What Kidd & Company does

Kidd & Company, LLC ("KCO") is a private family office investment firm headquartered at 1455 East Putnam Avenue, Old Greenwich, Connecticut, that traces its roots to founding partner Bill Kidd's first private equity investment in 1976. The firm makes control equity investments in the lower end of the U.S. middle market, targeting companies with typically less than $10 million EBITDA, and partners with founders and management teams who retain equity and participate in value creation. KCO is not a private equity fund: the partners fund operational costs and invest their own capital in every transaction, which the firm says enables flexible transaction structuring and longer hold periods than typical sponsor-backed investments.

The firm follows a thesis-driven investment model built on intensive upfront research, formation of an investment thesis, and hands-on operational involvement after closing, including 100-Day Plans, formal strategic planning and budgeting, enhanced financial reporting, and active recruiting of board members, executive leadership, and operational talent for portfolio companies. KCO's partnership comprises a Founding Partner (William J. Kidd), a Partner (Gerard A. DeBiasi), and three Principals (Kenneth J. Heuer, James G. Benedict, Matthew A. Cook), with backgrounds spanning JPMorgan, Spencer Trask, MHT Partners, Canaccord Adams, the Monitor Group, Fidelity Investments, and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

KCO has invested across multiple sectors including logistics/shipping software (Logistyx Technologies, exited to E2open for $185M in March 2022), medical device contract manufacturing (Nexcore/NextPhase Medical Devices, exited to Bromford Industries in 2019), specialty RV retail (Family RV Group, exited to RV Retailer in March 2021), aerospace precision parts (Numet, exited to Bromford in 2019), oil distribution (RelaDyne, exited to Audax Private Equity in 2016), enterprise CPQ/digital commerce software (Pierce Washington, recapitalized in January 2022), and DTC e-commerce consumer health brands (Brand Holdings/Dr. Emil Nutrition, formed 2020). The firm typically co-invests with specialized financial partners including AEA Investors, Plexus Capital, Spring Capital, Ignite Labs, Southfield Mezzanine, McLarty Capital Partners, and T-Street Capital. Revenue, AUM, and fee structure are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Kidd & Company

Legal name

Kidd & Company, LLC

Website

https://kiddcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kidd & Company is a private family office investment firm based in Old Greenwich, Connecticut that makes control equity investments in lower middle market U.S. companies with under $10 million EBITDA, partnering with founders on thesis-driven, hands-on value creation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity / Family Office Investment Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Management of Companies and Enterprises (55)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Investment Platforms & Direct Investing (PE/VC/Co-Invest) (FSAAADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Business & Succession Advisory (FSAAADAL), Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)

Keywords

• Private equity investing
• Family office investments
• Control equity investments
• Middle market buyouts
• Thesis-driven investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Old Greenwich

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: Kidd & Company generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies. Returns are derived from fundamental business improvements, operational enhancements, and strategic acquisitions during the ownership period. The firm has generated world-class investment returns through rigorous execution of strategy-led investment theses.
2. Portfolio Exit - Logistyx Technologies: KCO exited Logistyx Technologies in March 2022 in a sale to E2open for $185 million. The investment was started with a thesis in 2015 and Logistyx was formed in 2017.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kidd & Company is a family office investor that makes control equity investments in lower middle market companies (typically with less than $10 million EBITDA). The firm partners with business owners, founders, and management teams to provide investment capital alongside hands-on operational expertise, strategic guidance, and value creation support. KCO structures transactions to allow founders to retain equity and actively participates in portfolio company strategy, governance, financial reporting, and talent recruitment.

Product overview

Kidd & Company, LLC (KCO) is a family office investment firm, not a product or technology company. The firm does not offer a unified product platform or software-as-a-service. Rather, KCO makes control equity investments in the lower middle market (typically companies with less than $10 million EBITDA), partnering with business owners and founders to execute strategy-led investment theses through fundamental operational, managerial, and financial improvements. KCO's investment activity spans multiple industry sectors including logistics software, medical devices, recreational vehicles, e-commerce consumer brands, and professional services. KCO is not a fund; partners fund operational costs and invest their own capital in every transaction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kidd & Company Investment Services Private equity investment capital, strategic guidance, and hands-on operational expertise provided to lower middle market companies (typically with less than $10 million EBITDA). KCO partners with founders and management teams, makes control equity investments, and actively participates in strategy execution, governance, financial reporting, and talent recruitment for portfolio companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Logistyx Technologies helps businesses reduce shipping costs by 40 percent
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• McLarty Capital Partners: Middle-market private investment firm that co-invested with KCO to form Logistyx Technologies in 2017. Operates in a similar lower middle market band with thesis-driven control equity investments, making it the closest comparable peer.
• AEA Investors LP: Middle-market private investment firm with approximately $5B AUM that partnered with KCO to form RelaDyne in 2010 and exited to Audax in 2016. Directly comparable in lower middle market control-equity strategy with operating involvement.
• Firmament: Private investment firm that co-controlled Logistyx Technologies alongside KCO and exited in March 2022 for $185M. Closely comparable family-office-style operator focused on lower middle market theses.
• Centerfield Capital Partners: Indianapolis-based mezzanine and equity investment firm that co-invested with KCO in Imaginetics LLC's acquisition of Azmark Aerosystems. Comparable lower middle market equity investor with similar sector breadth.
• The Halifax Group: Lower middle market private investment firm making control equity investments in companies with $3-15M EBITDA, very closely aligned with KCO's investment size band and active operational involvement model.
• MiddleGround Capital: Lower middle market private equity firm focused on control investments in U.S. industrial and specialty distribution businesses with EBITDA typically under $15M, with operational value-add strategy paralleling KCO's thesis-driven approach.
• Plinian Capital: Family-office-backed private investment firm making control equity investments in the lower middle market with operational involvement, structurally very similar to KCO's family office capital base.

Broad incumbents

• Audax Private Equity: Established middle-market private equity firm that acquired RelaDyne from KCO in 2016. Operates buy-and-build strategies in the same lower middle market segment as KCO but at substantially greater AUM scale.

Others

• Southfield Mezzanine: Subordinated debt provider that co-invested alongside KCO in the Pierce Washington recapitalization in 2022. Serves as a financing partner in the same lower middle market deals rather than a direct equity competitor.
• Spring Capital Partners: Mezzanine debt and equity co-investor that partnered with KCO on both the Pierce Washington (2022) and Nexcore/NextPhase Medical Devices transactions. Comparable in deal-size band but distinct in providing primarily structured capital.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kidd & Company