Lower Middle Market

With leverage contributing less to returns, buyers are increasingly finding that the most expensive acquisitions are not those with the highest multiples, but those burdened by operational issues that delay value creation from day one.

As artificial intelligence and automation begin to reach smaller businesses, dealmakers see a generational opportunity to create value in one of the market's most fragmented sectors.

Across lower middle-market private equity, fundraising momentum is increasingly colliding with the finite supply of founder-owned businesses available at attractive valuations.