Sleeping Giant Capital

What Sleeping Giant Capital does

Sleeping Giant Capital is a privately held, Kalamazoo, Michigan-based investment firm founded in 2020 by Doug Lepisto and Derrick McIver. The firm operates as a place-based alternative to traditional private equity, deploying permanent committed capital to acquire and grow closely held businesses west of U.S. Route 127 in West Michigan. Its core strategy addresses the "Silver Tsunami" of retiring baby-boomer business owners by providing a succession alternative that emphasizes long-term stewardship, leadership continuity, and community-rooted ownership rather than buy-and-build consolidation. Target acquisitions are typically mid-market businesses with $1M-$10M+ in EBITDA.

The firm's product surface combines two interlocking offerings. The Acquire Program is a 10-week executive education coaching course priced at $5,000, with rolling cohorts, aimed at training aspiring owner-operators on entrepreneurship through acquisition. Graduates are eligible for the CEO-in-Residence program, which places experienced mid-career leaders with committed acquisition capital, competitive six-figure compensation, and an 18-24 month operating runway to source, acquire, and run a portfolio business with meaningful equity ownership. Under this structure, Sleeping Giant owns the operating company while the CEO-in-Residence takes operating control with an equity stake, supported by the firm's operating platform and board. The firm manages $150M of Fund I commitments and over $100M of initial Fund II commitments launched September 2025, generating revenue through management fees on committed and called capital plus carried interest, supplemented by Acquire Program tuition.

As of April 2026, the portfolio comprises six wholly owned operating companies employing over 300 people: SignComp (sign industry framing and tensioning), Portland Products and Pro Stamp (combined automotive/heavy truck/off-road metal stamping and welding platform under Co-CEOs Ben Greve and Rick Slater), Pondera Advisors and Rep-Lite (Kalamazoo-based human capital advisory and outsourced sales talent platform under CEO Kelly Conway), LineDrive (outsourced sales and marketing for industrial safety), and Process Engineering & Equipment (PECO) (Walker-based thermal and fluid systems under President Mitch Brownell). Supporting brand assets include The Do Diligence Podcast, "The Chase" documentary, a referral program offering up to $50,000 per closed transaction, a Women's Leadership Advisory Committee, and a Leadership and Business Strategy practicum co-developed with Western Michigan University Haworth College of Business.

Name

Sleeping Giant Capital

Legal name

Sleeping Giant Capital Corp.

Website

https://sleepinggiantcapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sleeping Giant Capital is a Kalamazoo, Michigan private investment firm founded in 2020 that acquires and grows closely held West Michigan businesses using permanent capital and a CEO-in-Residence operating model, managing $250M+ across two funds and operating six portfolio companies in manufacturing, industrial services, and human capital advisory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kalamazoo

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Management: Sleeping Giant Capital generates returns through traditional private equity-style investment management, including management fees on committed capital and carried interest on investment gains. The firm's Principled Impact Evergreen Fund II has raised over $100 million in commitments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sleeping Giant Capital is a place-based private investment firm that acquires, owns, and grows closely held businesses in West Michigan. It backs CEOs-in-Residence with permanent capital and runs the Acquire Program to train aspiring owner-operators, while building a portfolio of operating companies across manufacturing, human capital advisory, and industrial services.

Product overview

Sleeping Giant Capital operates a multi-layered investment and development platform centered on place-based private equity alternatives. The core offerings are the Acquire Program (executive education coaching for aspiring owner-operators) and the CEO-in-Residence Program (backing experienced leaders with capital and support to acquire businesses). These feed into a portfolio of operating companies acquired across diverse industries including SignComp (sign industry solutions), Portland Products/Pro Stamp (automotive manufacturing), Pondera Advisors/Rep-Lite (human capital advisory), Line Drive (outsourced sales), and PECO (thermal/fluid systems). Supporting offerings include The Do Diligence Podcast (thought leadership content), The Chase Documentary (brand storytelling), a Referral Program, Women's Leadership Advisory Committee, and a university partnership practicum with Western Michigan University.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Acquire Program: Executive education coaching program for aspiring owner-operators learning entrepreneurship through acquisition
• CEO-in-Residence Program
• The Do Diligence Podcast
• Principled Impact Evergreen Fund II
• Acquire Program - Women's Cohort
• Women's Leadership Advisory Committee

Products and services

• Acquire Program A 10-week executive education coaching program for aspiring owner-operators learning entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA). Includes weekly 1:1 coaching with Co-Founder Derrick McIver, financial modeling training, and thesis development. Priced at $5,000 per cohort.
• CEO-in-Residence Program Program providing experienced leaders with committed acquisition capital, six-figure competitive compensation, dedicated operating platform, research support, and peer network to source, acquire, and operate a profitable business with meaningful equity ownership. The residency lasts 18-24 months.
• SignComp Industry-leading provider of framing and tensioning solutions to the sign industry, designing and producing custom extrusions for the sign and visual graphics market.
• Portland Products LLC Leading manufacturer of stampings and assemblies primarily serving automotive, heavy truck, and off-road markets.
• Pro Stamp Metal stamping and welding manufacturer offering industry-leading stamping, welding, and assembly capabilities.
• Pondera Advisors Leadership consulting firm offering culture alignment and development services, anchored by its proprietary Pondera Virtual Advisor (PVA) personality and leadership assessment tool.
• Rep-Lite National provider of outsourced sales talent solutions, offering commercial talent acquisition services.
• LineDrive Leading outsourced sales and marketing firm partnering with manufacturers and distributors in the industrial safety and facility productivity space.
• Process Engineering & Equipment (PECO) Thermal and fluid systems platform providing engineered HVAC and industrial solutions, fluid handling equipment, and mission-critical aftermarket services for industrial, institutional, and municipal applications. Founded 1950.
• Principled Impact Evergreen Fund II Sleeping Giant Capital's second permanent-capital fund with over $100 million in initial commitments, designed to acquire and grow closely held businesses in West Michigan under a place-based model.
• Referral Program Program offering referral rewards of up to $50,000 for qualified business seller or aspiring CEO referrals that close within 24-36 months of introduction.

Quantifiable outcome

• Six acquisitions completed employing 300+ people
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pondera AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Pondera Advisors, a leadership consulting firm known for its proprietary Pondera Virtual Advisor assessment, was acquired and integrated into Sleeping Giant Capital's human capital advisory platform alongside Rep-Lite.
• Rep-LitecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Rep-Lite, a national provider of outsourced sales talent solutions, was acquired as part of Sleeping Giant Capital's launch of a Kalamazoo-based human capital advisory and solutions platform alongside Pondera Advisors.
• Western Michigan University Haworth College of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSleeping Giant Capital partners with WMU through the Leadership and Business Strategy (LBS) practicum program, where exceptional undergraduates work alongside investors, board members, and portfolio CEOs on growth strategy engagements. The firm also co-founded the LBS program and uses an Accelerator space in downtown Kalamazoo for student engagement.
• United Way of South Central MichiganminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Way of South Central Michigan partnered with Sleeping Giant Capital on the Juice Bus initiative, expanding student access to educational and business opportunities in downtown Kalamazoo.
• Grand Rapids ChamberminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Grand Rapids Chamber hosts introductory Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition workshops taught by Derrick McIver, co-founder of Sleeping Giant Capital, expanding awareness of the acquisition entrepreneurship path.
• Michigan State University Broad School of BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSU Broad College of Business featured Sleeping Giant Capital's documentary 'The Chase' following CEO Justin Murray's journey to business ownership, highlighting the firm's ETA model to their alumni and student community.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Graycliff Partners: A private equity firm investing in lower middle-market operating businesses, frequently partnering with operator-led management teams. Closely comparable in fund scale and operator-capital partnership model.
• Pacific Lake Partners: An ETA/search fund capital provider that backs aspiring acquirers with capital and operating support. Closely matches Sleeping Giant's CEO-in-Residence model in deploying capital to first-time searchers acquiring SMBs.
• Topspin Partners: Lower middle-market PE firm acquiring and operating closely held businesses. Comparable in fund size and focus on traditional, lower-tech industries with operating partner engagement.
• Renovus Capital Partners: A middle-market private equity firm that acquires and grows small/mid-market operating businesses with permanent capital-like patience. Similar fund size and operator-led investment approach.
• Search Fund Partners: A search fund investing platform that supports aspiring acquirers through capital and operations resources. Closely aligned with Sleeping Giant's Acquire Program and CIR structure.
• Boxwood Capital Partners: Search-fund capital provider and SMB acquisition sponsor. Direct overlap with Sleeping Giant's CEO-in-Residence-style backing of operators acquiring small businesses.
• Search Fund Accelerator: Educational and capital partner for search fund practitioners and aspiring acquirers. Direct overlap with Sleeping Giant's Acquire Program executive education curriculum.
• Oxer Capital: An ETA-focused investment firm providing capital and support to search fund operators. Comparable in funding searcher-led acquisitions of closely held SMBs.

Broad incumbents

• Clearview Capital: A private equity firm focused on buy-and-build strategies in lower middle-market companies. Comparable deal size and permanent-style ownership horizon, though with more standardized buy-and-build execution.
• NMS Capital: A private equity firm focused on investing in founder/family-owned lower middle-market companies. Comparable in target profile (closely held businesses) and fund size, though more sector-diversified.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sleepinggiantcapital
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sleeping-giant-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Sleeping Giant Capital