalta, Clevertech), cybersecurity (Total Security), marketing services (Tracxtion), IT advisory (Alchemy Technology Group), and Hispanic food brands (Tropical Cheese Industries, Barchemy).

Avance's core operating asset is its proprietary STAGE™ value creation framework, a five-pillar methodology covering Strategy (1-, 3-, and 5-year planning), Talent (leadership buildout via its executive network), Acquisitions (sourcing and integration), Growth (organic revenue and margin initiatives), and Enterprise (operational excellence and ESG). The firm maintains offices in New York (650 5th Avenue) and Coral Gables, Florida, and operates with ~20 professionals across investing, capital formation, value creation, finance, and operations.

The firm earns revenue through management fees and carried interest on its inaugural flagship fund, Avance Investment Partners, L.P., which closed in September 2022 with approximately $1.1 billion in aggregate capital commitments — more than 2x its original $500 million target. Capital was sourced from a diversified institutional LP base including pension plans, insurance companies, foundations, and fund of funds. Co-investment partnerships with Two Sigma Impact, AUA Private Equity, and BlackRock-backed vehicles have supported larger platform deals, while portfolio companies have executed organic and inorganic growth (e.g., Alchemy's 2026 add-on acquisitions of ECS and IOvations).

Name

Avance Investment Management

Legal name

Avance Investment Management, LLC

Website

https://avanceinv.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Avance Investment Management is a U.S. private equity firm founded in 2020 investing in founder-owned middle market businesses ($25-$250M revenue) across Business & Technology, Infrastructure & Commercial, Consumer, and Financial & Insurance Services through its proprietary STAGE™ value creation framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Fund Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC), Institutional Consulting RIAs (OCIO/Endowments/Foundations/Pensions) (FSAAACAG), Institutional Capital Introduction (LP/Family Office/Endowment Matching) (FSAEALAI)

Keywords

• Private equity firm
• Middle market investing
• Growth equity
• Value creation
• Founder-owned businesses

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Equity Fund Management: Generates revenue through management fees and carried interest from its inaugural fund Avance Investment Partners, L.P. with $1.1 billion in capital commitments. Targets transformative growth investments in middle market companies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Avance Investment Management is a private equity firm that invests in founder-owned, middle market companies in the U.S. through its inaugural fund, Avance Investment Partners, L.P. ($1.1 billion in capital commitments). The firm deploys capital into Business & Technology Services, Infrastructure & Commercial Services, Consumer Products & Services, and Financial & Insurance Services, targeting businesses with $25-$250M revenue and $10-$75M EBITDA. It creates value at portfolio companies through its proprietary STAGE™ framework spanning Strategy, Talent, Acquisitions, Growth, and Enterprise improvement.

Product overview

Avance Investment Management is a private equity firm founded in 2020 that invests in founder-owned, middle market businesses across North America. The firm deploys capital through its inaugural fund (Avance Investment Partners, L.P.) into four target sectors: Business & Technology Services, Infrastructure & Commercial Services, Consumer Products & Services, and Financial & Insurance Services. Avance creates value through its proprietary STAGE™ framework, which encompasses Strategy development, Talent acquisition, Acquisitions support, Growth initiatives, and Enterprise improvement. The firm targets companies with $25-$250M revenue and $10-$75M EBITDA, and maintains offices in New York and Miami.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Avance Investment Partners, L.P. Avance's inaugural private equity fund that deploys capital into founder-owned middle market businesses in Business & Technology Services, Infrastructure & Commercial Services, Consumer Products & Services, and Financial & Insurance Services, targeting companies with $25-$250M revenue and $10-$75M EBITDA. LPs include pension plans, insurance companies, foundations and fund of funds.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fund closed at more than 2x original target
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Greenberg Traurig, LLPminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 13 September 2022Served as fund formation counsel to Avance for the inaugural fund close.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Palladium Equity Partners: Lower-middle-market PE firm with deep Hispanic and multicultural market focus and a Services/Consumer orientation. Directly comparable: Avance's three co-founders (Perez, Zaldivar, Scott) all previously held senior roles at Palladium, and the firm employs multiple former Palladium professionals.
• H.I.G. Capital: Large lower-middle-market PE platform targeting $10-$75M EBITDA businesses across services, consumer, and specialty industrial sectors. Comparable investment size, sector breadth, and operational value-creation playbook to Avance's approach.
• Audax Group: Middle-market PE firm focused on control buyouts and add-on acquisitions in North America. Comparable for its programmatic add-on M&A engine and core+ buy-and-build strategy in fragmented end markets, similar to Avance's approach at Alchemy Technology Group.
• Lightyear Capital: Middle-market PE firm focused on financial services and business services. Comparable target market and check size; Senior Advisor David Cynn previously sat on Lightyear's Investment Committee.
• Trinity Hunt Partners: Lower-middle-market growth-oriented PE firm partnering with founder- and family-owned businesses in services and consumer end markets. Comparable target company profile and value-creation orientation.
• Huron Capital: Middle-market PE firm focused on Services, Consumer, and Industrial Distribution sectors. Gretchen Perkins, Avance's Head of Business Development, previously led business development at Huron.
• AUA Private Equity Partners: Lower-middle-market PE firm focused on founder- and family-owned businesses with a particular emphasis on Hispanic markets. Direct co-investment partner with Avance in Tropical Cheese Industries.

Broad incumbents

• L Catterton: Largest consumer-focused PE platform with global reach. Comparable for the consumer products/services concentration of Avance's portfolio, though significantly larger AUM and broader mandate.
• New Mountain Capital: Growth-oriented middle-market PE firm with strong services and technology orientation. Matt Graziano joined Avance from New Mountain; comparable sector tilt and value-creation model.
• Genstar Capital: Middle-market PE firm with diversified services, software, and financial services focus. Comparable lower-middle-market orientation with broader AUM base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments11 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Avance Investment Management