Southeast Acquisition Capital
Southeast Acquisition Capital is a Nashville-based financial sponsor that acquires middle-market companies ($5-50M revenue, $1-10M EBITDA) in the Southeast and Midwest through Employee Stock Ownership Plans, providing founders with exit and succession solutions while converting employees into owners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Southeast Acquisition Capital does
Southeast Acquisition Capital is a Nashville-based financial sponsor that acquires middle-market companies through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). The firm was founded in 2018 by Jim Ward and Michael Morosi to address a dual gap in the lower middle market: capital scarcity from institutional investors who prefer larger transactions, and the absence of prepared operator successors at smaller buyers. It targets profitable businesses with $5-50M in revenue and $1-10M in EBITDA located in the Southeast and Midwest United States — a region the firm estimates represents roughly one-third of US GDP with relatively few active private equity investors.
The firm's core offering is ESOP Sponsorship & Acquisition Services, under which it acquires companies and structures them so that employees hold 100% of common equity through the ESOP. Surrounding this core product are Strategic Operating Partnerships with sector specialists — notably Michael Brady in Food & Beverage (former Greyston Bakery CEO, PwC and FAST Search alumnus) and Geoff Easterling — used to build industry-focused employee-owned holding companies rather than one-off acquisitions. Southeast has staked out a permanent-holding thesis, explicitly committing that acquired businesses will not be flipped to subsequent buyers.
The business model is that of a financial sponsor: returns are generated through leveraged ESOP buyouts, with value creation from long-term ownership, capital allocation, and operational improvements under the ESOP Holding Company structure. Origination relies on direct enterprise outreach to founders and family owners seeking exit/succession, supplemented by a referral network of intermediaries, professional services firms, industry executives, and search firms paid standard buy-side fees. The firm has no proprietary technology, no disclosed funding rounds, and operates with a 1-10 employee team. Revenue, AUM, and transaction count are not publicly disclosed.
Southeast Acquisition Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southeast Acquisition Capital
- Legal name
- Southeast Acquisition Capital, LLC
- Website
- https://southeastacquisition.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Southeast Acquisition Capital is a Nashville-based financial sponsor that acquires middle-market companies ($5-50M revenue, $1-10M EBITDA) in the Southeast and Midwest through Employee Stock Ownership Plans, providing founders with exit and succession solutions while converting employees into owners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southeast Acquisition Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Equity / ESOP Investment Services
- NAICS
- Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111), Other Financial Vehicles (52599)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mid-Market Buyout (FSANABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- ESG Integration / Responsible Investment Funds (Broad ESG) (FSANAJAL)
Keywords
Where Southeast Acquisition Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Southeast Acquisition Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- ESOP Transaction Returns: Southeast generates returns through leveraged ESOP buyouts of middle-market companies. The investment model creates value through long-term ownership, capital allocation, and operational efficiency improvements, with tax-efficient compounding for capital providers and employee owners via the ESOP Holding Company structure.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Southeast Acquisition Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Southeast Acquisition Capital is a financial sponsor of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) that acquires middle-market companies with $5-50M revenue and $1-10M EBITDA in the Southeast and Midwest U.S. regions. The firm provides business owners with exit and succession planning solutions while structuring acquisitions as 100% employee-owned companies through ESOPs, partnering with experienced operating leaders to build industry-focused holding companies across sectors such as Food & Beverage, Manufacturing, Building Products, and Business Services.
Product overview
Southeast Acquisition Capital is a financial investment firm that operates as a single unified offering—sponsoring ESOP-backed acquisitions of middle-market companies. The firm acquires businesses and structures them as 100% employee-owned companies through ESOPs, partnering with experienced operating leaders to build industry-focused holding companies. The core product is the ESOP Sponsorship & Acquisition Service, supported by Strategic Operating Partnerships where industry experts like Michael Brady lead sector strategies. The firm targets businesses with $5-50M revenue and $1-10M EBITDA across the Southeast and Midwest regions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ESOP Sponsorship & Acquisition Services Southeast Acquisition Capital sponsors Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) to acquire companies, providing business owners with exit strategies while enabling all employees to become owners through 100% common equity ownership held in the ESOP.
- Employee-Owned Holding Companies Southeast builds industry-focused platforms into employee-owned holding companies across multiple sectors including Food & Beverage, Architecture/Engineering/Design, Utility Services, Business Services, Home Services, Building Products, Industrial Distribution, Manufacturing, and Advanced Materials.
Quantifiable outcome
- Underwrites investments to deliver one year's salary to all eligible 'day-one' employees within 5-10 years, with long-term potential of 2-3x or greater
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Southeast Acquisition Capital
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Southeast Acquisition Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Southeast Acquisition Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Southeast Acquisition Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Southeast Acquisition Capital social profiles
Digital presenceSoutheast Acquisition Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southeast Acquisition Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Southeast Acquisition Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southeast Acquisition Capital 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 Southeast Acquisition Capital
What does Southeast Acquisition Capital do?
Southeast Acquisition Capital is a financial sponsor of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) that acquires middle-market companies with $5-50M revenue and $1-10M EBITDA in the Southeast and Midwest U.S. regions. The firm provides business owners with exit and succession planning solutions while structuring acquisitions as 100% employee-owned companies through ESOPs, partnering with experienced operating leaders to build industry-focused holding companies across sectors such as Food & Beverage, Manufacturing, Building Products, and Business Services.
Is Southeast Acquisition Capital a public or private company?
Southeast Acquisition Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Southeast Acquisition Capital founded?
Southeast Acquisition Capital was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Southeast Acquisition Capital based?
Southeast Acquisition Capital is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Southeast Acquisition Capital make money?
One revenue line is on record: ESOP Transaction Returns.
Does Southeast Acquisition Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southeast Acquisition Capital.
What industry is Southeast Acquisition Capital in?
Southeast Acquisition Capital's product category is Private Equity / ESOP Investment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANABAB, Mid-Market Buyout, with a secondary code of FSANAJAL, ESG Integration / Responsible Investment Funds (Broad ESG). Its NAICS code is 55111 and its SIC code is 8742.