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August 13, 2025
Raleigh, North Carolina has become a compelling destination for institutional investors due to its low corporate tax rate, pro-business regulations, and efficient permitting environment. The city offers a lower cost of living and access to a highly educated workforce from top-tier universities, making it attractive for talent and business growth alike. Its economy is diversified across technology, life sciences, manufacturing, and logistics, reducing sector-specific risk and supporting long-term stability. Raleigh is also experiencing growing interest from venture and private equity firms, driven by a vibrant startup scene and expanding mid-market opportunities. With consistent population growth, strong public-private collaboration, and resilient core industries, Raleigh offers a favorable climate for capital deployment with solid long-term return potential.
At Dakota, we provide investment professionals with a centralized platform for private equity intelligence through Dakota Research. Our real-time insights, comprehensive manager coverage, and performance data empower investors to make informed decisions with confidence.
In this article, we’re spotlighting the top private equity firms in the Raleigh metro area that are leading the charge in deal-making and market transformation. By the end, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of these firms, their investment strategies, and their impact on the private equity space.
Overview: QHP Capital (formerly NovaQuest Private Equity) is a healthcare-focused private equity firm dedicated to investing in and scaling middle-market companies at critical inflection points. With roots in the pharma sector and more than two decades of investment experience, QHP draws on its strategic, data-driven approach to transform tech-enabled life sciences and pharma services companies into industry leaders. The firm leverages deep sector knowledge and its proprietary value creation platform to deliver long-term growth and operational excellence.
Focus: QHP targets companies that are tech-enabled and operating across life sciences, pharma services, and broader healthcare sectors. These companies are typically positioned to reduce the total cost of care, address unmet medical needs, streamline clinical and operational efficiency, and improve patient quality of life. QHP invests in businesses with market-validated products or services, aiming to scale them through strategic initiatives, commercial expansion, and performance improvement.
Overview: Tiverton Advisors is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based investment firm founded in 2012 by David Chattleton, Brek Burgweger, Monte Nevitt, and Christian Ramirez. From the outset, Tiverton differentiated itself by focusing not on land acquisition, but on farmers themselves—viewing them as the most undervalued asset in agriculture. The firm was created to bridge the gap between finance and farming, assembling a team of agricultural operators and seasoned investors to partner with high-performing farmers and agribusinesses.
With $2 billion in assets under management, Tiverton operates exclusively within the agriculture sector as an SEC-registered investment advisor. The firm offers both debt and equity capital solutions and takes a long-term, owner-operator approach to its investments. This strategy reflects a commitment to advancing legacy agricultural businesses while preserving continuity for future generations.
Focus: Tiverton targets agribusiness platforms ranging in size from $50 million to $500 million, supporting both roll-up strategies and large-scale buyouts. The firm typically acts as a majority equity partner but seeks partnerships with families and operators who want to remain actively involved in their business post-transaction.
The firm invests across agricultural sectors with above-average growth and margin potential, particularly those with opportunities for vertical integration. Tiverton has broad national coverage but brings deep expertise in specific regions, including the Southeast, Pacific Northwest, California, and the Southwest. The investment approach is tailored to support scalability, long-term sustainability, and generational transition within the agricultural economy.
Overview: Five Points Capital is a lower middle-market investment firm that provides flexible debt and equity capital solutions for private equity-backed businesses. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the firm has committed over $1.0 billion across four funds since inception. With more than 27 years of experience, Five Points has backed over 85 portfolio companies and built relationships with more than 60 private equity sponsors. Their approach centers on delivering tailored capital structures in partnership-oriented, long-term transactions.
Focus: Five Points targets buyouts, recapitalizations, and acquisitions in the lower middle market, primarily through junior capital and equity co-investments. They work with committed sponsors, independent sponsors, direct lending partners, and management teams. Investment structures include unitranche, second lien, and subordinated debt, as well as equity co-investment. The firm prioritizes relationship-driven investing, emphasizing collaboration, consistency, and follow-through with a reputation for being a reliable and honest capital partner.
Overview: SharpVue Capital is a Raleigh, North Carolina–based investment firm providing private credit, equity, and real asset investments to lower middle-market companies and Southeastern U.S. real estate opportunities. The firm delivers flexible, customized capital solutions backed by institutional underwriting and a nimble, opportunistic sourcing approach.
Focus: SharpVue targets businesses with EBITDA above $1–2 million, investing $3–25 million across unitranche, second-lien, subordinated debt, and equity structures for buyouts, recapitalizations, acquisitions, and growth. In real estate, the firm focuses on high-growth Southeastern markets, pursuing off-market opportunities across property types.
Overview: Fenix is a private investment firm with a process-driven philosophy focused on scalability, transparency, and repeatability. Its investment team brings experience from over $2.7 billion in completed acquisitions across both public and private companies. With deep operational and executive backgrounds, Fenix specializes in executing integration strategies that enhance profitability through synergy realization.
Focus: Fenix targets acquisitions with $1M to $15M in EBITDA, prioritizing businesses with clear growth potential and fragmented value chains. The firm’s approach emphasizes strategic alignment, operational improvement, and portfolio-wide synergy to maximize value. Fenix actively drives revenue and margin expansion by integrating production, sales, and distribution functions across its portfolio companies.
Overview: Ashlar Capital is a healthcare-focused private investment firm led by a team of industry veterans with over 30 years of collective experience. The firm invests in market-leading businesses across all sectors of healthcare and is headquartered on executing lower-middle market opportunities. Ashlar aims to be a preferred capital and strategic partner by leveraging its financial and human capital resources, robust industry networks, and deep sector knowledge. With a track record of over $1 billion in completed private investments, Ashlar maintains a concentrated portfolio to ensure hands-on, value-maximizing support of management teams.
Focus: Ashlar targets initial platform investments in healthcare companies seeking growth capital and shareholder liquidity, employing flexible equity structures and strategic alignment. Their approach is grounded in partnering with top-tier management teams and aligning incentives to build scalable, professional businesses. Investment strategies include recapitalizations, family business transitions, growth equity, acquisition financing, and carve-outs. Sector preferences span healthcare services, pharma services, HCIT, insurance and related services, and niche healthcare manufacturing and distribution. Ashlar adds value through operational improvements, strategic guidance, governance support, and leveraging relationships across capital markets and industry experts.
Overview: Concentric Investment Partners is a private investment firm specializing in unitranche and subordinated debt, along with equity co-investments, for lower-middle market businesses across the United States. With a history of over $1.4 billion invested in more than 100 businesses, the team has decades of experience navigating diverse market conditions. Concentric is currently deploying capital from its $266 million inaugural SBIC fund. The firm positions itself not just as a lender, but as a thoughtful, flexible, and responsive partner, working closely with management teams to amplify impact across companies, communities, and industries.
Focus: Concentric targets U.S. companies across all industries except real estate, start-ups, and turnarounds. It typically invests in businesses with EBITDA between $3 million and $20 million and can lead transactions ranging from $5 million to $20 million, with the capacity to support deals up to $50 million. The firm partners with private equity funds, independent sponsors, family offices, search funds, and management teams, supporting buyouts, acquisitions, debt refinancing, minority recapitalizations, and growth capital. Investment structures include unitranche and subordinated debt, debt with warrants, as well as preferred and common equity.
Overview: Jurassic Capital is a Durham, North Carolina–based growth equity firm that invests in small B2B software companies across the Southeast U.S. Founded and led by experienced operators Joe Colopy and Kevin Mosley, the team brings firsthand knowledge from building and scaling companies such as Bronto Software, NetSuite, Oracle, Red Hat, and Bandwidth. Their operator-led perspective informs a hands-on, growth-oriented investment strategy.
Focus: Jurassic Capital specializes in minority and majority investments in early-stage B2B SaaS businesses. The firm targets companies with Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) between $1 million and $5 million, and that either have positive EBITDA or a clear, near-term path to profitability. Their focus lies in unlocking growth through deep operational support tailored to the specific needs of software businesses in their core geography.
Overview: TriHelix Investments is a flexible, sector-agnostic investment firm that targets small, entrepreneurial companies characterized by high energy and committed leadership. The firm values close partnerships with existing management teams and seeks to foster success through shared vision and hands-on collaboration. TriHelix emphasizes investing in businesses that demonstrate long-term stability, ethical integrity, and alignment with the firm's corporate values.
Focus: TriHelix invests in dynamic businesses with a strong, dedicated workforce and a willingness to work hard for shared prosperity. The firm’s portfolio is diverse, covering innovative sectors such as bulletproof concrete, background screening, clean energy production, craft brewing, and luxury hospitality. Rather than specializing in a single vertical, TriHelix looks for companies that can benefit from collaborative growth strategies and operational support, regardless of their stage or sector.
Overview: BDI Partners is a private investment firm dedicated to the Built Environment, partnering with entrepreneurs, management teams, and business owners across service, product, and technology sectors. Founded on a belief in building high-impact companies, BDI brings over 150 years of combined industry experience and investor relationships. The firm emphasizes majority investments in lower-middle market businesses and seeks to create lasting value through strategic partnerships and disciplined execution.
Focus: BDI targets companies with $1–$7+ million in EBITDA and $5–$60+ million in revenue, investing equity checks between $3–$25+ million. Its investments span infrastructure and construction services, environmental and engineering consulting, building products, facility and industrial maintenance, and technology-enabled solutions. The firm prefers management teams seeking ongoing ownership and involvement and limits the number of investments per fund to ensure deep operational support and optimal outcomes. BDI values culture alignment, patient capital, conservative structures, and long-term partnerships to drive scalable growth within the Built Environment.
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Our mission is to streamline the research and due diligence process, providing investment professionals with the critical intelligence needed to identify opportunities and build lasting partnerships in the private fund market.
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