Capstone Partners

What Capstone Partners does

Capstone Partners is a global private equity placement agent and advisory firm founded in 2001 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The firm provides capital-raising services to private equity, credit, real assets, and infrastructure fund managers, leveraging a curated network of 1,500+ institutional investor (LP) relationships across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Over 24 years of operation, Capstone reports having raised more than 80 funds globally, with the majority of mandates reaching hard cap, including marquee transactions such as Arctos Sports Partners I (>$2.1B) and F2i III (€3.6B). The firm employs 35+ professionals across six offices (Dallas, New York, London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Tokyo), with senior team average tenure of 17 years and a stated "quality over quantity" approach to mandate selection.

Capstone's revenue model is professional services fee-based — placement agent commissions on capital raised — with custom engagement structures (pricing not publicly disclosed). Distribution is delivered through direct enterprise sales to fund managers (GPs), supported by regulatory affiliates that allow licensed activity across major jurisdictions: Greenhill & Co. International LLP (FCA, London), Greenhill Europe GmbH & Co. KG (BaFin, Frankfurt), Mizuho Securities Singapore (MAS), Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd. (Japan), and Mizuho Securities USA LLC (FINRA/SIPC). Since July 2022, Capstone has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mizuho Americas, providing cross-sell access to a broader global investment banking platform while retaining the Capstone Partners brand.

The firm's competitive position rests on three pillars: a hard-to-replicate LP relationship network, a stable and tenured senior team, and a multi-jurisdictional regulatory footprint enabled by Mizuho. Customer segments span General Partners (primary), Limited Partners, repeat fund manager clients, and first-time fund managers. Thought leadership and press activity form the primary top-of-funnel marketing motion. Awards include Best Placement Agent at the Private Equity Wire US Awards 2021. A 2025 investment in AI inference startup FriendliAI marks the first notable signal of direct venture investing activity beyond the core placement franchise.

Name

Capstone Partners

Legal name

Capstone Partners LP

Website

https://capstonepartnerslp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Capstone Partners is a global placement agent and advisory firm that raises capital for private equity, credit, real assets, and infrastructure fund managers. Operating across six offices in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, the firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mizuho Americas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking & Placement Agent Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)

Keywords

• Private equity fundraising
• Placement agent services
• Fundraising advisory
• Alternative asset placement
• Private market advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Placement Agent Services: Professional placement agent fees for fundraising and advisory services to private equity, credit, real assets, and infrastructure investment firms. Services include fund marketing, LP relationship management, and transaction execution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Capstone Partners is a global placement agent that advises private equity, credit, real assets, and infrastructure investment firms on raising capital from institutional investors (limited partners). The firm provides fund marketing, LP relationship management, and transaction execution services to help general partners close fundraising mandates, with a plan-based execution approach and access to 1,500+ quality investor relationships across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

Product overview

Capstone Partners is a placement agent firm offering private equity fundraising services rather than a technology product company. They provide capital raising and advisory services to private equity, credit, real assets, and infrastructure investment firms across global markets. Their primary service offering is fundraising placement for investment managers seeking LP commitments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Equity Fundraising Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ funds raised across multiple asset classes and regions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Greenhill & Co. International LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreenhill affiliate regulated by the FCA, based in London. Serves as an affiliate of Capstone Partners providing additional capabilities and resources.
• Greenhill Europe GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreenhill affiliate regulated by the BaFin, based in Frankfurt. Serves as an affiliate of Capstone Partners providing additional European capabilities.
• Mizuho Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMizuho Securities Singapore affiliate, CMS license holder from MAS. Serves as an affiliate of Capstone Partners in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMizuho Securities Japan affiliate based in Tokyo. Serves as an affiliate of Capstone Partners providing Japan market capabilities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Park Hill (Blackstone): Park Hill is Blackstone's placement agent arm providing global fundraising advisory to alternative asset managers, competing with Capstone for institutional capital raises across asset classes.
• Eaton Partners: Eaton Partners is a leading independent placement agent and fund advisory firm with global reach, competing directly with Capstone across PE, private credit, real assets, and infrastructure fundraising mandates.
• Houlihan Lokey Fund Placement Group: Houlihan Lokey's Capital Markets Group includes a dedicated fund placement practice serving PE, credit, and real asset managers, directly competing with Capstone for mid-market fundraising mandates.
• Evercore Private Funds Group: Evercore's Private Funds Group is one of the largest independent placement agents, raising capital for PE, credit, real assets, and infrastructure funds globally, directly competing with Capstone for GP mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Lazard Private Capital Advisory: Lazard's Private Capital Advisory group offers fundraising and secondary advisory services to alternative investment managers, overlapping with Capstone's placement agent business as part of a broader advisory franchise.
• Jefferies Private Capital Group: Jefferies provides private capital raising and secondaries advisory as part of its broader investment banking platform, overlapping with Capstone's PE fundraising services.
• Greenhill & Co. Greenhill is referenced as a Capstone affiliate in London and Frankfurt; historically a direct competitor in M&A and fund placement advisory, serving similar institutional clients globally.
• Nomura Placement Agent Group: Nomura offers placement agent and fund distribution services to alternative managers globally, particularly strong in Asia-Pacific where Capstone also competes.
• UBS Private Funds Group: UBS's Private Funds Group provides global placement agent services to alternative asset managers, competing with Capstone as a bank-owned placement agent serving institutional clients.

Regional players

• Muzinich & Co. Muzinich is a privately-owned, institutional fixed income and private credit specialist with a fundraising arm; comparable to Capstone in the private credit placement space where Capstone has mandates like Dawson Portfolio Finance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments20 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Capstone Partners