Bertram focuses on reinvestment and technology enablement to drive growth and expansion
Investment Philosophy
Bertram Capital has distinguished itself in the private equity community by successfully combining venture capital operating methodologies with private equity financial discipline to enable middle market companies to become market leaders. This approach is unique in that Bertram is not singularly focused on achieving its investment returns through financial engineering and the extraction of near-term cash flow. Instead, Bertram focuses on reinvestment and technology enablement to drive growth and expansion that will solidify a company’s longer‐term market position. Our goal is to empower middle market companies to unlock their full business potential.
Investment Criteria
Industry Focus
- Business Services
- Consumer
- Industrial/Manufacturing
- Technology
Size Characteristics
- Revenue: $20 – $250M
- EBITDA: $5 – $35M
- Add–ons can be Smaller/Earlier Stage
Transaction Structures
- Preference for Control
- Prefer Private Companies or Divestitures
- Management Buyouts
- Shareholder Liquidity Events
Equity Strategy
- Enterprise Value: $50 – $500M
- Platform Equity Check Range: $25 – $250M
- Ample Capital Available for Add–ons
- Low Leverage: ~50 – 70% Equity
Value Creation
High
5sm
Bertram Capital pursues investments where our value-added technology and operating capabilities, in partnership with our portfolio companies, result in market leading businesses. We operate with a focused investment approach, seeking to construct a portfolio of 9-12 platform companies per fund with approximately 50% of the capital allocated to the initial platform investment and the remainder reserved for follow-on acquisitions. Our process enables us to work closely with management and apply our complement of resources, providing the strategic support necessary to facilitate rapid, profitable growth.
We specifically seek businesses that align well with The Bertram Capital High 5sm, our proprietary, strategic framework for building businesses and can further benefit from our Bertram Labs technology enablement team.
Sales & Marketing Improvements
We pursue opportunities to broaden distribution, develop new products and services and expand into new geographies, vertical segments and channels for our portfolio companies.
Strengthen Management Teams
We strive to partner with proven management teams, supplementing the team as needed to support business initiatives and ensure we have a shared vision for growth.
Acquire Accretive and Complementary Businesses
Our buy and build approach is the foundation for our transformational growth initiatives. We target businesses that operate in fragmented markets, where we can effect acquisitions that contribute greater scale and stability, market expansion and enhanced strategic relevance.
Leverage Technology and Intellectual Property
Through our in-house technology team, Bertram Labs, our team has significant expertise in applying technology to accelerate revenue growth, reduce operating costs and create cutting edge product and service offerings. When appropriate, we strategically invest in and expand intellectual property (IP) portfolios for our investments.
Operational Improvement
We partner with management to generate cost savings, improve customer satisfaction and increase wallet share through improved performance and expand capacity to support sales growth.
Case Studies
Business Services
Case Study: Spireon
Bertram Capital employed The Bertram Capital High 5sm to build a leading provider of vehicle analytics and telematics solutions to the automotive and commercial transportation sectors.
Consumer
Case Study: Paula's Choice
Bertram Capital employed The Bertram Capital High 5sm to build a unique content-driven ecommerce platform offering innovative skin care and cosmetics.
Industrial
Case Study: EDI
Bertram Capital employed The Bertram Capital High 5sm to build a highly engineered manufacturer of plastic processing equipment