What Carlson Private Capital Partners does

Carlson Private Capital Partners (CPC) is a private investment firm formed in 2018 by the Carlson family, whose entrepreneurial roots date to 1938 and which historically built the second-largest private employer in the United States. The firm invests non-institutional, committed family capital into profitable, industry-leading businesses in the US and Canada, with stated investment criteria of $50-500 million in revenue, $8-40+ million in EBITDA, and $20-100 million of equity per transaction. CPC positions itself as a "third option" for family and founder-owned business owners seeking ownership transition outside of strategic acquirers or traditional private equity constrained by institutional holding periods.

The firm's core offering is private equity investment services with no underlying technology product. Revenue is generated through investment returns and carried interest on portfolio realizations; CPC has no external limited partners and charges no management fees. Its current portfolio of nine platform companies spans customized apparel manufacturing (Lakeshirts/Blue 84), broadband infrastructure distribution (Millennium), automation control systems integration (Thermo Systems), traffic safety (Street Smart), ecommerce acceleration (Pattern), specialty fastener distribution (LindFast), and advanced research instrumentation (Quantum Design International, AMAG Technology). Portfolio companies operate across industrial, consumer, distribution, and business services verticals, with select exposure to healthcare and financial services.

The firm is staffed by a small team of approximately 11-13 investment professionals led by CEO/Managing Partner Andy Cantwell and Partner Taylor Moore (both former Norwest Equity Partners), with recent senior additions including Managing Director Jared Brown (2026), Operating Partner Lisa Brezonik (2024), and an Industry Executive Council chaired by former Patterson Companies CEO Scott Anderson. Distribution is relationship-driven: CPC sources deals through direct outreach to family and founder-owned businesses, an Industry Executive Council network, and co-investment partnerships with other family investment firms including KSV Global, Duchossois Capital Management, and Shore Rock Partners.

Name

Carlson Private Capital Partners

Legal name

Carlson Private Capital Partners

Website

https://carlsonprivatecapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carlson Private Capital Partners is a Carlson family-backed private investment firm that deploys patient, non-institutional equity capital into profitable family and founder-owned businesses in the US and Canada, targeting $50-500M revenue companies with $20-100M equity investments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Lower Middle-Market Business Brokerage (FSAEAIAB)

Keywords

• Private equity investment
• Family capital
• Equity capital
• Ownership transition
• Long-term investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Minnetonka

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns / Portfolio Performance: CPC generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies, targeting sustainable long-term value creation. The firm benefits from capital appreciation and operational improvements in portfolio companies.
2. Carried Interest: As a private investment firm, CPC earns carried interest from successful portfolio company exits and realizations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Carlson Private Capital Partners is a private investment firm that deploys flexible, patient equity capital from the Carlson family's committed capital base into profitable, industry-leading family and founder-owned businesses in the US and Canada. The firm invests $20-100 million in equity to support ownership transitions, growth, and add-on acquisitions at companies with $50-500 million in revenue and $8-40+ million in EBITDA. CPC explicitly positions itself as a third option between strategic buyers and traditional private equity, emphasizing long-term partnerships over predetermined exit horizons.

Product overview

Carlson Private Capital Partners is a private investment firm offering a single unified investment platform rather than a technology product. The firm provides flexible, patient equity capital and strategic resources to family and founder-owned businesses. The primary offering is private equity investment services targeting middle-market companies seeking long-term partnership over traditional private equity exits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Investment Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Invested in Millennium (November 2021) for growth and North American geographic expansion
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Scott Anderson (Industry Executive Council)coreOthers · 4 January 2022Scott Anderson joined CPC as inaugural Head of Executive Council. He is former Chairman, President, CEO of Patterson Companies, current Chairman of C.H. Robinson, and Chairman of Board of Trustees for Gustavus Adolphus College. Council provides resource to portfolio management teams and assists with investment thesis development.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stone Point Capital: Connecticut-based middle-market PE firm with a focus on family/founder-owned businesses, particularly in financial services and adjacent verticals. Uses patient capital and partners with management, aligning with CPC's broader vertical approach.
• Pritzker Private Capital: Chicago-based family office PE firm investing in middle-market, family/founder-owned businesses with patient, long-term capital. Operates a near-identical model to CPC: family capital, no fund-cycle pressure, focused on ownership transitions, and serving similar revenue/EBITDA profiles.
• American Industrial Partners: New York-based PE firm focused on industrial businesses, directly overlapping with CPC's industrial manufacturing and distribution verticals (Thermo Systems, LindFast, Lakeshirts). Pursues long-term ownership and operational improvement strategies.
• Norwest Equity Partners: Minneapolis-based middle-market PE firm where CPC's CEO (Andy Cantwell), Partner (Taylor Moore), Managing Director (Jared Brown), and Principal (Emma Gergen) all worked previously. Operates a traditional fund structure but in the same Minneapolis middle-market ecosystem and target company profile.
• Centre Partners: New York-based middle-market PE firm focused on family/founder-owned businesses with management-led transitions. Pursues long-term partnerships and operates with similar check sizes to CPC, making it a direct comparable on model and target profile.
• Kainos Capital: Dallas-based middle-market PE firm focused on family/founder-owned consumer and food businesses. Targets companies with similar revenue and EBITDA profiles and pursues long-term partnerships, overlapping directly with CPC's consumer segment strategy.
• Brynwood Partners: Connecticut-based PE firm specializing in family/founder-owned consumer products businesses. Operates with patient capital and long hold periods, closely mirroring CPC's consumer vertical and family-business sourcing approach.
• HCI Equity Partners: Middle-market PE firm focused on family/founder-owned and management-led businesses with a long-term perspective. Targets profitable North American companies with comparable check sizes and a similar philosophy of partnership over short-term exits.
• Huron Capital Partners: Detroit-based middle-market PE firm focused on family/founder-owned businesses with a long-term partnership orientation. Targets comparable revenue and EBITDA ranges and operates with a similar consultative, non-strategic-buyer approach to family-owned deals.

Broad incumbents

• L Catterton: Large consumer-focused family office PE platform (LVMH, Arnault, and Groupe Arnault families). Operates with patient, multi-decade family capital similar to CPC, but at materially larger scale and concentrated in consumer brands rather than diversified industrials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carlson-private-capital-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments6 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Carlson Private Capital Partners