Canopy Capital Partners

What Canopy Capital Partners does

Canopy Capital Partners is a Tampa, Florida-based private equity firm founded in 2017 by Managing Partner Scott Long, focused exclusively on control buyouts, management buyouts, recapitalizations, and growth equity investments in lower middle market companies. The firm's investment criteria targets businesses with $2M-$20M in EBITDA and $5M-$100M in enterprise value, with a stated preference for Florida and Southeast U.S.-headquartered companies while remaining flexible nationwide. Sectors of focus include business services, transportation and logistics, niche manufacturing, value-added distribution, and niche sub-contractors. The team consists of five named professionals: Managing Partner Scott Long, Operating Partner Pete Nelson, Partner Beckett Brandewie, Investment Professional Griffin McKenzie, and Director of Portfolio Finance Chase Burnfin, with backgrounds spanning Palm Beach Capital, J.P. Morgan, Compass Diversified, Raymond James, Warren Equity Partners, and Ballast Point Ventures.

The firm operates a partnership-based investment model, frequently co-investing with other private equity firms (Clearview Capital, Plexus Capital, Source Capital, Petra Capital Partners) and securing debt financing from regional banks (Valley National Bank, Beach Bank, The First Bank) and mezzanine providers (Assurance Mezzanine Fund). As of late 2025, the active portfolio comprised six platform investments: The Barcode Group (retail agency platform, co-invested with Clearview), Guardian Logistics Solutions (asset-light transportation/logistics, Charlotte NC), National Boiler Service (industrial boiler services), Pet Palette Distribution (pet products wholesale distribution), Archway Service Group (commercial food equipment maintenance), and Canopy Building Services (commercial glazing, formed November 2025 with Plexus Capital). Notable exits include Freight Force (sold to St. George Logistics / Wind Point Partners in 2018), Alloy Cladding Company (April 2024), and Cloud 9 Services (sold to Wind River Environmental / Gryphon Investors in February 2024).

Revenue is generated through the standard private equity dual-stream model: ongoing management fees on committed capital under management and carried interest on successful portfolio exits. The firm does not publicly disclose pricing, fund size, or financial terms. Deal sourcing relies on direct outreach to business owners, intermediary relationships with M&A advisors and investment bankers, industry networks, and an explicit finder's fee program for introductions that result in closed transactions. As an LLC domiciled in Florida with no parent company and no public listing, Canopy Capital Partners is an independently-held investment firm.

Name

Canopy Capital Partners

Legal name

Canopy Capital Partners LLC

Website

https://canopycp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tampa, Florida-based private equity firm founded in 2017 by Scott Long, focused on control buyouts and recapitalizations of lower middle market companies with $5M-$100M enterprise value across business services, transportation/logistics, niche manufacturing, and distribution sectors, primarily in the Southeast U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity (Lower Middle Market)

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999), Management of Companies and Enterprises (551)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

• Private equity investing
• Lower middle market
• Control buyouts
• Recapitalization services
• Growth equity capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

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, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Management Fees: Private equity firms typically charge ongoing management fees based on committed capital under management, providing steady revenue regardless of investment performance.
2. Carried Interest (Performance Fees): The firm generates carried interest from successful exits of portfolio companies. Successful exits documented include Freight Force (sold to St. George Logistics in 2018), Cloud 9 Services (sold to Wind River Environmental in 2024), and Alloy Cladding (exited April 2024). The firm has invested in multiple platform companies with the aim of generating returns through operational improvement, add-on acquisitions, and eventual exit.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Canopy Capital Partners is a private equity firm that invests equity capital in lower middle market U.S. companies, typically with $2M–$20M in EBITDA and $5M–$100M in enterprise value, executing control buyouts, management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth equity, and selective minority investments. The firm focuses on Florida and the Southeast across five verticals: business services, transportation and logistics, niche manufacturing, value-added distribution, and niche sub-contractors, supporting portfolio companies with operational, financial, and add-on acquisition initiatives.

Product overview

Canopy Capital Partners operates as a private equity firm for the lower middle market, not as a technology product company. The firm provides investment management services and has built a portfolio of platform investments across diverse sectors including business services, transportation and logistics, niche manufacturing, and value-added distribution. The portfolio companies include: The Barcode Group (retail agency platform), Alloy Cladding Company (industrial services), Turtle Infrastructure Partners (roadway maintenance), Canopy Building Services (commercial glazing), Guardian Logistics Solutions (transportation/logistics), National Boiler Service (industrial boiler services), Pet Palette Distribution (pet product distribution), Archway Service Group (food equipment maintenance), Cloud 9 Services (infrastructure services), and American Vascular Associates (healthcare services).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Control Buyout Investments Acquisition of majority/controlling equity stakes in U.S. lower middle market companies, primarily in business services, transportation and logistics, niche manufacturing, value-added distribution, and niche sub-contractors with $2M–$20M in EBITDA.
• Management Buyout Investments Buyouts executed in partnership with incumbent management teams of lower middle market companies, allowing founders/family owners to transition ownership while management gains institutional partnership.
• Recapitalization Investments Recapitalizations of family-owned and founder-led businesses, including majority recapitalizations (e.g., Turtle Southeast, 2018) and growth recapitalizations (e.g., American Vascular Associates, 2023) that provide owners partial liquidity and growth capital.
• Growth Equity Investments

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple successful exits generating returns for investors and business owners
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plexus Capital: Raleigh-based structured capital fund focused on the lower middle market. Direct co-investor with CCP across multiple fund cycles (Freight Force, Turtle Southeast, Alloy Cladding, Guardian Logistics, Canopy Building Services), making it the closest comparable in geography, ticket size, and investment style.
• Palm Beach Capital: West Palm Beach-based lower middle market private equity firm where CCP founder Scott Long worked for 11 years. Operates in a similar Florida/Southeast focus, similar EBITDA and enterprise value range, and pursues a comparable sector mix. Effectively the predecessor firm to CCP.
• Source Capital: Atlanta-based private investment firm providing flexible equity and debt capital to lower middle market companies for over 20 years. Direct co-investor with CCP on the 2025 Archway Service Group acquisition, with comparable deal size, regional focus, and flexible capital approach.
• Clearview Capital: Stamford, CT-based private investment firm focused on the lower middle market. Direct co-investor with CCP on The Barcode Group platform (Infinity Worlds, Belmont Partners, Portu Sunberg), with similar control-buyout orientation and sector mix in business services and consumer-facing niches.
• Ballast Point Ventures: Tampa, FL-based growth equity firm focused on software and healthcare companies across the Southeast. Geographic peer (both Tampa-headquartered) and overlapping Florida deal ecosystem; CCP Partner Beckett Brandewie is a former employee. Comparable lower middle market focus, though growth equity rather than control buyout.
• Warren Equity Partners: Jacksonville, FL-based middle-market private equity firm focused on infrastructure services. Direct Florida/Southeast peer with similar lower middle market orientation; CCP's Griffin McKenzie is a former employee. Heavy overlap in business services and infrastructure services target sectors.
• Petra Capital Partners: Nashville, TN-based private equity firm providing growth capital, having deployed more than $750 million across more than 100 companies. Co-investor with CCP on the 2023 American Vascular Associates growth recapitalization, with similar lower middle market focus and Southeast geographic orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Compass Diversified: Westport, CT-based publicly traded middle-market private equity firm (NYSE: CODI) focused on consumer, industrial, and business services. CCP's Griffin McKenzie is a former investment team member. Much larger and more diversified, but operates in the same general lower middle market segment with similar sector orientations.
• Mainstreet Capital: Houston, TX-based publicly traded business development company providing private equity and debt capital to lower middle market companies. Operates at a meaningfully larger scale but pursues highly comparable lower middle market businesses with similar EBITDA ranges and sector mix.
• Gryphon Investors: San Francisco-based multi-billion dollar private equity fund that backed Wind River Environmental, the acquirer of CCP's Cloud 9 Services in February 2024. A scaled lower middle market investor that competes for similar platform assets and represents a relevant exit counterpart for CCP's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canopy-capital-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments5 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Canopy Capital Partners