Founder-first transitions
We move at the pace of the owner, with direct diligence, clean terms, and a practical plan for the next chapter.
Private equity | New York City
Built for the long hold.
Ashford Street Capital partners with founder-led and family-owned lower middle-market companies with $3M-$20M of EBITDA, resilient margins, and practical opportunities to professionalize.
$3M-$20M
Target EBITDA
$10M-$75M
Equity checks
North America
Geography
Approach
Capital that respects what already works.
Operating discipline
We help teams sharpen reporting, pricing, hiring, sales motion, and capital allocation without turning the company into a spreadsheet.
Patient compounding
The goal is a stronger business, not a louder one: better systems, better people, better customer retention, and measured expansion.
Investment criteria
Simple businesses. Real margins. Room to improve.
We prefer profitable companies where the path forward is visible: stronger teams, cleaner systems, smarter pricing, focused growth, and patient execution without excess leverage.
Privately held, founder-led, family-owned, or management-led companies
Recurring or repeat demand from professional customers
Defensible niche market position with durable margins
Clear levers in pricing, sales coverage, systems, talent, or add-on M&A
Business services+
Specialty industrials+
Vertical software+
Healthcare operations+
Financial services infrastructure+
Distribution and logistics+
First 100 days
The early work is specific.
We focus the first phase of ownership on visibility, alignment, and the highest-return operating constraints.
Establish a clean KPI cadence and cash flow view
Map customer concentration, churn risk, and margin by segment
Prioritize pricing, sales process, and recruiting bottlenecks
Align management incentives with the operating plan
Positioning
New York network. Lower middle-market focus.
$3M-$20M
Target EBITDA
$10M-$75M
Equity checks
North America
Geography
Investment themes
Research-led themes, company-first underwriting.
Essential business services
Specialty industrials
Vertical software and data
Healthcare operations
Firm profile
Built like a partner, not a platform.
Direct owner conversations and thoughtful transition planning.
Operating support focused on finance, people, pricing, and sales discipline.
Flexible capital for majority recapitalizations, founder liquidity, and growth.
A New York-based network of advisors, lenders, operators, and entrepreneurs.