We are an experienced pair of entrepreneurs with deep operating and investing experience looking to partner with a single growth oriented family owned business. We spent the last decade of our careers building middle market companies through our experiences in investment banking, private equity, and founding our own companies. We are excited to spend the next decade growing your business into a sector defining platform.
I have a decade of experience operating, buying, and building middle market companies. I plan to apply my skillset towards building scalable operations and financial systems while John super charges revenue and volume growth.
Prior to founding Athenaeum, I ran a consulting practice helping companies raise capital, conduct FP&A and implement business intelligence systems. Previously, I led the finance, HR, and accounting teams...
I am entrepreneur at heart and successfully founded and exited my first business before graduating college. I spent the last 10 years further developing my skills as a manager and intend to apply these skills to grow your company into a sector defining business while Orlan makes sure the operations can support the growth...
Prior to founding Athenaeum, I was an Investment Professional at Spanos Barber & Jesse...
Athenaeum is fortunate to be backed by a group of institutional investors and proven entrepreneurs with successful track records in our targeted industries. Below is a list of a few of our investors:
We have collectively advised on or executed over 20 M&A transactions, so we understand what it takes to get a deal done. We have a flexible mandate from our investors but the deals that get us particularly excited typically exhibit the characteristics below.
$5 to $75 million of revenue
EBITDA / Cash Flow positive
Headquartered in the United States or Canada
Founder seeking help to scale their business to the next level
Owner looking to reduce day-to-day involvement
B2B Services
Healthcare Services
Tech / Software Services
Broadly, an Athenaeum (/ˌaTHəˈnēəm/ or “ath en A um”) is an institution for the promotion of literary or scientific learning, most often a Library or scholarly publication. Slightly before our time, the Athenaeum was a renowned school in Rome, founded by the Emperor Hadrian, for the promotion of literary and scientific studies. It was named Athenaeum in tribute the city of Athens, which was regarded as the seat of intellectual refinement at the time.
More directly, we draw our name from The Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum at Claremont McKenna College, where we were both Robert Day Scholars. We think back fondly to our formative undergraduate years and the opportunities that were born from our time in Claremont so we thought it was only natural to pay our dues to the institution that helped kickstart our careers years ago. The “Ath” hosts weekly dinner and lecture events with speakers representing a range of disciplines and ideological perspectives each year, serving as the college's central intellectual and social hub.
We draw inspiration from both Emperor Hadrian’s and Claremont’s Athenaeum. We are dedicated to being ever learning, inquisitive, and humble leaders of each organization we are fortunate enough to join. To business owners and sellers – we want to partner with you because all the things you have done right and the legacy you have built. We aim to study the history of your success and we commit to preserving your accomplishments and culture while guiding the next chapter of you company’s story
Sherk (14 July 1988). The Roman Empire: Augustus to Hadrian. Cambridge University Press. pp. 181–. ISBN 978-0-521-33887-5.