Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about working with Amalgam Capital
Common questions about working with Amalgam Capital
We focus on businesses with $25-250M in revenue and $5-30M in EBITDA in industrial services, manufacturing, distribution, healthcare services, and tech-enabled B2B operations. We're particularly interested in founder/family transitions, companies with growth potential, and operationally challenged businesses that would benefit from our hands-on approach.
Unlike traditional financial buyers, we're operators first and investors second. Our team has built, run, and transformed businesses from the ground up, giving us unique insight into owners' challenges. Our independent sponsor model allows for flexible deal structures tailored to each situation, and our operational expertise means we can create value through business improvements rather than financial engineering.
We believe in preserving the legacy you've built. As demonstrated with our MechanAir platform, we maintain regional brands and identities while providing access to shared resources, technology, and capital for growth. Our goal is to build upon your success, not erase your history.
Our involvement varies based on the company's needs and the management team's preferences. We can be as hands-on as needed, stepping into interim roles during transitions or providing more strategic guidance for stable operations. We all focus on collaborative partnership rather than dictating decisions from afar.
We typically hold investments for 4-7 years, aligning with natural business cycles rather than artificial fund deadlines. This allows us to implement sustainable improvements and pursue strategic growth opportunities without rushing for a quick exit.
Our reputation as operators-first investors and our SLKone consulting heritage gives us unique access to opportunities. Over 70% of our deal flow comes through proprietary channels or limited processes, reducing competition and allowing for more reasonable entry valuations. Business owners and their advisors seek us out based on our operational credibility and approach to legacy preservation.
Our value creation approach focuses on tangible operational improvements:
These initiatives generate value regardless of market conditions or multiple trends.
We maintain conservative capital structures that provide operations and strategic growth flexibility. While we utilize appropriate leverage, we're not dependent on financial engineering to generate returns. Our target companies typically maintain debt levels of 2.5-3.5x EBITDA, emphasizing free cash flow generation to rapidly de-lever post-acquisition.
Several factors differentiate our approach:
We offer flexible co-investment structures tailored to partner preferences. These range from direct co-investment in specific transactions to programmatic relationships across multiple deals. In all cases, we maintain significant GP commitment to ensure perfect alignment with our investment partners.
Our involvement varies based on the company's needs and management team's preferences. We're not passive investors, but we also don't believe in micromanagement. Typically, we work closely with leadership on strategic initiatives, provide resources to support key projects, and help implement specific operational improvements. Our goal is to be valuable partners, not disruptive overseers.
Beyond capital, Amalgam portfolio companies benefit from:
We look beyond financial metrics to evaluate portfolio company performance:
We recognize the value in the brands and identities our portfolio companies have built. As demonstrated with our MechanAir platform, we typically maintain established names and regional identities while providing the benefits of being part of a larger organization. Any branding changes are made collaboratively with management based on strategic considerations.
We believe in promoting from within whenever possible while strategically adding talent to support growth objectives. We work closely with existing management to identify organizational needs and ensure cultural fit with any new hires. Our approach focuses on building capabilities, not replacing people.