Cimbal Capital Group

Name

Cimbal Capital Group

Legal name

Cimbal Capital Group, LLC

Website

https://cimbal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)

Keywords

• Private equity investments
• Technology buyouts
• Growth equity funds
• Portfolio company management
• Majority control investments

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco Bay Area

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Management Fees: Private equity fund management fees charged to limited partners (institutional investors and family offices) based on assets under management.
2. Carried Interest: Performance-based carried interest (carry) from fund returns, typically 20% of profits above the hurdle rate, aligned with LP interests.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cimbal Capital Group is a private equity firm that makes majority-control buyout investments in small-cap technology businesses typically generating $10–50 million in revenue. The firm manages private equity funds (Cimbal I and Cimbal Fund II) and offers investment and advisory services including strategic analysis, acquisitions and buyouts, IP licensing, structured transactions, growth investments, and divestitures to portfolio companies and corporate partners.

Product overview

Cimbal Capital Group is a private equity firm offering a unified platform of investment and advisory services rather than a traditional software product. The firm operates two named funds (Cimbal I and Fund II) that execute a small-cap technology buyout strategy, targeting companies generating $10-50 million in revenue. The investment services portfolio includes Strategic Analysis, Acquisitions & Buyouts, IP Licensing, Structured Transactions, Growth Investments, and Divestitures. The funds employ a European-style waterfall structure and focus on buyout re-engineering, operational improvement, and professionalization of management teams to create value before exiting to larger financial sponsors or strategic buyers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cimbal I (Inaugural Fund) Cimbal's inaugural private equity fund focused on small-cap technology buyouts, targeting companies generating $10–50 million in revenue. The fund delivered 112% IRR and 4.95x DPI and is available to institutional investors and family offices through private placement.
• Cimbal Fund II Cimbal's second private equity fund continuing the firm's strategy of small-cap technology buyouts with a focus on buyout re-engineering, operational value creation, and management professionalization. Available to institutional investors and family offices through private placement.
• Strategic Analysis Professional analysis services where the Cimbal team works with companies to examine, propose, and execute strategies that deliver positive outcomes. Designed for technology businesses seeking strategic guidance and operational improvement.
• Acquisitions & Buyouts Majority-control investments through unleveraged and leveraged buyouts to maximize value for management teams and shareholders. Targeted at small-cap technology businesses typically generating $10–50 million in revenue.
• IP Licensing Intellectual property licensing services that create derivative products as part of a larger enterprise or as new entities. Designed for technology businesses with under-commercialized IP assets.
• Structured Transactions Unique financial solutions to achieve specific corporate goals including financial reengineering, revenue recognition, and tax-efficient results. Targeted at enterprises seeking corporate finance advisory support.
• Growth Investments Partnership with existing management teams to deliver product innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth for portfolio companies. Designed for technology businesses seeking growth capital and operational partnership.
• Divestitures Acquisition of business units or products for incorporation into larger opportunities or spin-out into new companies, with the end goal of maximizing value. Targeted at enterprises seeking to divest specific business units or product lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 112% IRR and 4.95x DPI from Fund I
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institution partnership providing access to cutting-edge technology research and talent pipeline for identifying under-commercialized technologies.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institution partnership providing access to MIT's technology ecosystem and research capabilities for deal sourcing.
• Xerox PARCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institution partnership leveraging PARC's technology transfer capabilities and innovation pipeline.
• Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research institution partnership for accessing Asian technology research and innovation ecosystem.
• SRI InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institution partnership providing access to defense technology ecosystem and commercialization expertise.
• GoogleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partnership leveraging Google's ecosystem for portfolio company technology integration and growth.
• HPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partnership providing technology industry expertise and potential deal flow.
• IntelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partnership providing technology industry expertise and potential deal flow.
• CiscominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partnership providing technology industry expertise and potential deal flow.
• IBMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partnership providing technology industry expertise and potential deal flow.

Scale indicators6 records

Direct peers

• Francisco Partners: Francisco Partners is a technology-focused PE firm that acquires and invests in technology businesses, with a strong emphasis on mid-market and small-cap software companies — directly comparable to Cimbal's $10-50M revenue tech buyout strategy.
• FTV Capital: FTV Capital is a growth-equity firm focused on technology, including enterprise software, payments, and tech-enabled services. It invests in companies at similar growth stages to Cimbal's $10-50M revenue targets.
• Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a global software-focused investment firm investing across growth equity, minority, and buyout transactions in technology businesses. Comparable in target segment and operating-value-creation approach.
• Trinity Hunt Partners: Trinity Hunt Partners is a lower-middle-market PE firm focused on founder-led, technology-enabled services and software companies, making control investments at sizes comparable to Cimbal's small-cap tech niche.
• Summit Partners: Summit Partners invests in technology, healthcare, and other growth sectors via growth equity, minority, and control transactions. It competes for similar emerging-technology and software assets as Cimbal.
• Battery Ventures: Battery Ventures is a technology-focused investment firm operating across venture, growth, and buyout stages. Its later-stage investments overlap with Cimbal's small-cap tech buyout segment.

Broad incumbents

• Thoma Bravo: Thoma Bravo is one of the largest software-focused PE firms, taking majority control positions in technology companies. It operates at a much larger scale than Cimbal but shares the same software/technology buyout thesis.
• Vista Equity Partners: Vista Equity Partners is a leading technology-focused PE firm investing in enterprise software, data, and technology-enabled companies. While larger and more generalist than Cimbal, it competes for similar software buyout assets.
• Madison Dearborn Partners: Madison Dearborn Partners is a large PE firm with a dedicated tech and tech-enabled services vertical. While operating at larger fund sizes than Cimbal, it pursues comparable mid-market technology buyouts.
• Carlyle Group (Technology Vertical): Carlyle Group is a global PE firm with a dedicated technology investment vertical. It invests across broader size ranges than Cimbal but competes for similar enterprise software and tech-enabled assets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CimbalCapital
• Facebookfacebook.com/cimbalcapital
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/cimbalcapital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Cimbal Capital Group