Brightstar Capital Partners

This holiday season, we’re proud to give back on behalf of everyone in our network and those who partner with us or support us. We are supporting two incredible organizations: SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity) and Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF).   SEO serves over 6,000 young people across America, providing talented and motivated individuals from underserved and underrepresented communities with access to superior educational and career opportunities. NSF is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) national nonprofit that supports active duty and veteran members of the NSW community and their families.

Our 2024 Brightstar holiday party was a success!   We had an incredible evening celebrating our Brightstar team and the amazing partners who make it all possible.   As we look back on this past year, there is so much to be proud of. We extend heartfelt gratitude to our entire team for the growth, collaboration, and achievements that are worth celebrating.   Check out some of the highlights from our holiday celebration below.

We are excited to celebrate well-earned promotions across our firm, a testament to the exceptional talent, hard work, and dedication of our team members. These individuals have consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership, commitment to building our firm, and ability to drive value for both our investors and portfolio companies. Congratulations to the Brightstars listed below. We’re incredibly lucky to have them on our team and look forward to our collaboration in 2025 and beyond! Christy Lukach (Ward), Partner Brian Cronin, Managing Director Kevin Deemer, Managing Director Sam Totusek, Managing Director Yue Xi, Managing Director Simi Kavthekar, Principal Noah Siegel, Principal Adrienne Newcomer, Vice President Maggie Mendoza, Operations Coordinator Woorie K., Investor Relations Coordinator

We believe that success isn’t just about strategy and execution – it’s about the relationships that fuel it. Whether it’s with entrepreneurs, founders, family business owners or investors, we believe the strength of these partnerships drives long-term growth and creates lasting value.   CEO & Founder Andrew Weinberg and Charles Yoon first crossed paths over 30 years ago, and we are thrilled that three decades later, Charlie is officially part of the Brightstar team.   By welcoming Charlie to lead our lower middle market strategy, we’re confident we are not just adding industry expertise, but also reinforcing the importance of relationships in shaping future success. To read more about Charlie, click here. https://lnkd.in/e2vTh3Gu

Brightstar Capital Partners invests at the intersection of capital, opportunity, and people. Our philosophy is grounded in four core values that shape our approach to helping companies led by families, founders, or entrepreneurs navigate the future and generate long-term value. We believe that mutual trust and respect are the foundation of strong relationships, and we work hard to earn this through both our words and actions. We are committed to collaborating with like-minded partners who share these fundamental values to help create lasting wealth and secure legacies that will endure for generations. To read more, click here. https://lnkd.in/eD5F4_M5

During this season of gratitude, we want to express our deep appreciation for the incredible relationships and people who make our shared mission possible.    Thank you to our partners, investors, portfolio companies and our dedicated Brightstar team. Through your trust, collaboration and shared vision, we have been able to continuously build partnerships, pursue exceptional opportunities and drive growth and innovation.    From all of us at Brightstar, Happy Thanksgiving. 

We’re pleased to announce that industry veteran Charles Yoon has joined Brightstar as a Partner and will serve as Managing Partner of Brightstar’s new lower middle market strategy, alongside Kevin Deemer, who joins our team as Managing Director. Charlie has nearly three decades of lower middle market private equity investing experience, in the business services, industrials, and consumer sectors. Prior to joining Brightstar, he was Managing Partner at Bregal Partners, overseeing $650 million of committed capital. Kevin and Charlie have worked together for nearly a decade, sourcing, evaluating, and executing investment opportunities. We’re thrilled to have them both on our team as we navigate a lower middle market universe comprised of approximately 64,000 companies, of which 85% never have had institutional capital and almost 99% are privately held. To read more about this development, click here: https://lnkd.in/e2vTh3Gu

We believe strong relationships are not engineered — they’re earned. Many on our seasoned team of operators and investors have worked together for 15+ years and combine deep investing acumen with hands-on operational expertise. We’ve built a structure that fosters alignment, collaboration, and enables us to focus on unlocking value and driving growth with our portfolio company management teams. To learn more about our team, click here: https://lnkd.in/ebkCZ6B3

We’re excited to share the debut edition of “The Pulse of Family Business Survey”, a series that will explore the challenges and opportunities facing family businesses, in collaboration with the Family Business Magazine team. The unprecedented Great Wealth Transfer is expected to have a profound impact on businesses worldwide, especially on the tens of thousands of middle-market family-owned businesses that are crucial to the global economy. This survey explores key trends around family engagement and NextGen expectations, using responses gathered from members of multi-generational family-owned businesses. Out of the thousands of responses received, the top three opportunity areas that emerged were: 1.     Enhancing family and NextGen engagement 2.     Navigating succession planning and leadership transitions 3.     Strengthening family and business governance Read the full report below to learn why family engagement, especially for NextGen family members, is vital for the long-term success and stability of multigenerational family businesses. https://lnkd.in/eza6-rni

On this Veterans Day, we honor and express our deepest gratitude to all veterans and current service members, especially those within our firm and across our portfolio companies. Thank you for your service and unwavering commitment to our country.