Yellow Wood Partners
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Yellow Wood Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yellow Wood Partners
- Legal name
- Yellow Wood Partners LLC
- Website
- https://yellowwoodpartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Yellow Wood Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Yellow Wood Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Fund Management: Manages private equity funds with capital commitments from institutional investors including university endowments, foundations, family offices, and pension funds. Generates management fees and carried interest from fund performance.
- Investment Returns: Generates returns through portfolio company exits. Notable exit include PDC Brands sold to CVC Capital Partners for $1.425 billion, yielding 12x return and 77% IRR.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Institutional investment minimums |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Yellow Wood Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yellow Wood Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm that exclusively invests in consumer brands through corporate carve-out acquisitions from large multinational consumer packaged goods companies. The firm raises and manages institutional private equity funds (including Fund II at $370M in 2017 and Fund III at $750M in 2022), acquires consumer brands such as Dr. Scholl's, Suave, ChapStick, Q-tips, and Pond's, and operates portfolio companies across beauty, personal care, foot care, and sexual wellness using its proprietary "Consumer Operating DNA" strategy combining data-driven analytics with operational expertise.
Product overview
Yellow Wood Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm that specializes in acquiring consumer brands from large multinational corporations through carve-out transactions. The firm's investment strategy centers on its 'Consumer Operating DNA' approach, which combines consumer research, data analytics, and operational expertise to grow portfolio brands. Yellow Wood operates multiple platform companies: Evermark (a ~$1.9B annual retail sales personal care platform combining Suave and Elida Beauty brands), Scholl's Wellness Company (a global foot care platform with ~$700M in annual retail sales reuniting Dr. Scholl's and Scholl brands), and Beacon Wellness Brands (sexual wellness and personal care platform). The firm's portfolio spans beauty & personal care, foot care, health & wellness, and specialty bath categories, with brands including ChapStick, Q-Tips, Suave, Dr. Scholl's, St. Ives, Pond's, Noxzema, Real Techniques, EcoTools, Isle of Paradise, Freeman Beauty, and plusOne.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Consumer Operating DNA: Yellow Wood's proprietary investment and operating strategy combining deep industry research and analysis pre-investment through exit with investment and operating expertise to maximize brand performance.
Products and services
- Yellow Wood Capital Partners III, L.P. Private equity fund providing limited partners with exposure to consumer brand carve-out investments, raised from institutional investors including university endowments, foundations, family offices, and pension funds.
- Yellow Wood Capital Partners II LP Private equity fund pursuing investments in consumer brand platforms in Beauty & Personal Care, Health & Wellness, Household, Food & Beverage, and Pet Care categories.
- Evermark, LLC Global personal care platform operating brands including Suave, ChapStick, Q-tips, Pond's, St. Ives, Caress, Noxzema, TIGI, Lever 2000, V05, and Brut. Formed by merger of Suave Brands and Elida Beauty with approximately $1.9 billion in annual retail sales.
- Scholl's Wellness Company Global foot care company formed by reuniting Dr. Scholl's (Americas, acquired from Bayer for $585M) and Scholl (international, acquired from Reckitt Benckiser) brands. Includes brands Dr. Scholl's, Scholl, Amopé, Krack, and Eulactol, with annual retail sales exceeding $700 million across 50+ countries.
- Beacon Wellness Brands Sexual wellness and personal care platform including plusOne (sexual wellness devices, #1 in mass channels), Plum Beauty, Clio, PalmPerfect, and Mowbie brands.
Quantifiable outcome
- 12x return and 77% IRR on PDC Brands investment
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Yellow Wood Partners
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Yellow Wood Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Yellow Wood Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators14 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Yellow Wood Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TSG Consumer Partners: Consumer-focused private equity firm investing in growth-stage and established consumer brands across beauty, personal care, food and beverage. Highly comparable to Yellow Wood given its similarly exclusive consumer focus, majority-buyout orientation, and track record of partnering with founder-led and corporate-divested brands.
- L Catterton: Largest consumer-focused private equity firm, controlling/buying consumer brands across beauty, wellness, food, and retail. Directly comparable to Yellow Wood in investment thesis (consumer brands, brand-building expertise, deep operating network) though typically at a larger fund and deal size.
- Sycamore Partners: Private equity firm specializing in retail and consumer brand investments, including carve-outs and complex situations. Comparable to Yellow Wood in its preference for consumer-brand carve-outs and operating-intensive value creation, though Sycamore skews more retail-distressed.
- Brynwood Partners: Smaller consumer-focused PE firm specializing in carve-outs of non-core brands from large CPG companies. Most directly comparable to Yellow Wood in strategy and size, with a similar playbook of acquiring orphaned CPG brands and building focused operating platforms (e.g., Sun-Maid, Juicy Juice, Hungry-Man).
- CVC Capital Partners: Global private equity firm that acquired PDC Brands from Yellow Wood in 2017 for $1.425B. CVC has a strong consumer practice and frequently competes with Yellow Wood for CPG carve-outs; the PDC transaction is a direct historical link and proof point for the Yellow Wood playbook.
- Berkshire Partners: Middle-market private equity firm with deep consumer and retail vertical expertise. Comparable to Yellow Wood in mid-market consumer buyout orientation, operating-partner model, and focus on consumer brand transformation, though typically at somewhat larger check sizes.
- Aterian Investment Partners: Operationally-focused middle-market PE firm targeting consumer products and services companies. Comparable to Yellow Wood in middle-market consumer buyout focus, operating-partner network approach, and CPG carve-out orientation, though Aterian is smaller and earlier-stage.
Broad incumbents
- Bain Capital: Large global private equity firm with a dedicated consumer products vertical. While much broader than Yellow Wood, Bain Capital regularly competes for the same large CPG carve-outs (e.g., they pursue similar Unilever, Procter & Gamble divestitures) and represents a comparable scaled alternative for sellers.
- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice: Operating-focused private equity firm with a strong consumer and retail practice (e.g., David's Bridal, Nadeau). Comparable to Yellow Wood in operating-partner intensity and carve-out orientation, but operates across broader sectors and at larger deal sizes.
- KKR: Global alternative asset manager with a dedicated consumer & retail team that has executed large carve-outs (e.g., Toys R Us, US Foods). Represents a scaled incumbent that competes with Yellow Wood for the largest consumer carve-out opportunities, though KKR's strategy is much broader than Yellow Wood's pure-play focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Yellow Wood Partners social profiles
Digital presenceYellow Wood Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yellow Wood Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Yellow Wood Partners subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
Yellow Wood Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yellow Wood Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A7 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Yellow Wood Partners
What does Yellow Wood Partners do?
Yellow Wood Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm that exclusively invests in consumer brands through corporate carve-out acquisitions from large multinational consumer packaged goods companies. The firm raises and manages institutional private equity funds (including Fund II at $370M in 2017 and Fund III at $750M in 2022), acquires consumer brands such as Dr. Scholl's, Suave, ChapStick, Q-tips, and Pond's, and operates portfolio companies across beauty, personal care, foot care, and sexual wellness using its proprietary "Consumer Operating DNA" strategy combining data-driven analytics with operational expertise.
Is Yellow Wood Partners a public or private company?
Yellow Wood Partners is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Yellow Wood Partners founded?
Yellow Wood Partners was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Yellow Wood Partners based?
Yellow Wood Partners is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Yellow Wood Partners make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Fund Management is the primary driver. The others are investment Returns.
Who are Yellow Wood Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TSG Consumer Partners, L Catterton, Sycamore Partners, Brynwood Partners, CVC Capital Partners, Berkshire Partners and Aterian Investment Partners. Broad incumbents are Bain Capital, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and KKR.
Does Yellow Wood Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Yellow Wood Partners.