Black Opal Equity has been launched as a privately held investment firm that specialises in acquiring and actively managing established middle-market businesses in the US.
The firm will invest in companies that service or partner with the infrastructure, essential service and government sectors in the US.
It looks to acquire well-established companies with strong potential for organic growth, typically with annual Ebitda of between USD2.5m and USD20m.
Black Opal Equity is led by Matthew Day, who has spent much of his career at The Macquarie Group, making private equity acquisitions in the infrastructure service and essential service sectors.
Black Opal Equity’s strategy is to make controlling investments in private companies and to assume an active, day-to-day operational role. As owner-operators it is able to provide additional management resources as well as growth capital to help develop market-leading enterprises.
Clearman, managing partner and founder of Kinderhook Partners, says: "We are strong believers in the value of the infrastructure service and essential service sectors. We look forward to working with Black Opal to unearth these opportunities and invest into sectors which provide the foundation of US enterprise."
Day adds: "This venture provides a very unique access to infrastructure service and essential service investment opportunities – at a time when the future vision for the infrastructure backbone of America is experiencing a great deal of re-evaluation and re-investment from both the government and private sectors."
