What Bertram Capital does

Bertram Capital is a lower-middle-market private equity firm founded in 2006 and headquartered in Foster City, California, operating under the legal name Bertram Capital Management, LLC. The firm targets control and structured minority positions in under-optimized companies with $50M-$250M of revenue and $7.5M-$50M of EBITDA via its Flagship Fund, and $25M-$50M of revenue with a minimum of $3.5M of EBITDA via its Ignite Fund. Platform equity checks range from $25M to $250M at enterprise values of $50M-$500M, with a stated low-leverage profile of approximately 50%-70% equity. Since inception the firm has raised over $4B in cumulative capital commitments, completed 23 portfolio exits, and deployed capital across business services, consumer, industrial/manufacturing, technology, and more recently professional sports.

The firm's value creation engine is the proprietary Bertram High 5 framework — five pillars covering management augmentation, operational improvement, complementary business acquisition, sales and marketing, and technology/IP leverage. Its cornerstone is Bertram Labs, an in-house technology team comprising product strategists, software engineers, visual designers, online marketers, and social media experts that delivers digital marketing, e-commerce, big data and analytics, application development, and platform optimization to portfolio companies. Bertram Labs is treated as a portfolio service rather than an outsourced vendor.

Revenue is generated through three standard PE streams: recurring management fees on committed capital, performance-based carried interest (typically 20% above the hurdle) on realized exits, and transaction fees on acquisitions and dispositions. The customer base consists of limited partners providing fund commitments and the business owners and management teams of acquired portfolio companies; transactions are sourced via a dedicated origination function, intermediary relationships, and proprietary networks. Operations span the United States, with disclosed investments in Mexico (Querétaro F.C.) and an indicated United Kingdom presence.

Name

Bertram Capital

Legal name

Bertram Capital Management, LLC

Website

https://bcap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bertram Capital is a Foster City-based private equity firm founded in 2006 that invests in lower-middle-market companies via its Flagship Fund ($7.5M-$50M EBITDA) and Ignite Fund ($3.5M-$7.5M EBITDA), driving value creation through its proprietary Bertram High 5 playbook and in-house Bertram Labs technology team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Foster City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Management Fees: Standard private equity management fees charged on committed capital under management.
2. Carried Interest: Performance-based carried interest from successful portfolio company exits, typically 20% of profits above the hurdle rate.
3. Transaction Fees: Fees earned on acquisition and disposition of portfolio companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Bertram Capital is a private equity firm that invests in and acquires control positions in lower middle market companies, primarily through two dedicated funds: a Flagship Fund targeting companies with EBITDA of $7.5M-$50M and an Ignite Fund targeting companies with EBITDA of $3.5M-$7.5M. The firm partners with management teams to drive operational improvements and long-term value creation across its portfolio companies.

Product overview

Bertram Capital is a private equity firm (not a technology product company) that offers investment funds and value-creation services to portfolio companies. The firm operates two primary investment vehicles: the Flagship Fund targeting control investments in companies with $7.5M-$50M EBITDA, and the Ignite Fund targeting investments with $3.5M-$7.5M EBITDA. The firm's proprietary value-creation framework, Bertram High 5℠, provides operational support across five dimensions, with Bertram Labs serving as the in-house technology capability powering digital transformation, analytics, and platform optimization for portfolio companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bertram Labs: In-house technology team of product strategists, software engineers, visual designers, online marketers, and social media experts that drives growth and value through digital marketing, e-commerce, big data and analytics, application development and internal and external platform optimization for portfolio companies.
• Bertram High 5

Products and services

• Flagship Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• 23 successful exits since 2006
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pfingsten Partners: Lower middle market PE firm focused on control investments in similar EBITDA ranges with operations-oriented value creation. Closely comparable deal size, sector focus, and operating partner model.
• Bregal Sagemount: Lower middle market growth and buyout firm targeting similar EBITDA and revenue ranges. Directly comparable platform investment approach across technology, business services, and consumer.
• Abry Partners: Middle market PE firm focused on control investments in business services and technology-enabled services. Comparable sector overlap and operations-focused value creation approach.
• Renovus Capital Partners: Lower middle market PE firm focused on education, IT services, and technology-enabled businesses. Comparable size and operations-oriented value creation model.
• Audax Group: Lower middle market PE firm targeting control investments in companies with similar EBITDA ranges. Direct competitor for Bertram's Flagship Fund deal flow with comparable US-focused, add-on-heavy strategy.
• Huron Capital: Lower middle market PE firm executing control buyouts of industrial, consumer, and business services companies. Directly comparable in deal size, sector focus, and add-on acquisition strategy.
• Wynnchurch Capital: Operations-focused lower middle market PE firm investing in industrial, business services, and consumer companies. Comparable value-creation approach and target company profile to Bertram's platform strategy.
• Long Point Capital: Lower middle market PE firm focused on control buyouts in consumer, business services, and industrial sectors. Comparable size, sector focus, and value-creation model to Bertram.

Broad incumbents

• Centerbridge Partners: Larger multi-strategy alternative investment firm with PE operations in middle market control buyouts. Broader incumbent with some overlap in industrial and business services deals.
• Stone Point Capital: Financial services-focused PE firm with larger AUM and broader platform. Less direct overlap but comparable lower middle market deal approach in select services verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bertramcapital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Bertram Capital