Corinthian Capital

What Corinthian Capital does

Corinthian Capital Group, LLC is a middle-market private equity firm founded in 2005 and headquartered at 366 Madison Avenue in New York, with a second office in Hingham, Massachusetts. The firm operates as a control equity investor that targets founder or family-owned businesses in the lower middle market, focused on companies with $5MM to $30MM in EBITDA or $50MM to $300MM in sales across manufacturing, services, and distribution verticals. Corinthian manages two private equity funds — Corinthian Equity Fund I (CEF I) and Corinthian Equity Fund II (CEF II) — and currently holds seven portfolio companies spanning exterior lighting (Trimlight), emergency and exit lighting (Best Lighting), motion control (Control Solutions), oil and gas wellhead services (Renegade), home healthcare (Excelin Home Health), apparel screen-printing equipment (M&R), and luxury Class B recreational vehicles (Ultimate Toys).

The firm's core "platform" is its disciplined, replicable investment methodology, executed by a six-person investment team with more than 100 years of aggregate experience in financial services and private company management. Co-founders C. Kenneth Clay (now Managing Partner) and Peter Van Raalte have worked together for more than 15 years, supported by three administrative staff and multiple executive advisors providing sourcing, diligence, and operational expertise. Active portfolio management includes tailored capital structures, add-on acquisitions, dividend recapitalizations, and operational improvements; Best Lighting Products, for example, completed an add-on acquisition of CABATech in 2021 and a second dividend recapitalization in December 2020. Deal sourcing combines direct outreach to business owners, intermediary relationships with investment bankers and M&A advisors, and an inbound opportunities channel.

Corinthian earns revenue through traditional private equity economics: recurring management fees on committed capital across its two funds, plus carried interest (performance fees) from successful portfolio company exits. Historical exits include AVL Digital Group, Sabre Industries, Wolf-Gordon, Sierra Hamilton, Eastern Wholesale Fence (sold to Center Rock Capital and Leelanau Private Capital in 2020), and Metaltec Steel Abrasive Company (sold in 2022), evidencing capital recycling across multiple economic cycles. The value proposition targets founder-operators seeking liquidity or growth capital who require a control-investor partner that preserves management autonomy while unlocking the next growth phase.

Name

Corinthian Capital

Legal name

Corinthian Capital Group, LLC

Website

http://corinthiancap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Corinthian Capital Group is a middle-market private equity firm founded in 2005 that invests as a control equity investor in founder or family-owned businesses with $5MM-$30MM EBITDA, across manufacturing, services, and distribution sectors, managing two funds (CEF I and CEF II) with seven current portfolio companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Equity Buyout Fund-of-Funds (FSANAGAD)

Keywords

• Middle-market private equity
• Control equity investments
• Buyouts and recapitalizations
• Portfolio company management
• Lower middle market investing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: Corinthian Capital manages private equity funds (Corinthian Equity Fund I and II) and earns management fees on committed capital. As a control equity investor, they generate returns through portfolio company value creation and eventual exits.
2. Carried Interest (Performance Fees): The firm earns carried interest from successful portfolio company exits. Deal supported by advisory services from Latham & Watkins, CohnReznick, and Livingstone indicates typical private equity transaction structure with exit-focused returns.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Core offering

Corinthian Capital Group, LLC is a middle-market private equity firm that conducts control equity investments in founder or family-owned businesses with $5MM–$30MM in EBITDA or $50MM–$300MM in sales across manufacturing, services, and distribution verticals. The firm manages two private equity funds (Corinthian Equity Fund I and Corinthian Equity Fund II), actively manages each portfolio company to drive value creation, and generates returns through management fees and carried interest from exits.

Product overview

Corinthian Capital Group is a middle-market private equity firm (not a product/technology company) that operates as a control equity investor targeting founder or family-owned businesses. The firm manages two private equity funds (CEF I and CEF II) and a current investment portfolio of seven portfolio companies spanning diverse industries: Trimlight (permanent exterior lighting), Best Lighting (emergency and exit lighting), Control Solutions (motion control products), Renegade (oil and gas services), Excelin Home Health (healthcare services), M&R (screen-printing equipment), and Ultimate Toys (luxury RV vehicles).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Corinthian Equity Fund I (CEF I): First private equity fund managed by Corinthian Capital Group.
• Corinthian Equity Fund II (CEF II)

Products and services

• Corinthian Capital Group Private Equity Services Middle-market private equity investment services conducting disciplined, replicable control equity investments in founder or family-owned businesses with $5MM to $30MM in EBITDA or $50MM to $300MM in sales across manufacturing, services, and distribution verticals. Available to business owners, management teams, and intermediaries.
• Corinthian Equity Fund I (CEF I) First private equity fund managed by Corinthian Capital Group, deploying capital into control equity investments in lower middle-market companies.
• Corinthian Equity Fund II (CEF II) Second private equity fund managed by Corinthian Capital Group, continuing the firm's control equity investment strategy in lower middle-market companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple successful exits including AVL Digital Group, Sabre Industries, Wolf-Gordon, Sierra Hamilton, Eastern Wholesale Fence, Metaltec, and others across various economic cycles.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.

• Latham & Watkins LLPsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 April 2023Latham & Watkins LLP provided legal advisory services for Corinthian Capital's acquisition of Ultimate Toys Inc.
• CohnReznick LLPsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 April 2023CohnReznick LLP provided advisory services for Corinthian Capital's acquisition of Ultimate Toys Inc.
• LivingstonesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 April 2023Livingstone provided advisory services for Corinthian Capital's acquisition of Ultimate Toys Inc.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• Wynnchurch Capital: Middle-market private equity firm pursuing control equity investments in businesses with EBITDA typically in the range Corinthian targets, with comparable manufacturing/services orientation and active operational involvement.
• Sterling Group: Houston-based middle-market private equity firm focused on control investments in industrial, distribution, and services businesses, operating in a similar lower-middle-market segment with comparable founder/family-owned sourcing approach.
• Pfingsten Partners: Lower middle-market private equity firm investing in founder/family-led manufacturing, distribution, and business services companies, with a similar control equity strategy and EBITDA band.
• Blair Equity Partners: Lower middle-market private equity firm focused on control equity investments in founder- and family-owned businesses across manufacturing and services, comparable in size and strategy to Corinthian.
• Ironbridge Equity Partners: Lower middle-market PE firm targeting control investments in North American founder-led businesses, often in manufacturing and industrial services — directly comparable to Corinthian's stated criteria.
• Tonka Bay Equity Partners: Minneapolis-based lower middle-market private equity firm investing in niche manufacturing, value-added distribution, and business services, with a similar buy-and-build playbook.
• CAI Capital Partners: Lower middle-market private equity firm investing in North American founder-owned industrial, consumer, and services businesses, with similar fund size and control-equity approach.
• Hamilton Robinson Capital Partners: Stamford-based lower middle-market PE firm focused on founder- and family-owned businesses with EBITDA in the $5-30MM range, mirroring Corinthian's core deal profile.
• Center Rock Capital Partners: Lower middle-market PE firm that acquired Corinthian's prior portfolio company Eastern Wholesale Fence; pursues similar control investments in industrial and business services with comparable EBITDA targets.

Broad incumbents

• Madison Dearborn Partners: Larger, established private equity firm investing across business and financial services with broader fund sizes; overlaps with Corinthian in lower middle-market industrial/services deals but at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/corinthiancap

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&A4 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Corinthian Capital