What Petra Capital Partners does

Petra Capital Partners is a Nashville-based private equity firm founded in 1996 that pioneered the growth capital model in the lower middle market. The firm invests $10M-$25M per transaction in healthcare services and B2B services companies with at least $10M in revenue, $1M+ in EBITDA, and $10M-$75M in enterprise value. Petra structures flexible capital solutions combining mezzanine debt, preferred equity, and common equity, and accepts both control and non-control positions to support minority recapitalizations, buyouts, platform buy-and-build programs, acquisition financing, and independent sponsor transactions.

The firm's primary vehicle is Petra Growth Fund V, a $270 million SBIC-licensed fund closed in 2024-2025 that was oversubscribed and reached its hard cap. Since inception, Petra has deployed more than $900 million across more than 100 portfolio companies through seven funds and contributed to the creation of over 7,500 jobs. The firm complements its capital with the Petra Executive Network, a bench of current and former operators across behavioral health, post-acute care, pharma services, healthcare IT, BPO, and software who assist with deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio value creation.

Petra generates revenue through management fees and carried interest on its funds. The firm distributes deal flow through intermediary relationships, co-investor partnerships, direct CEO outreach, and industry associations including ACG, SBIA, the Nashville Healthcare Council, and Becker's Healthcare. Petra is recognized as an Inc. Founder Friendly Investor for three consecutive years (2022-2024), a 2012 SBIC of the Year, a 2022 Dealmaker of the Year, and is ranked among Becker's Top Healthcare Private Equity Investors.

Name

Petra Capital Partners

Legal name

Petra Capital Partners, LLC

Website

https://petracapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Petra Capital Partners is a Nashville-based private equity firm founded in 1996 that provides $10M-$25M growth capital to lower middle market healthcare and B2B services companies through its SBIC-licensed growth funds, complemented by an operator executive network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity / Growth Capital

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

SBIC Venture Debt Funds (FSANAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)

Keywords

• Private equity investing
• Growth capital
• Mezzanine debt
• Healthcare investments
• Lower middle market

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

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

Revenue model

1. Fund Management: Petra generates returns through management fees and carried interest on invested capital from their private equity funds. Currently investing Petra Growth Fund V with $270 million of capital. The fund is structured as an SBIC licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Petra Capital Partners is a Nashville-based private equity firm founded in 1996 that provides growth capital investments of $10 million to $25 million to lower middle market companies in the healthcare and B2B services sectors. The firm deploys capital through SBIC-licensed funds using flexible structures that combine debt and equity, supporting management buyouts, recapitalizations, acquisition financing, platform buy-and-build strategies, and minority growth investments.

Product overview

Petra Capital Partners is a private equity firm offering creative capital solutions through its SBIC-licensed Petra Growth Fund V ($270M). The firm provides flexible debt and equity investments ($10M-$25M per company) to healthcare, business services, and tech-enabled services companies in the lower middle market. Core investment structures include mezzanine debt, preferred equity, common equity, and tailored financing for control or non-control positions. The firm supports platform buy-and-build strategies, acquisition financing, and works with independent sponsors. The Petra Executive Network provides operational expertise to portfolio companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Petra Growth Fund V
• Growth Capital Investments

Quantifiable outcome

• Created over 7,500 jobs through investments over the firm's history
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Support, Inc.minorOthers · 6 November 2024Support, Inc. is a portfolio company of Petra Capital Partners that acquired Nostalgia Group, Inc. to support community and residential services for adults with developmental disabilities in Denver.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Capital Alignment Partners: SBIC-licensed growth equity firm focused on healthcare and business services lower middle market investments, frequently co-invests alongside Petra (e.g., Aging With Comfort). Most directly comparable peer by structure, sector focus, and ticket size.
• NewSpring Capital: Lower middle market growth equity firm with SBIC funds targeting healthcare and business services. Co-invested with Petra on Aging With Comfort and shares similar thematic focus on growth-stage founder-owned companies.
• Marwit Capital: Lower middle market PE firm focused on growth-stage healthcare and business services with comparable investment size and creative capital structuring approach. Matt Sotelo (Petra Partner) previously worked at Marwit.
• Patriot Capital: SBIC-licensed lower middle market PE firm focused on healthcare and business services. Repeated co-investor with Petra on deals like Shipley Associates and Turnwell Mental Health, sharing similar ticket sizes and sector mandates.
• Tecum Capital: SBIC-licensed growth equity firm focused on lower middle market healthcare and industrial sectors. Co-invested alongside Petra on Aging With Comfort and Keystone Foam with comparable creative debt/equity structures.
• M33 Growth: Growth-stage PE firm focused on founder- and family-owned businesses in healthcare and technology-enabled services. Comparable by growth capital orientation, ticket size, and founder-friendly positioning.
• Source Capital: Lower middle market PE firm with SBIC funds targeting healthcare and business services. Co-invested with Petra on KCI Telecommunications, sharing comparable creative capital structures and ticket size.
• Halifax Group: Lower middle market PE firm focused on healthcare services, business services, and consumer. Comparable by sector, ticket size, and growth orientation; previous employer of Petra VP Corey Cialeo.
• Centerfield Capital Partners: SBIC-licensed lower middle market PE firm focused on healthcare, business services, and consumer. Repeated co-investor with Petra (Royalty Roofing, Majestic Facility Experts) with highly comparable thesis and ticket sizes.

Broad incumbents

• Riverside Company: Large lower middle market PE firm with healthcare and business services platforms. While broader and larger in scale than Petra, it operates in the same lower middle market segment with overlapping investment criteria.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments24 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Petra Capital Partners