Cornell Capital

What Cornell Capital does

Cornell Capital is a U.S.-based private equity firm founded in 2013 by Senior Partner Henry Cornell, the former Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs' Merchant Banking Division. The firm manages approximately $5 billion in assets under management across two flagship funds (a $1.3 billion first fund and a $1.7 billion second fund closed in March 2022) and invests in control-oriented transactions across three core verticals: consumer, financial services, and industrials/business services. Cornell differentiates itself through a cross-border US-Asia investment capability, anchored by offices in New York (499 Park Avenue) and Hong Kong (Two Pacific Place, Admiralty), with the Asia team contributing approximately 50 years of combined on-the-ground experience. The firm operates with a lean 24-person team and emphasizes a partnership-oriented, active ownership model without reliance on outsourced operating partners.

The firm's portfolio spans 17+ active investments across diverse industries, including IT staffing (S.i. Systems), semiconductor packaging (Advantek), ophthalmic instruments (Advancing Eyecare), healthcare workforce solutions (Ingenovis Health), pharmacy benefit management (Citizens Rx), personal insurance (Vault), beauty and personal care manufacturing (KDC/One, Blue Mistral), industrial distribution (MRC Global), and clean-energy carbon black manufacturing (Monolith Materials). Cornell generates revenue through traditional private equity fund management: management fees on committed or invested capital (typically 1.5%-2% of AUM) and carried interest on investment realizations. Deal sourcing is conducted through direct relationships, alumni networks from Goldman Sachs and other prior firms, industry events, and strategic co-invest partnerships with firms including TorQuest Partners, KKR, Sixth Street Capital, and Trilantic North America. Investment opportunities are offered exclusively through confidential private placement memorandums to qualified institutional investors.

Name

Cornell Capital

Legal name

Cornell Capital LLC

Website

https://cornellcapllc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cornell Capital is a U.S.-based private equity firm founded in 2013 by Henry Cornell, managing ~$5 billion AUM across consumer, financial services, and industrials/business services sectors, with offices in New York and Hong Kong enabling US-Asia cross-border investments through a 24-person team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSANACAA

Technology & Software Growth Equity

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Growth Equity Firms

SECONDARYBPAHAOAE

Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital)

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/M&A, Transaction & Restructuring Advisory

Keywords

• Private equity investing
• Buyout investments
• Growth capital
• Cross-border investments
• Portfolio management

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Equity Fund Management: Generates returns through managing private investment funds, typically collecting management fees on assets under management and carried interest (performance fees) on investment gains. The firm takes a disciplined approach to value-driven investing across consumer, financial services, and industrials sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cornell Capital is a private equity firm that raises and manages investment funds from qualified institutional investors and deploys capital into control-oriented investments across the consumer, financial services, and industrials/business services sectors. The firm partners with management teams as an active owner, often leveraging its Asia presence and cross-border expertise to support portfolio companies seeking US-Asia growth.

Product overview

Cornell Capital is a U.S.-based private investment firm, not a technology product company. The firm offers private equity investment services and manages a portfolio of 17 portfolio companies across diverse sectors including IT staffing (S.i. Systems), data analytics (Longevity), packaging (Advantek), ophthalmic instruments (Advancing Eyecare), nutrition and wellness (INW), healthcare workforce solutions (Ingenovis Health), personal insurance (Vault), electronics manufacturing (Lisconn), automotive F&I products (Spectrum Automotive Holdings), pharmacy benefit management (Citizens Rx), beauty and personal care manufacturing (kdc/one, Blue Mistral), commercial laundry services (PureStar), life insurance and annuities (Talcott Resolution), carbon black manufacturing (Monolith Materials), consumer housewares (Instant Brands), and industrial distribution (MRC Global). These portfolio companies represent the firm's investment holdings rather than a unified product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cornell Capital First-Time Fund The firm's inaugural private equity fund vehicle that invests in companies across consumer, financial services, and industrials/business services sectors. Offered to qualified institutional investors through confidential private placement memorandums.
• Cornell Capital Second Flagship Fund The firm's second flagship private equity fund vehicle that surpassed its $1.7 billion target for investments in consumer, financial services, and industrials/business services sectors, with expanded senior leadership in both U.S. and Asia.

Named customers16 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered portfolio and strategic.

• Barony UniversalportfolioOthers · 9 October 2025KDC/One (backed by Cornell and KKR) acquired Barony Universal to expand global manufacturing capabilities and U.K. presence in October 2025.
• Winpack Tech Co., Ltd.strategicTechnology or Integration · 4 November 2024Strategic partnership between portfolio company Advantek and Winpack's Eurasia group to enhance global packaging solutions. Advantek benefits from Winpack's established market presence in China, unlocking new high-volume opportunities and strengthening its global footprint in Asia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TorQuest Partners: Canadian mid-market private equity firm with a similar check size; TorQuest co-invested with Cornell Capital on the acquisition of S.i. Systems in November 2022, evidencing direct collaboration on cross-border mid-market transactions.
• Trilantic North America: Mid-market private equity firm focused on North America with a comparable AUM range; Trilantic co-invested with Cornell Capital on the formation of Ingenovis Health, demonstrating direct deal overlap and a parallel operating model.
• SK Capital Partners: Specialist mid-market private equity firm with a comparable AUM profile; Cornell Capital's COO/CCO Jenn Cattier previously served as SK Capital's General Counsel and CCO, evidencing direct talent overlap and a similar sector-tilted mandate.
• Pine Brook Partners: Mid-market private equity firm with comparable AUM scale and a sector-diversified mandate; Cornell Capital's Finance Director Stephen Boscola was previously Controller at Pine Brook Partners, evidencing similar operating model and talent pool overlap.
• HIG Capital: Large mid-market private equity firm with diversified sector exposure and a similarly sized fund franchise; HIG competes for many of the same control and structured equity transactions in Cornell's consumer, financial services, and industrials verticals.
• Lindsay Goldberg: Mid-market private equity firm focused on North America with comparable fund sizes; Cornell Capital Managing Director Robert Wang previously invested in private equity at Lindsay Goldberg, evidencing direct talent overlap and a similar mid-market control-buyout model.
• American Industrial Partners: Industrials-focused private equity firm with comparable mid-market AUM; overlaps with Cornell's industrials/business services portfolio (Advantek, Lisconn, MRC Global, Monolith Materials) in industrials and specialty manufacturing deal flow.

Broad incumbents

• KKR: Global mega-fund private equity firm with substantially larger AUM; KKR made a strategic investment alongside Cornell Capital in KDC/One in March 2022, evidencing direct co-investment partnership and overlapping deal activity in the consumer and industrials verticals.
• Apollo Global Management: Global mega-fund with broad sector coverage including consumer, financial services, and industrials; competes for the larger end of mid-market transactions and serves as an indirect benchmark for Cornell's fund performance and LP targeting.
• Sixth Street Capital: Diversified investment firm with significant capital allocation in private equity, private credit, and financial services; Sixth Street acquired Talcott Resolution from a Cornell-led consortium in June 2021, evidencing direct counterparty relationship in financial services buyouts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CornellCapLLC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A14 records

Investments18 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Cornell Capital