K2 Growth Partners
Our Philosophy
Backed by nearly two decades of experience investing in and operating family-owned businesses, K2 Growth Partners was founded to partner with business owners and provide them with a better option for transitioning and growing their companies.
The team at K2GP is rooted in the belief that hard work, integrity, and aligned incentives are at the heart of success. With an operational focus, K2GP is more than just capital – K2GP is a true partner in helping teams plan for, execute, and realize growth. K2GP has experience investing in a wide range of industries, and utilizes their bench of operators, with experience tailored to each investment to help add real value to a growing business.
Investment Criteria
Financials
Up to $100MM of Revenue
Greater than $1MM of EBITDA
20%+ Gross Margins (or a path to that performance)
10%+ EBITDA margins (or a path to that performance)
Business Model
Industry agnostic, but with a particular interest in manufacturing, business services, consumer products, and e-commerce
Defensible business model and market position with a strong management team
Structures
Flexible transaction structure, with a preference towards majority control
Ability to participate across the capital structure
Dynamics
Prefer to be the first institutional capital into each investment
Family or founder owned businesses
Strong growth potential
Our Team
James Cook - Founding Partner
James Cook is a Founding Partner of K2 Growth Partners. James is responsible for all activities of the firm, including deal origination, portfolio company management, and the overall management of the firm.
Prior to co-founding K2GP, James was an Associate and Vice President at Blackford Capital from 2014 to 2019. During his time at Blackford Capital James led the firm’s Portfolio Company Operations Team and was responsible for managing the firms value creation, oversight, governance, and cross-portfolio initiatives. Additionally, James managed four platform investments, where he held board roles and worked with management teams from the due diligence process through the exit to help promote growth, efficiency and the overall success of the business. Over the course of his time at Blackford, James completed nine transactions with a total value in excess of $175 million. Prior to Blackford, James worked in a variety of managerial roles at Hastings Manufacturing Company, which was a portfolio company of The Anderson Group and RFE Investment Partners during his tenure.
Mr. Cook holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Hobart College where he was a 4-year member of the varsity squash team.
JCook@K2GrowthPartners.com // (516) 617-1982
Joseph Presutti - Founding Partner
Joseph Presutti is a Founding Partner of K2 Growth Partners. Joe is responsible for all activities of the firm, including deal origination, portfolio company management, and the overall management of the firm.
Prior to co-founding K2GP, Joseph was an Analyst, Associate, and Vice President at Blackford Capital from 2010 to 2019. During his time at Blackford Capital Joe led the firm’s Deal Execution Team where he was responsible for all deal sourcing and business development. Additionally, Joe was responsible for portfolio company governance and oversight of several companies within the firm’s portfolio which involved active management of the business at the executive and board level. Over the course of his tenure of Blackford, Joe completed over twenty five transactions with a total value of over $500 million.
Mr. Presutti holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and in Economics from the Seidman School of Business at Grand Valley State University.
JPresutti@K2GrowthPartners.com // (248) 660-3760
Dan Shuart - Operating Advisor
Dan is an Operating Advisor with K2 Growth Partners. Dan is responsible for supporting select acquisition due diligence and portfolio company management.
Dan is currently a Principal at Eagle Point Capital, a value-driven registered investment advisor focused on long positions in public equity markets. Prior to Eagle Point Capital, Dan was a member of the investment team at Blackford Capital, a lower middle-market private equity investment firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At Blackford, Dan worked extensively with portfolio companies from acquisition through exit, with a focus towards growing equity value throughout the investment period. Before joining Blackford, Dan worked at Amway Corporation in a variety of operational roles including internal continuous improvement consulting and serving as a manufacturing leader for a plant start-up.
Mr. Shuart holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Investing in the Next Generation of Family Owned Businesses
