Blackmore Partners

What Blackmore Partners does

Blackmore Partners, Inc. is a Chicago-based private equity independent sponsor founded in 2005. The firm operates an Executive-Led Investment Platform that pairs senior operating executives (with $50M+ P&L responsibility and 10-15+ years of industry experience) with private equity firms to acquire lower-middle-market businesses generating $15M-$200M in revenue and $4M-$40M in EBITDA. Use cases span management buyouts, management buy-ins, corporate carve-outs, distressed situations, and add-on acquisitions. The firm uses a proprietary database covering 1,400+ US and 8,000+ worldwide private equity groups, sourced from platforms including DB Hoovers, Pitchbook, and Cyndex, to identify PE partners for each executive's deal. Blackmore is funded entirely by PE firms upon successful deal closure; executives and business owners are charged no fees. Finder's fees of $25,000-$150,000 are paid from Blackmore's take to qualified introducers.

The firm's go-to-market combines a content-driven top-of-funnel (blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) with a recurring community layer under the BlackmoreConnects sub-brand, which hosts virtual conferences every 9 weeks featuring 6-8 PE firms and pre-conference executive workshops. Operational infrastructure relies on standard SaaS — InfusionSoft by Keap for CRM, Power Automate for email marketing, and ToGo Webinar for virtual events — rather than proprietary technology. Founder Gerald O'Dwyer serves as Managing Director and also leads Latin America operations; the firm maintains a Mexico City office and co-founded the PECO Fund to co-invest alongside PE sponsors. One current portfolio company, Logistyx (Transportation Execution Systems), is publicly disclosed on the firm website.

Name

Blackmore Partners

Legal name

Blackmore Partners, Inc.

Website

https://blackmorepartnersinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blackmore Partners is a Chicago-based private equity independent sponsor that matches senior operating executives with private equity firms to acquire lower-middle-market companies generating $15M-$200M in revenue, earning transaction fees from PE firms upon successful deal closure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Intermediary Services

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Sponsor / Fundless Sponsor ETA (FSANALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buy-Side Search & Acquisition Advisory (FSAEAIAD), Family/Founder Succession Buyout (FSANABAK), Public-to-Private (P2P) Buyout (FSANABAG)

Keywords

• Private equity intermediation
• Executive-led acquisitions
• Middle-market investing
• PE deal sourcing
• Management buyout advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PE Firm Fees: Blackmore Partners is funded entirely by private equity firms. They are paid by PE firms upon successful completion of an acquisition. There are no fees assessed to executives for their services.
2. Finder's Fees: Blackmore Partners pays finder fees of $25,000 to $150,000 to executives or finders who bring actionable deals that close. This is paid from Blackmore's take when the deal closes.
3. PECO Fund Co-Investment: Gerald O'Dwyer is non-executive co-founder of the PECO Fund, an investment group of proprietary M&A intermediary partners, high net worth individuals, family offices and institutional investors that co-invests alongside Private Equity Sponsors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Blackmore Partners is a private equity independent sponsor that matches pre-qualified senior operating executives with private equity firms to acquire and build lower-middle-market companies with revenues between $15M and $200M. The firm charges no fees to executives, earning transaction-based success fees from PE firms upon deal close. It is complemented by the BlackmoreConnects sub-brand, which delivers executive education and PE networking through recurring virtual conferences and workshops.

Product overview

Blackmore Partners operates as a private equity independent sponsor with a two-pronged approach: (1) the core Executive-Led Investment Platform that connects qualified senior executives with private equity firms for LBOs, MBOs, and growth acquisitions in the $15M-$200M revenue range, and (2) BlackmoreConnects, a complementary executive membership and education platform that organizes virtual conferences and provides training to prepare executives for PE partnerships. The two offerings work together to facilitate executive-led takeovers and private equity deal flow.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive-Led Investment Platform A private equity intermediation platform that partners pre-qualified senior operating executives with private equity firms to acquire and build lower-middle-market businesses with revenues between $15M and $200M. Transaction fees are paid by PE firms upon successful deal closure; no fees are charged to executives.
• BlackmoreConnects An executive membership organization that delivers training, resources, and networking opportunities to help C-suite executives connect with private equity firms through virtual conferences and workshops held every 9 weeks.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BlackmoreConnectscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerExecutive membership organization and sister company that hosts PE conferences and workshops. BlackmoreConnects provides executive education and PE networking services that complement Blackmore Partners' deal-matching activities.
• ACGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation for Corporate Growth - industry conference organization that Blackmore recommends executives attend alongside their own Blackmore Connects conferences for PE networking and education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Graycliff Partners: Lower-middle-market PE firm focused on partnership-driven acquisitions with operating executives, similar in deal size band and executive-led origination approach.
• Huron Capital: Lower-middle-market PE firm that partners with independent sponsors and operating executives to acquire and build companies, structurally analogous to Blackmore's executive-led investing thesis in the LMM segment.
• Mainsail Partners: Lower-middle-market growth equity firm partnering with founders and operating executives, overlapping with Blackmore on LMM operator-led investing.
• Mercato Partners: Independent sponsor investing in lower-middle-market consumer and B2B companies, often partnering with operating executives to lead acquisitions.
• CetCap Partners: Independent sponsor focused on facilitating executive-led acquisitions in the lower-middle-market, structurally aligned with Blackmore's executive + PE matching model.
• Brynwood Partners: Independent sponsor in the consumer products LMM space that partners with operating executives and management teams to acquire and grow brands, directly comparable to Blackmore's executive-1st model.
• Source Capital Group: Independent merchant bank and sponsor that raises capital and partners with operators for LMM acquisitions, sharing Blackmore's blend of capital-formation and executive-matching activities.
• Align Capital Partners: Independent sponsor / search fund-focused investment firm that helps executives acquire and operate lower-middle-market companies, comparable in fundless-sponsor mechanic and operator-led acquisition model.
• Peakstone Group: M&A advisory firm serving private equity sponsors and corporate clients on LMM transactions, comparable to Blackmore's intermediary role in matching PE capital with executives and targets.

Others

• Association for Corporate Growth (ACG): Industry association for middle-market dealmakers that runs networking events and conferences; ACG is explicitly cited by Blackmore as a complementary PE networking channel alongside BlackmoreConnects conferences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blackmore_inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/100007052448637
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/51231
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackmorepartnersinc

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Blackmore Partners