ECP Growth
ECP Growth is a Greenwich, Connecticut-based growth-stage investment firm (formerly Emil Capital Partners) that deploys $5-20 million checks into North American consumer businesses with $10M+ revenue, operating as the US growth capital arm of Germany's Tengelmann Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersGreenwich, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ECP Growth does
ECP Growth is a Greenwich, Connecticut-based growth-stage investment firm founded in 2011 as Emil Capital Partners and rebranded in May 2025. It operates as the US growth capital arm of the Tengelmann Group, a 150-year-old German family-owned holding company, and invests $5-20 million per company into North American consumer businesses that already generate more than $10 million in revenue and demonstrate a clear path to profitability within 18 months.
The firm's core product is its investment funds — most recently Fund IV with $100 million in committed capital closed in May 2025 — through which it deploys equity capital alongside operational support across strategy, finance, marketing, sales, hiring, and GTM execution. Thematic focus spans three pillars: human mobility, personalized health and wellness, and resource efficiency, with the portfolio taxonomy further broken into verticals such as accessible nutrition, cognitive and microbiome health, pet wellness, home, holistic health tech, women's health, AI-enabled commerce, supply chain, and AgeTech. Portfolio companies have included Volition Beauty, Zeel, milk + honey, Ollie (exited 2025), Freestyle, NextFoods, ILS Gummies, Shipday, and BiomeSense.
Revenue is generated through management fees and carried interest on managed funds. The 14-person investment team is led by CEO Marcel Bens and Chairman Andreas Guldin (co-founder, former CEO until 2023), with operating leadership including CFO Werner Stuetz, Managing Director Morgan Ratcliffe, and Investment Director Marie-Li Haub (Tengelmann). Distribution is relationship-driven: direct outreach to founders and entrepreneurs, supplemented by LinkedIn, owned content, and PR; the firm has been named to Inc.'s Founder-Friendly Investors list three consecutive years (2023-2025).
ECP Growth firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ECP Growth
- Legal name
- ECP Growth
- Website
- https://ecpgrowth.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ECP Growth is a Greenwich, Connecticut-based growth-stage investment firm (formerly Emil Capital Partners) that deploys $5-20 million checks into North American consumer businesses with $10M+ revenue, operating as the US growth capital arm of Germany's Tengelmann Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ECP Growth industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Growth Equity Investing
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer & Retail Growth Equity (FSANACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Healthcare & Life Sciences Growth Equity (FSANACAB)
Keywords
Where ECP Growth is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Greenwich
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ECP Growth business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Investment Management: ECP Growth generates revenue through management fees and carried interest from their investment funds. They manage Fund IV with $100 million in committed capital, investing in growth-stage consumer businesses across North America.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Growth equity investments between $5-20 million |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
ECP Growth product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ECP Growth is a growth-stage investment firm that deploys equity capital into consumer businesses in North America, typically investing $5-20 million per company in targets generating more than $10 million in revenue. The firm pairs capital with hands-on operational support across strategy, finance, marketing, sales, hiring, and go-to-market execution. Investments are themed around solutions that enhance human mobility, deliver personalized health and wellness experiences, and optimize resource efficiency across the consumer value-chain.
Product overview
ECP Growth is a growth-stage investment firm (formerly Emil Capital Partners) that operates through Fund IV with $100 million in committed capital. The firm provides investment capital and operational support services to portfolio companies, focusing on thematic investing in companies at the intersection of mobility enhancement, personalized health and wellness, and resource efficiency across the consumer value-chain. Their investment approach targets companies generating greater than $10 million in revenue with investments between $5 million and $20 million, emphasizing businesses demonstrating a clear path to profitability within 18 months.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fund IV ECP Growth's fourth growth-equity investment fund with $100 million in committed capital, deploying $5-20 million equity investments into North American consumer businesses generating greater than $10 million in revenue across themes of human mobility, personalized health and wellness, and resource efficiency.
- Investment and Operational Support Services Tailored, hands-on investment partnership services providing capital alongside operational support across strategy, finance, marketing, sales, hiring, market research, vision setting, and go-to-market strategy for growth-stage consumer companies.
Quantifiable outcome
- Named to Inc.'s Founder-Friendly Investors List for third consecutive year in 2025
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use ECP Growth
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ECP Growth technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ECP Growth partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ECP Growth competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- General Atlantic: Large global growth equity firm with material consumer exposure across health, wellness, and consumer brands. Comparable as a broader growth equity incumbent that intersects with ECP Growth's consumer and health/wellness theses, though at meaningfully larger check sizes.
- Tengelmann Group (Tengelmann Ventures / Tengelmann Growth Partners): The 150-year-old German family-owned holding company that is both the parent/sponsor of ECP Growth and an active consumer investor in its own right across Europe and North America. Comparable as a broader conglomerate consumer investor that overlaps with ECP Growth's investment universe.
- Insight Partners: Large-scale global growth equity investor with significant consumer and software-enabled commerce exposure. Overlaps with ECP Growth on digitized commerce and consumer-tech themes, though at far larger fund sizes and earlier-stage orientations.
Direct peers
- Forerunner Ventures: Consumer-focused venture and growth investor backing brands at the intersection of technology and consumer behavior. Comparable to ECP Growth on consumer thesis investing and brand-building orientation, though weighted earlier in the lifecycle.
- Alliance Consumer Growth: Consumer-only growth equity firm providing capital and operating expertise to emerging consumer brands. Closely aligned with ECP Growth on consumer thesis focus, check size range, and partnership-based value-add approach.
- Stripes Group: Growth equity firm investing in consumer and internet companies with operating value-add. Closely comparable to ECP Growth on consumer growth thesis, hands-on partnership model, and target company profile (>$10M revenue consumer brands).
- Silas Capital: Consumer-focused growth equity firm backing emerging brands with operational expertise. Co-invested with ECP Growth on Freestyle, indicating direct overlap on consumer growth deal flow and thesis.
- VMG Partners: Consumer-focused growth equity investor backing innovative consumer brands across health, wellness, food, and beauty. Highly comparable to ECP Growth on thematic consumer thesis, particularly in health/wellness and better-for-you categories.
- TSG Consumer Partners: Long-established consumer growth equity firm investing in high-growth consumer brands with operating support. Highly comparable to ECP Growth on strategy, check size, and target customer profile (growth-stage consumer companies with proven traction).
- L Catterton: The largest consumer-focused private equity and growth equity firm in the world. Operates a consumer-dedicated platform with growth-stage and buyout strategies, directly competing with ECP Growth for the same B2B/B2C consumer brand opportunities in North America.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ECP Growth social profiles
Digital presenceECP Growth financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ECP Growth leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
ECP Growth funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ECP Growth M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments40 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ECP Growth
What does ECP Growth do?
ECP Growth is a growth-stage investment firm that deploys equity capital into consumer businesses in North America, typically investing $5-20 million per company in targets generating more than $10 million in revenue. The firm pairs capital with hands-on operational support across strategy, finance, marketing, sales, hiring, and go-to-market execution. Investments are themed around solutions that enhance human mobility, deliver personalized health and wellness experiences, and optimize resource efficiency across the consumer value-chain.
Is ECP Growth a public or private company?
ECP Growth is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was ECP Growth founded?
ECP Growth was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ECP Growth based?
ECP Growth is headquartered in Greenwich, United States, in the North America region.
How does ECP Growth make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Management.
Who are ECP Growth's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are General Atlantic, Tengelmann Group (Tengelmann Ventures / Tengelmann Growth Partners) and Insight Partners. Direct peers are Forerunner Ventures, Alliance Consumer Growth, Stripes Group, Silas Capital, VMG Partners, TSG Consumer Partners and L Catterton.
Does ECP Growth have an API?
No public API is recorded for ECP Growth.
What industry is ECP Growth in?
ECP Growth's product category is Growth Equity Investing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANACAC, Consumer & Retail Growth Equity, with a secondary code of FSANACAB, Healthcare & Life Sciences Growth Equity. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.