Thompson Street Capital Partners

What Thompson Street Capital Partners does

Thompson Street Capital Partners (TSCP) is a middle-market private equity firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 2000 by Jim Cooper. The firm invests in exceptional businesses with enterprise values of $50 million to $500 million across three verticals: Life Sciences & Healthcare, Software & Technology, and Business & Consumer Services and Products. TSCP operates across North America, Europe, and Australia, targeting founder-led, family-business, and management-driven companies through buyouts, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, and take-privates.

TSCP's core "product" is growth capital paired with operational support, delivered through a dedicated deal origination team, an in-house portfolio support group, and a capital markets function. It does not build proprietary technology but curates a portfolio of 25+ operating companies — spanning software platforms (Karpel, OpenClinica, Silverchair, Gurobi, PKWARE, WeVideo, GovSpend, Green Mountain, Lumivero, MediaRadar, Allyant, Intellivo), life sciences and healthcare businesses (Absolute Biotech, ATIS, ISTO Biologics, Vector Laboratories, Transnetyx, Sabai Global, Savillex, Revenue Management Solutions), and consumer/business services (PestCo Holdings, BCM One, National Arbitration & Mediation, Bubbakoo's Burritos, LTP Home Services Group).

TSCP's business model follows a standard private equity economic structure: management fees (industry-standard 1–2% of committed capital across 8 funds totaling $4.5B AUM) and performance-based carried interest on realizations. Sourcing flows through intermediary networks, direct outreach, and industry events, with a self-described "Partnership-Driven" philosophy that differentiates on founder alignment, flexible deal structures, and domain specialization. In August 2022, Wafra acquired a strategic minority interest, validating the platform and providing long-duration capital while preserving operational independence.

Name

Thompson Street Capital Partners

Legal name

Thompson Street Capital Manager LLC

Website

http://www.tscp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Thompson Street Capital Partners is a St. Louis-based middle-market private equity firm founded in 2000, investing $50M–$500M in Life Sciences & Healthcare, Software & Technology, and Business & Consumer Services businesses, with $4.5B AUM across 8 funds and 250+ portfolio companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Middle-Market Private Equity

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology & Software Growth Equity (FSANACAA), Business Services (B2B) Growth Equity (FSANACAD)

Keywords

• Middle-market private equity
• Growth capital investments
• Buyout transactions
• Portfolio management services
• Private equity funds

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Management Fees: Private equity firms typically charge management fees on committed capital under management, typically 1-2% annually, to cover operational expenses and investment activities.
2. Carried Interest: Performance-based carried interest typically 20% of investment profits above a preferred return hurdle rate, aligning GP and LP interests and representing the primary incentive compensation for private equity fund managers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Thompson Street Capital Partners is a middle-market private equity firm that invests equity capital of $50M–$500M in enterprise value into companies across three sectors: Life Sciences & Healthcare, Software & Technology, and Business & Consumer Services and Products. The firm manages $4.5 billion in assets across 8 funds and has executed 250+ investments since 2000. TSCP partners with founders and management teams to accelerate growth organically and via complementary add-on acquisitions, providing in-house deal origination, capital markets access, and portfolio support services.

Product overview

Thompson Street Capital Partners (TSCP) is a St. Louis-based private equity firm that invests in exceptional middle-market businesses across three core sectors: Life Sciences & Healthcare, Software & Technology, and Business & Consumer Services and Products. The firm does not offer a unified product itself; rather, it provides growth capital and operational support to portfolio companies. TSCP's portfolio spans 25+ platform companies including: software platforms (Karpel for criminal case management, OpenClinica for clinical data capture, Silverchair for scientific publishing, WeVideo for video editing, Gurobi Optimization for mathematical optimization, PKWARE for data security, Lumivero for data insights, GovSpend for government procurement intelligence, Green Mountain for parcel spend management); life sciences companies (Absolute Biotech for antibody reagents, ATIS for elevator/escalator safety services, ISTO Biologics for orthobiologics, Vector Laboratories for protein detection reagents, Transnetyx for genetic diagnostics, Sabai Global for biosafety consulting, Savillex for material handling); and business services (MediaRadar for ad intelligence, Allyant for accessibility solutions, Intellivo for health plan subrogation, National Arbitration & Mediation for ADR services, PestCo Holdings for pest control, BCM One for managed technology solutions, Revenue Management Solutions for healthcare revenue cycle, Bubbakoo's Burritos for restaurant franchising, LTP Home Services Group for plumbing services).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Middle-Market Private Equity Funds Pooled private equity investment funds deployed by TSCP that invest $50M–$500M in enterprise value into middle-market businesses. LPs commit capital; TSCP earns management fees and carried interest. Funds support recapitalizations, buyouts, corporate divestitures, and take-privates globally.
• Portfolio Value Creation Support Services

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 minor.

• Kirkland & EllisminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 10 August 2022Served as legal counsel to Thompson Street Capital Partners on Wafra minority investment transaction.
• Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLPminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 10 August 2022Served as legal counsel on the transaction for Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Thoma Bravo: Thoma Bravo is a software-focused PE firm taking controlling stakes in vertical software companies (e.g., PKWARE-type assets in TSCP's portfolio). Comparable investment thesis around software platform building, though at meaningfully larger scale.
• Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a large-scale growth equity firm focused on software and technology investments. Comparable to TSCP's Software/Technology vertical but operating at much larger scale and more concentrated in software/SaaS.
• KKR: KKR is a global alternative asset manager with significantly larger AUM but overlapping middle-market buyout activity across TSCP's three sectors. Represents the broad incumbent competitive set TSCP competes with for deals, talent, and LP capital.

Direct peers

• Brentwood Associates: Brentwood Associates is a Los Angeles-based middle-market PE firm investing in business services, consumer, and healthcare. Comparable in size, geographic breadth, and sector focus to TSCP.
• Pamlico Capital: Pamlico Capital is a middle-market private equity firm headquartered in Charlotte, NC, focused on business services, healthcare, and technology investments. Comparable to TSCP in deal size range, sector focus, and founder-friendly investment approach.
• Sun Capital Partners: Sun Capital Partners is a middle-market PE firm with comparable AUM scale investing across consumer, healthcare, and business services. Overlaps with TSCP in mid-market deal size range and Business/Consumer Services focus.
• TA Associates: TA Associates is a Boston-based middle-market growth equity firm with similar AUM scale and multi-sector focus spanning technology, healthcare, and business services. Bob Dunn, TSCP's Managing Partner, previously worked at TA Associates, making it a directly comparable firm in stage, sector focus, and partnership approach.
• Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe: Welsh Carson is a New York-based PE firm focused on healthcare and technology investments, with a comparable middle-market growth equity strategy. Highly comparable to TSCP's sector focus on Life Sciences/Healthcare and Software/Technology.
• Trinity Hunt Partners: Trinity Hunt Partners is a Dallas-based middle-market growth equity firm investing in business services, healthcare, and consumer services. Directly comparable to TSCP in fund size, sector verticals, and lower-middle-market deal profile.

Others

• Audax Private Debt: Audax Private Debt has provided unitranche financing for TSCP's acquisitions (e.g., MediaRadar). While not a direct peer, Audax is a financing partner and ecosystem participant in TSCP's deal flow within the middle-market ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thompson-street-capital-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

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

M&A35 records

Investments17 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Thompson Street Capital Partners