Pacenote Capital

What Pacenote Capital does

Pacenote Capital is a US-based private placement agent founded in September 2019 and headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Austin, Charlotte, and Los Angeles. The firm works exclusively with preeminent emerging private equity managers in the lower middle market, connecting them with institutional limited partners including university endowments, foundations, family offices, and outsourced CIOs. Pacenote positions itself as a high-conviction, relationship-led intermediary rather than a volume placement shop, engaging only a small number of managers per year and providing pre-fund strategic guidance alongside fundraising execution.

The firm is FINRA/SIPC registered and generates revenue primarily through transaction-based placement agent fees tied to successful fund closes, with selective engagement and repeat mandates across managers such as Rallyday Partners, Seven Hills Capital, Saothair Capital Partners, Goldenpeak, Sundance Growth, Ren Life Sciences, StoneTree, Care Equity, Nosara Capital, and Cuadrilla Capital. In April 2024 the firm extended its business model by closing Pacenote Equity Fund I, its debut proprietary fund at slightly above its $75 million hard cap, adding management-fee and potential carry economics to the placement-agent core.

Pacenote operates as a lean six-person team of three Managing Partners (Casey Peters in Austin, Matthew Evans in New York, Sam Cannon in Charlotte) and three Principals (Tristan Sperry in Los Angeles, Eric Leibrandt in Charlotte, Greg Bright in Atlanta), supported by a three-person advisory board with senior institutional allocator backgrounds. The firm has cumulatively placed more than $2.4 billion across 20+ partner funds since inception.

Name

Pacenote Capital

Legal name

Pacenote Capital LLC

Website

https://pacenotecapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pacenote Capital is a US private placement agent founded in 2019 that raises institutional capital exclusively for emerging lower mid-market private equity managers. The firm serves university endowments, foundations, family offices, and outsourced CIOs through a lean, relationship-led model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Placement Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional Capital Introduction (LP/Family Office/Endowment Matching) (FSAEALAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Venture Capital Fundraising Placement (FSAEALAC)

Keywords

• Private equity placement
• Fundraising advisory services
• Institutional capital raising
• Emerging manager placement
• Alternative investments distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Placement Agent Services: Placement agent fees for fundraising services, serving as exclusive placement agent for fund managers raising capital from institutional investors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pacenote Capital is an exclusive private equity placement agent that partners with preeminent emerging lower mid-market private equity managers to raise institutional capital from university endowments, foundations, family offices, and outsourced CIOs. The firm provides strategic guidance, LP relationship management, pre-fund deal support, and selective co-investment through its own Pacenote Equity Fund I, charging transaction-based placement fees tied to successful fund closes.

Product overview

Pacenote Capital operates as a private equity placement agent and advisory platform focused on emerging managers. The firm does not offer a traditional SaaS product but rather provides placement agent services, helping preeminent emerging investment managers establish LP relationships and raise capital for their funds. The firm's service offerings include identifying institutional investors, managing fundraising processes, and providing strategic guidance to GP clients. Pacenote Capital works exclusively with a select number of managers each year, focusing on lower middle market private equity strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fund Placement Services Exclusive private equity placement agent services for preeminent emerging lower mid-market fund managers in North America, including LP coverage across U.S. endowments, foundations, family offices, and outsourced CIOs, strategic guidance, and pre-Fund deal support, with fees tied to successful fund closes.
• Pacenote Equity Fund I Pacenote Capital's debut proprietary fund investing alongside independent sponsors in pre-Fund and direct deal opportunities, with commitments from university endowments, mission-driven foundations, family offices, and Pacenote team personal capital.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 minor and core.

• McGuireWoodsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 27 February 2026McGuireWoods provided legal counsel for Seven Hills Capital's Fund II fundraising. Pacenote Capital has worked with McGuireWoods across multiple fundraises as legal counsel provider.
• Strategic Partnership with Single Family OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2019Developed a unique strategic partnership with a highly-regarded single family office whose private markets mandate focuses on direct deal opportunities with independent sponsors. This partnership enables managers to execute on pre-fund deals and approach fundraising patiently.
• Advisory Committee MembersminorOthers · 9 September 2019Board of Advisors consists of three highly-respected individuals: Bo Ramsey (Head of Private Markets at Pendyne Capital, formerly Deputy CIO at Indiana Public Retirement System overseeing $33B), Alice Gould (formerly Head of Private Investments at DUMAC managing $18B+ endowment assets, led emerging manager efforts sourcing 50+ first-time funds), David Kelly (former Chairman of Board of Trustees for Teacher Retirement System of Texas, helped grow AUM from $67B to $146B+).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mercury Capital Advisors: Independent placement agent focused on private equity, private credit, and real assets; shares Pacenote's specialty focus on emerging managers and a multi-strategy PE fundraising practice with deep LP coverage.
• Eaton Partners: Global private funds placement agent raising capital for PE, VC, real assets, and hedge fund managers from institutional LPs — directly comparable to Pacenote's fund-raise intermediation model.
• Park Hill (Blackstone): Blackstone-owned placement agent serving alternative investment managers seeking institutional capital; comparable in placement intermediation though operating at larger scale and from a broader platform.
• Campbell Lutyens: Independent advisor and placement agent for private markets fund managers and GPs seeking strategic capital; directly comparable intermediary competing for similar emerging and established PE manager mandates.
• Triago: Private equity placement and advisory firm raising capital for alternative investment managers globally; overlaps with Pacenote in intermediating PE fundraising from institutional investors.

Broad incumbents

• Evercore (Private Funds Group): Bulge-bracket investment bank with a dedicated private funds placement group raising capital for PE, real estate, and infrastructure managers — comparable placement services offered as part of a much broader advisory platform.
• Lazard: Global investment bank offering fund placement and secondary advisory within its broader Financial Advisory business; overlaps with Pacenote's LP-matching function but as one service line inside a full-service advisory franchise.
• Houlihan Lokey: International investment bank with an active private funds placement practice serving GPs raising capital from LPs; comparable LP distribution capability though wrapped in a larger diversified advisory franchise.

Emerging players

• Larch Lane: Boutique private markets advisor offering fund placement and secondary advisory; comparable in scale and specialist focus with overlap in lower mid-market PE manager mandates.
• Sixpoint Partners: Independent private funds placement and advisory firm focused on middle-market alternative investment managers; closely comparable in GP segment targeting and LP intermediation model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Pacenote Capital