Waterfield
Waterfield is a privately held, family-owned diversified holding company founded in 1928 that acquires and operates well-run businesses with $10M+ EBITDA across technology, energy, financial services, agriculture, and real estate, with operating subsidiaries spanning contact center AI, private equity, family office, and CEO advisory services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1928
- HeadquartersTulsa, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Waterfield does
Waterfield is a privately held, family-controlled diversified investment holding company founded in 1928 in Northern Indiana, with operations tracing back to 1887. The firm buys and builds well-run American businesses across technology, energy, asset management, agriculture, banking and finance, real estate, and hospitality, deploying family capital alongside limited-partner capital through Waterfield Private Equity Funds I, II, and III (each targeting companies with $10-50M recurring EBITDA and 51%+ controlling stakes, held 'for generations'). The group is led by Co-Chairmen Richard R. Waterfield (Chairman & CEO of Waterfield Enterprises; Columbia, former Goldman Sachs analyst) and J. Randall Waterfield (Chairman & CEO of Waterfield Group; Harvard, former Goldman Sachs analyst), both MENSA members, and operates through 80+ portfolio entities with networked operations spanning more than 50 countries.
Waterfield Technologies is the group's enterprise technology platform and operates as a contact center software and systems integrator, delivering mission-critical voice, conversational AI, CXaaS, and workforce optimization to Fortune-class customers including 3M, AT&T, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Mayo Clinic, Target, Exxon, Microsoft, and Goldman Sachs. The platform is built on core proprietary and partner-integrated assets including VoxGen (conversational AI, acquired 2022), Blueworx Cloud Solutions (inherited from IBM WebSphere voice response), CXaaS / Ascend (Customer Experience as a Service), Waterfield Twilio Xcelerate (co-built cloud contact center), and Chrysalis Software (speech recognition with LumenVox certification), supported by integrations with Avaya, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, Nuance, RingCentral, and Google Cloud. Avaya recognized Waterfield Technologies as North America Partner of the Year for State, Local, and Education (SLED) in 2023 and SLED Partner Award Winner in 2024.
Revenue mechanics span multiple streams: management fees and carried interest from Waterfield Private Equity Funds I/II/III, subscription/managed-services revenue from Waterfield Technologies (software licensing, implementation services, ongoing support), managed services from Waterfield Wealth Management (a joint venture with Morgan Stanley serving clients with $10M+ net worth), long-term investment income from Waterfield Family Office and Waterfield General Fund (proprietary and preferred hedge funds, by invitation only), professional services fees from Waterfield Advisors' CEO coaching and merchant banking work with Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Morgan Stanley, plus operating revenue from agricultural (Waterfield Ranches & Farms, Waterfield Lavender Farms), real estate (Waterfield Plaza), energy technology (W Energy), staffing (Labor Solutions), water (Waterfield Water), and other wholly-owned subsidiaries. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales (Waterfield PE and Waterfield Technologies), a channel partner network spanning major technology vendors, referral-based CEO coaching acquisition, and high-net-worth wealth management through the Morgan Stanley joint venture.
Waterfield firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Waterfield
- Legal name
- Waterfield Enterprises, LLC
- Website
- https://waterfield.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1928
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Waterfield is a privately held, family-owned diversified holding company founded in 1928 that acquires and operates well-run businesses with $10M+ EBITDA across technology, energy, financial services, agriculture, and real estate, with operating subsidiaries spanning contact center AI, private equity, family office, and CEO advisory services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Waterfield is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tulsa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices19 records
Markets served
Waterfield business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Private Equity Fund Management: Waterfield Private Equity Funds I, II, & III acquire companies with $10M+ recurring EBITDA, primarily in technology, energy, asset management, agriculture, banking, real estate, and hospitality sectors. Generates management fees and carried interest from fund operations.
- Family Office Investment Management: Waterfield Family Office invests capital for long-term returns across agriculture, insurance, technology, security, energy, real estate, and manufacturing. Generates returns through equity appreciation and investment income.
- Merchant Banking & Consulting: Waterfield engages in merchant banking activities as a consultant, working with Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Morgan Stanley to create strategic and financial advisory programs for CEOs, families, and companies.
- Enterprise Technology Solutions: Waterfield Technologies provides AI-powered contact center solutions, cloud communications, and CXaaS to enterprise customers. Revenue generated through software licensing, implementation services, and ongoing support contracts.
- Wealth Management: Waterfield Wealth Management joint venture with Morgan Stanley serves private banking and estate planning needs of individuals and families with combined net worth of $10 million or more.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Private Banking - $10M+ Net Worth Clients |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Luxury Real Estate - $5M+ Property Value |
| Other | Annual | CEO Coaching - High-Performing CEOs |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Waterfield product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Waterfield is a family-owned diversified investment holding company that buys and builds well-run American businesses through its private equity funds (Funds I, II, III), targeting companies with $10M+ recurring EBITDA across technology, energy, asset management, agriculture, banking, real estate, and hospitality. It also provides long-term investment management via Waterfield Financial and Family Office, private banking and wealth management through a joint venture with Morgan Stanley, enterprise contact center software and conversational AI through Waterfield Technologies, and strategic advisory/CEO coaching through Waterfield Advisors.
Product overview
Waterfield is a diversified investment holding company established in 1928 that buys and builds well-run American businesses. The company's technology division, Waterfield Technologies, provides digital solutions for enterprises including Conversational AI, Blueworx Cloud (cloud communications), CXaaS (Customer Experience as a Service), and Xcelerate (Twilio-partnered cloud contact center). The portfolio includes multiple acquired brands across contact center and communications technology: VoxGen (conversational AI), Vox Network Solutions, Altura Communications, PDT Communications, Digital DataVoice, Chrysalis Software, Speech-Soft Solutions, Voice Foundry, Dice Communications, and Forty 7 Ronin. Beyond technology, Waterfield operates financial services (Waterfield Financial, Waterfield Private Equity, Waterfield General Fund), family office services, CEO coaching (Waterfield Advisors), staffing (Labor Solutions), energy technology (W Energy), real estate (Waterfield Plaza), and agriculture (Waterfield Ranches & Farms). The organization has offices across major US cities and London, with networked operations spanning over 50 countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Waterfield General Fund: Proprietary and preferred hedge funds investment program by invitation only
- Waterfield Ranches & Farms
- Waterfield Water
- Waterfield Plaza
- Xcelerate
- Waterfield Lavender Farms
Products and services
- Waterfield Private Equity Private equity fund series (Funds I, II, and III) that acquires controlling 51%+ stakes in companies with $10M+ recurring EBITDA across technology, energy, asset management, agriculture, banking & finance, real estate, and hospitality sectors. Targets conservatively run, profitable businesses with proven management for generational holding.
- Waterfield Financial Investment program for Waterfield's Principals' equity, offering proprietary and preferred hedge fund investments by invitation only to qualified investors.
- Waterfield Family Office Long-term family office investment services with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, London, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Preferred industries include agriculture, insurance, technology, security, energy, real estate, and manufacturing.
- Waterfield Wealth Management Private banking and estate planning services for individuals and families with combined net worth of $10 million or more, operated through a joint venture with Morgan Stanley.
- Waterfield Technologies Conversational AI AI-powered conversational solutions enabling natural language interactions for customer engagement, virtual agents, autonomous CX, and AI-first contact center capabilities for enterprise customers.
- Blueworx Cloud Cloud-based communication and contact center solutions (formerly IBM WebSphere voice response) for enterprise voice response and customer interaction.
- CXaaS (Ascend) Customer Experience as a Service platform providing cloud contact center capabilities for enterprise customers seeking integrated CX delivery.
- Xcelerate (Waterfield Twilio Xcelerate) Customizable cloud contact center solution built in partnership with Twilio, enabling rapid deployment of cloud-based contact center solutions built around business needs.
- Waterfield Advisors (CEO Coaching) Strategic and financial advisory programs for CEOs, families, and companies, delivered in collaboration with Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Morgan Stanley. Includes exclusive coaching for seven American CEOs at a time who have at least 100 employees and $3M+ EBITDA.
- Waterfield General Fund Private investment fund by invitation only, focused on proprietary and preferred hedge fund investments for qualified investors.
- Waterfield Ranches & Farms Agricultural operations including ranches and farms focusing on sustainable farming and ranching under the Waterfield umbrella.
- Waterfield Plaza Commercial real estate property in Roanoke, Indiana, owned and managed by Waterfield as part of its diversified holdings.
- W Energy Operations solutions for energy companies (W Energy), including energy-specific software, recently relocated to the heart of the US energy industry.
- Labor Solutions Staffing solutions for business needs, operated as a wholly-owned Waterfield subsidiary.
- Waterfield Luxury Properties Luxury real estate purchase and sale services for properties valued at $5 million or more worldwide, powered by the McMonigle Group.
Companies that use Waterfield
Customer profileNamed customers25 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Waterfield technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability8 records
Feature5 records
Waterfield partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.
- TwiliocoreTwilio (NASDAQ: TWLO) partners with Waterfield Technologies to offer Xcelerate, a customizable cloud contact center solution built around the needs of businesses. Waterfield is a Twilio Xcelerate partner.
- AvayacoreWaterfield Technologies is a major Avaya partner, recognized as Avaya North America Partner of the Year for State, Local, and Education (SLED) in 2023. Provides enterprise communications and contact center solutions.
- MicrosoftstrategicWaterfield Technologies integrates with Microsoft technologies including Azure cloud platform for AI solutions and enterprise deployments.
- IBMstrategicWaterfield acquired IBM WebSphere voice response technology (now Blueworx Cloud Solutions), maintaining deep integration with IBM enterprise technologies.
- CiscostrategicWaterfield Technologies partners with Cisco for enterprise networking solutions as part of its comprehensive technology portfolio.
- NuancestrategicWaterfield Technologies integrates with Nuance for conversational AI and speech recognition capabilities in contact center solutions.
- RingCentralstrategicWaterfield Technologies partners with RingCentral for cloud communications and contact center solutions.
- GooglestrategicWaterfield Technologies leverages Google Cloud Platform and AI technologies for enterprise solutions.
- CEO Coaching InternationalstrategicRichard R. Waterfield serves as a coach with CEO Coaching International, the leading firm for coaching growth-focused entrepreneurs. Waterfield is a founding partner.
- McMonigle GroupcoreWaterfield luxury properties is powered by the McMonigle Group, handling luxury real estate purchases and sales worldwide for properties valued at $5 million or more.
- Altitude Communications Solutions (Altura)strategicAltura Communications Solutions is a Waterfield subsidiary and partner providing enterprise communications solutions, recognized as one of the largest communications solution organizations in the United States.
- VOX Network SolutionsstrategicVOX Network Solutions is a Waterfield subsidiary providing enterprise contact center and networking solutions, recognized as one of America's fastest-growing technology companies.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Waterfield competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stone Point Capital: Private equity firm focused on financial services investments, targeting operating companies with proven management and strong free cash flow. Comparable to Waterfield Private Equity in targeting cash-generative, mid-market operating businesses and in the financial services sector tilt.
- Five9: Public cloud contact center software provider offering AI-driven CX solutions for enterprise customers, including virtual agents and workforce optimization. Closely comparable to Waterfield Technologies in delivering cloud-native contact center and AI-first customer experience capabilities.
- Bessemer Trust: Private, family-controlled wealth and investment management firm serving ultra-high-net-worth families with $10M+ net worth, with deep roots in private banking and estate planning. Closely mirrors Waterfield Wealth Management's Morgan Stanley JV in serving UHNW families with a long-term, multi-generational mandate.
- Edward Jones: Private partnership providing wealth management and financial advisory services to individual investors and families, with a long-term relationship-based model. Comparable to Waterfield's wealth management franchise in its private structure and long-horizon client relationships.
- Genesys: Global leader in cloud customer experience and contact center solutions, serving enterprise customers with AI-powered orchestration and workforce engagement. Directly comparable to Waterfield Technologies' CXaaS and Conversational AI offerings in the enterprise contact center market.
- Brown Brothers Harriman: Largest and oldest private partnership bank in the United States, family-controlled and multi-generational, providing private banking, investment management, and corporate advisory services. Directly comparable to Waterfield in its privately-held structure, multi-decade ownership horizon, and combination of wealth management with broader financial services.
- Genstar Capital: Private equity firm investing in mid-market companies with $10M+ EBITDA across technology, financial services, healthcare, and industrial sectors. Comparable to Waterfield Private Equity Funds I/II/III in target EBITDA size, sector mix, and active acquisition cadence in the technology and services space.
Broad incumbents
- Northern Trust: Publicly-traded financial services firm providing wealth management, asset servicing, and investment services to UHNW families and institutions. Comparable to Waterfield Wealth Management in targeting HNW/UHNW families for private banking, estate planning, and multi-generational investment services.
- Cargill: Largest privately-held company in the United States, family-controlled, operating across food, agriculture, energy, and financial services with operations spanning 50+ countries. Comparable to Waterfield as a long-running, family-controlled diversified private holding company with multi-sector operations and global reach.
- Berkshire Hathaway: Publicly-traded diversified holding company with permanent ownership of operating subsidiaries across insurance, energy, transportation, and specialty industries. Comparable to Waterfield in its acquisition-driven, decentralized model and very long-term hold philosophy, though Berkshire is vastly larger and more capital-allocated than Waterfield.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Waterfield social profiles
Digital presenceWaterfield financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Waterfield leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles23 records
Waterfield subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries26 records
Waterfield funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Waterfield M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Waterfield
What does Waterfield do?
Waterfield is a family-owned diversified investment holding company that buys and builds well-run American businesses through its private equity funds (Funds I, II, III), targeting companies with $10M+ recurring EBITDA across technology, energy, asset management, agriculture, banking, real estate, and hospitality. It also provides long-term investment management via Waterfield Financial and Family Office, private banking and wealth management through a joint venture with Morgan Stanley, enterprise contact center software and conversational AI through Waterfield Technologies, and strategic advisory/CEO coaching through Waterfield Advisors.
Is Waterfield a public or private company?
Waterfield is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Waterfield founded?
Waterfield was founded in 1928. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Waterfield based?
Waterfield is headquartered in Tulsa, United States, in the North America region.
How does Waterfield make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Private Equity Fund Management is the primary driver. The others are family Office Investment Management, merchant Banking & Consulting, enterprise Technology Solutions and wealth Management.
Who are Waterfield's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stone Point Capital, Five9, Bessemer Trust, Edward Jones, Genesys, Brown Brothers Harriman and Genstar Capital. Broad incumbents are Northern Trust, Cargill and Berkshire Hathaway.
Does Waterfield have an API?
No public API is recorded for Waterfield.