Ballast Point Ventures
Ballast Point Ventures is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based private equity firm founded in 2001 that invests in established privately owned companies, operating with a small (1–10 employee) founder-led team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersSt. Petersburg, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ballast Point Ventures does
Ballast Point Ventures is a private equity firm headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, founded in 2001. Per its self-description, the firm invests in established privately owned companies, indicating a focus on lower-middle-market buyouts or growth capital transactions rather than venture-stage or public-market investing. The firm operates with a lean team of 1–10 employees, structured around three co-founders/founders — Drew Graham (Co-Founder & Managing General Partner), Dick Brandewie (co-founder), and Paul Johan (founder and partner) — with Thomas A. James serving as chairman, Carol Bear as Director of Administration, and Robert Faber as principal.
The firm's revenue mechanics are characteristic of a small traditional private equity manager: it likely generates management fees based on committed or invested capital under management, supplemented by carried interest on realized portfolio gains. No information is available regarding current fund vintage, committed capital, AUM, target equity check size, sector focus, geographic mandate, or portfolio company count. The firm's website returns only a verification/loading page and provides no substantive product, team, or portfolio disclosure, and no external news or press coverage is reflected in the input data.
As a result of this disclosure gap, the firm's go-to-market motion, deal pipeline, and active fund status cannot be confirmed from the available evidence. Its core value proposition to portfolio companies — operational support, capital, and exit pathway — is standard for the lower-middle-market PE segment, but no proprietary differentiation, sector specialization, or value-creation playbook is documented in the source data.
Ballast Point Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ballast Point Ventures
- Website
- https://ballastpointventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ballast Point Ventures is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based private equity firm founded in 2001 that invests in established privately owned companies, operating with a small (1–10 employee) founder-led team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ballast Point Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Equity Investment
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- HoldCo / Permanent Capital ETA (FSANALAE)
Keywords
Where Ballast Point Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St. Petersburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Ballast Point Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Ballast Point Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ballast Point Ventures is a private equity firm that invests equity capital in established privately owned companies. The firm provides growth capital, acquisition financing, and recapitalization support to operating businesses, generating returns through portfolio company ownership.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Private Equity Investment
Companies that use Ballast Point Ventures
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Ballast Point Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ballast Point Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
Ballast Point Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pharos Capital Group: PE firm based in Texas focused on growth and buyout investments in established lower middle market healthcare and business services companies. Comparable fund size, sector breadth, and lower middle market focus.
- CID Capital: Lower middle market PE firm making control investments in established, privately held companies, often family or founder-owned businesses. Closely aligned with BPV's stated investment focus.
- Advantage Capital Partners: Private equity and venture firm focused on lower middle market businesses in underserved communities, including the Southeast. Similar focus on established private companies with a regional operating presence.
- Capitala Group: Lower middle market private capital firm investing debt and equity in established privately owned businesses, headquartered in the Southeast US. Directly comparable regional focus and similar target company profile.
Broad incumbents
- Main Street Capital: Publicly traded BDC/lower middle market PE firm focused on providing debt and equity capital to established, privately owned lower middle market companies across the US. Highly comparable investment thesis to BPV but operating at significantly larger scale.
Emerging players
- Plainsboro Capital: Lower middle market investment firm focused on recapitalizations and growth capital for established privately owned companies. Highly comparable mandate around succession and recapitalization transactions.
Regional players
- The Mercantile Group: Florida-based private investment firm focused on lower middle market companies in the Southeast. Direct geographic and size overlap with BPV's St. Petersburg base.
- Bay Capital Finance: Southeast-focused lower middle market PE firm investing in established private businesses. Geographic proximity and similar target profile to BPV.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Ballast Point Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceBallast Point Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ballast Point Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Ballast Point Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ballast Point Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments51 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ballast Point Ventures
What does Ballast Point Ventures do?
Ballast Point Ventures is a private equity firm that invests equity capital in established privately owned companies. The firm provides growth capital, acquisition financing, and recapitalization support to operating businesses, generating returns through portfolio company ownership.
When was Ballast Point Ventures founded?
Ballast Point Ventures was founded in 2001. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ballast Point Ventures based?
Ballast Point Ventures is headquartered in St. Petersburg, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Ballast Point Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pharos Capital Group, CID Capital, Advantage Capital Partners and Capitala Group. Main Street Capital is listed as a broad incumbent. Plainsboro Capital is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are The Mercantile Group and Bay Capital Finance.
Does Ballast Point Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ballast Point Ventures.
What industry is Ballast Point Ventures in?
Ballast Point Ventures's product category is Private Equity Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANALAE, HoldCo / Permanent Capital ETA. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.