Align Capital Partners

What Align Capital Partners does

Align Capital Partners (ACP) is a U.S. private equity firm founded in 2016 by former Riverside Company partners Rob Langley, Chris Jones, and Steve Dyke, headquartered in Dallas and Cleveland, that makes control investments in lower-middle market B2B companies across North America. The firm targets companies with $3-$15M EBITDA (or $5M+ ARR for software) and up to $150M enterprise value, with $20-$60M targeted hold sizes, focused on four preferred sectors: software and tech-enabled services, professional business services, industrial services, and specialty manufacturing and distribution. As of June 2026, ACP manages approximately $3.2 billion in cumulative committed capital across four flagship funds (Fund I $325M in 2016, Fund II $450M in 2020, Fund III $620M in 2022, Fund IV $770M in 2026), two Align Collaborate independent sponsor co-invest funds ($233M in 2023 and $375M in 2026), and a $405M single-asset continuation vehicle for Proceed.

ACP's investment approach is built around an active buy-and-build strategy, executing 180+ investments across 40 platforms and 145+ add-on acquisitions since inception, with a portfolio that includes Alliance Technical Group, Pleatco, VetEvolve, Premier Biotech, StenTech, Schneider Geospatial, Proceed, E Source, ISPN, Global Guardian, and Cleartelligence among others. The firm wraps portfolio companies with a shared ACP Toolkit (sales playbook, pricing expertise, lead generation, digital marketing, technology optimization, and talent acquisition assistance) and an in-house operating bench of Operating Principals, Operating Partners, a Chief Marketing Advisor, and a Chief Technology Advisor (former Fortune 500 CIO).

The firm's business model is private equity fund management: revenue derives from management fees (typically 1.0-1.75% of committed capital) on its funds plus carried interest on exits, with 13 exits completed to date. Distribution is conducted through a direct sales motion via a dedicated Business Development team covering investment banks, business brokers, and deal intermediaries across North America using DealCloud CRM, complemented by the Align Collaborate independent sponsor co-investment channel as a parallel sourcing mechanism. The firm is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC and is privately held by its co-founders and broader investment team, who collectively constitute the largest investor in both Fund IV and Collaborate II.

Name

Align Capital Partners

Legal name

Align Capital Partners, LP

Website

https://aligncp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Align Capital Partners is a U.S. private equity firm founded in 2016 that makes control investments in lower-middle market B2B companies ($3-$15M EBITDA, up to $150M EV) across North America, focused on software/tech-enabled services, professional business services, industrial services, and specialty manufacturing and distribution, managing approximately $3.2 billion in committed capital.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Fund Management

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ), Capital Raising Advisory (Debt/Equity/Private Capital) (BPAHADAG)

Keywords

• Lower-middle market private equity
• Buy-and-build investing
• Growth-oriented private equity
• Independent sponsor co-investment
• Portfolio company value creation

Headquarters

HQ city

Shaker Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private equity fund management: ACP manages private equity funds (Align Capital Partners Fund I-IV, ACP IV at $770M closed June 2026) and an independent sponsor fund (Align Collaborate Fund I at $233M, Collaborate II at $375M) totaling approximately $3.2 billion in committed capital since founding in 2016. Revenue derives from management fees and carried interest on these funds.
2. Continuation vehicle management: ACP closed a single-asset continuation fund (CP EV Fund I, LP) of approximately $405 million to support the next growth phase of portfolio company Proceed, demonstrating an additional fund-management and capital-allocation revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Align Capital Partners is a Cleveland- and Dallas-based private equity firm that makes control investments in lower-middle market companies (typically $3-$15 million EBITDA, up to $150 million enterprise value) across four preferred sectors: Software and Tech-Enabled Services, Professional Business Services, Industrial Services, and Specialty Manufacturing and Distribution. The firm manages approximately $3.2 billion in committed capital across successive flagship PE funds (Fund I $325M through Fund IV $770M) and an independent sponsor co-invest fund series (Align Collaborate), executing a buy-and-build strategy with portfolio companies averaging more than three closed add-on acquisitions each.

Product overview

Align Capital Partners is a private equity firm offering a unified investment platform rather than a single product. The core platform is Align Capital Partners (the firm), which deploys approximately $3.2 billion in committed capital across its fourth flagship private equity fund (Align Capital Partners Fund IV, closed June 2026 at $770 million) and the Align Collaborate independent-sponsor fund series (Fund II closed at $375 million). Around this fund-management core sit the firm's investment portfolio companies — including Premier Biotech, StenTech, Marco Sealing Solutions, MKB Company, ISPN, Schneider Geospatial, Proceed (the legal services platform), Global Guardian, Cleartelligence, E Source, AKS Engineering, Strata Landscape Services, Advantage Investigations, Armko, Heritage Imaging, CompletePet, We Are Rosie, Property Management, and CSSI — grouped into four preferred sectors: Software and Tech-Enabled Services, Professional Business Services, Industrial Services, and Specialty Manufacturing and Distribution. The firm wraps these portfolio companies with shared services such as a sales playbook, pricing expertise, lead-generation strategy, digital marketing programs, technology optimization, and talent acquisition assistance delivered through a consistent operating rhythm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Align Collaborate: Independent sponsor focused fund strategy launched in late 2023 to complement Align Capital Partners' private equity fund strategy; pairs with different sponsors on platform investments in the lower-middle market.

Products and services

• Align Capital Partners Fund IV ACP's fourth flagship private equity fund closed at $770 million in commitments in June 2026. Targets control investments in differentiated lower-middle-market companies across North America with $3-$15 million EBITDA in software/tech-enabled services, professional business services, industrial services, and specialty manufacturing/distribution. The Align team is collectively the largest investor in the fund.
• Align Collaborate Fund II ACP's second independent-sponsor focused fund closed at $375 million in commitments in June 2026. Co-invests with independent sponsors in platform investments in the lower-middle market, complementing ACP's primary private equity fund strategy.
• CP EV Fund I (Single-Asset Continuation Vehicle) A single-asset continuation fund (CP EV Fund I, LP) with approximately $405 million in commitments closed in April 2026 to support the next phase of growth for the Proceed legal services portfolio company, which had achieved over 290% revenue growth under ACP ownership.
• ACP Operating Platform / Toolkit A proprietary post-close operating toolkit shared with portfolio companies that includes a sales playbook, pricing expertise, lead-generation strategy, digital marketing programs, technology optimization and upgrades, and talent acquisition assistance, delivered through a consistent pre- and post-close operating rhythm.

Named customers22 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered strategic - flagship counsel relationship, strategic - core gtm channel and strategic - core sourcing channel.

• Kirkland & Ellis LLPstrategic - flagship counsel relationshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKirkland & Ellis LLP served as fund formation counsel for both ACP IV ($770M) and Align Collaborate II ($375M) funds, which closed at hard cap on June 15, 2026. The firm represents ACP's recurring legal partnership for private equity and independent sponsor fund formation work.
• Align Collaborate (Independent Sponsor network)strategic - core gtm channelStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlign Collaborate launched in late 2023 to complement ACP's PE fund strategy; Fund I was $233 million and Fund II closed at $375 million in June 2026. Collaborate has co-invested in seven platform investments to date, each with a different sponsor, demonstrating the breadth of independent sponsor relationships.
• M&A Intermediaries (investment banks, business brokers, deal intermediaries)strategic - core sourcing channelGTM or Marketing PartnerACP's Business Development team maintains direct coverage of investment banks, business brokers and deal intermediaries across North America via video/phone meetings, M&A conferences, and in-person city visits; intermediaries submit in-bound deal flow that ACP screens against investment criteria via DealCloud CRM.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Huron Capital: Detroit-based lower-middle-market PE firm with a dedicated buy-and-build model across business services, specialty manufacturing, and consumer products. Highly comparable to ACP in fund size (latest fund ~$700M), sector focus, and add-on acquisition cadence.
• Wind Point Partners: Chicago-based lower-middle-market PE firm investing in business services, industrial products, and consumer products. Comparable to ACP in target EBITDA range, sector mix, and active add-on acquisition strategy.
• Audax Group: One of the most prolific lower-middle-market buy-and-build PE firms in North America, with a similar strategy of executing add-on acquisitions across multiple sectors. Comparable to ACP in target company size (typically $5-50M EBITDA) and disciplined add-on cadence.
• Kainos Capital: Dallas-based lower-middle-market PE firm investing in food, beverage, and consumer/foodservice companies, but sharing the same North Texas operating footprint and lower-middle-market B2B thesis as ACP. Co-located peer for talent and intermediary relationships.
• CenterGate Capital: Austin-based lower-middle-market PE firm investing in business services, consumer, and industrial companies with an active add-on program. Comparable to ACP in fund size and sector diversification; Dave Modi, ACP principal, was previously a VP at CenterGate.
• Cortec Group: New York-based lower-middle-market PE firm investing in differentiated, niche-leading B2B businesses in healthcare, business services, and specialty manufacturing/consumer. Highly comparable to ACP in target-company profile, niche-leadership thesis, and add-on strategy.
• Genstar Capital: Middle-market PE firm focused on software, business services, healthcare, and specialty industrial companies, with an active add-on program. Directly comparable to ACP in sector mix, target-company size, and buy-and-build execution style.
• Trivest Partners: Miami-based lower-middle-market PE firm with a similar focus on founder-led, niche-leader businesses in business services, industrial, and consumer sectors. Comparable in fund size, sector focus, and partnership-driven operating model.
• The Riverside Company: Global lower-middle-market private equity firm and the former employer of all three ACP co-founders. Riverside pursues a similar control-investment, buy-and-build strategy in business services, specialty manufacturing, and tech-enabled services, making it ACP's most direct institutional peer and the closest comparable for LP benchmarking.
• Waud Capital Partners: Chicago-based lower-middle-market PE firm focused on business services, healthcare, and industrial sectors with a buy-and-build approach. Matt Bowen of ACP was previously at Waud, making it a close institutional and talent-overlap peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/align-capital-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A22 records

Investments10 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Align Capital Partners