SEE OPUS CAPITAL

Independent Sponsor · Lower-Middle-Market Acquisitions

You’ve spent your career building someone else’s business. It’s time to own your own. We help you from start to close.

SEE Opus Capital is an independent sponsor pursuing established lower-middle-market businesses. We work a proprietary sourcing network, we carry the transaction experience, and we have the capital relationships to fund a qualified acquisition. What we are looking for is the executive to own and run it — someone ready to move from running someone else’s company to owning one.

You don’t have to contribute most of the acquisition capital to have a path to majority ownership. The right transaction structure can allow you to earn additional equity over time.

Book an Introductory Call See What We’re Buying
20+transactions closed
$500M+in transaction value
100+capital partner relationships

What We’re Buying

Established businesses that need their next owner-operator.

Our focus is the U.S. lower middle market: durable, cash-generating businesses where the next chapter depends on capable leadership, disciplined execution and a thoughtful ownership transition. If your experience lines up with the profile below, we should be talking.

Revenue
$10M and above
EBITDA
$3M+
Profile
Established operating companies, not startups
Geography
United States; location varies by opportunity
Sectors we pursue
  • Industrials
  • Business Services
  • Healthcare
  • Logistics
  • Manufacturing
  • Infrastructure
  • Telecom
  • Distribution

Company-specific details are shared once an opportunity has been screened and confidentiality is in place.

What the Operator Gets

This is an ownership path, not an executive search.

You bring operating leadership. We bring the transaction infrastructure around it. The objective is to put the right executive in a position to own, operate and participate in the value they create.

01

Sourced opportunities, not a solo search

We are not asking you to spend two years hunting for a company on your own. Our network surfaces opportunities in the sectors above. When an operator’s experience is central to why a business is worth buying, that operator becomes part of the investment thesis rather than a hire made after the fact.

02

Capital and transaction structure

SEE Opus assembles the equity and debt financing for an acquisition. You are not expected to fund the purchase price yourself, but capital partners generally expect operators to have meaningful economic exposure in the transaction.

Your personal capital contribution does not necessarily determine your ultimate ownership percentage.

Depending on the transaction, SEE Opus can structure that exposure through personal co-investment, negotiated participation in sponsor economics, financed co-investment, performance-based equity, or other arrangements that recognize the value of your operating leadership.

These structures carry different costs, obligations, and risks. We explain the available alternatives and their implications before you make a transaction commitment.

03

Ownership economics

You are pursuing ownership, not simply another executive position with a bonus attached.

SEE Opus works to structure transactions in which operators participate in the equity value they help create. That can include ownership acquired at closing and additional equity earned over time through negotiated performance, vesting, and other economic arrangements.

In certain transactions, these structures can create a path to majority ownership—as much as 51%—even when the operator has contributed substantially less than a majority of the acquisition capital.

That ownership is built over time, not automatically granted at closing. The actual outcome depends on the transaction, capital partners, financing, performance, and negotiated terms.

We want you to understand how your ownership can grow, what you must accomplish to earn it, and how the economics work before you commit.

04

A sponsor beside you

You are not expected to learn acquisition finance, diligence, lender management and governance alone. We remain involved through transaction execution and the ownership journey.

Illustrative ownership progression

  1. At closingNegotiated initial ownership and capital participation
  2. During ownershipAdditional equity earned under agreed terms
  3. Potential outcomeMeaningful ownership, potentially a majority
Illustrative structure only. Actual ownership and timing are transaction-specific and not guaranteed.

We are not looking for executives who need to be convinced to become owners. We are looking for leaders already thinking, “I want to own and run a company—how do I get there?”

That’s Me

Why SEE Opus

You should know who is sitting on the other side of the table.

Leaving a senior corporate role for ownership is a consequential decision, and you are entitled to know who is asking you to make it. SEE Opus is a consortium of independent sponsors who have done this work for decades — sourcing, financing, closing and then living with the result. Additional sponsors are joining the group through the balance of the year.

That experience matters because becoming an owner takes more than finding a business. The acquisition must make financial sense, the capital must come together, and the operator must be positioned to execute the plan after closing. We bring experience across those decisions—not just introductions to sellers and investors.

20+lower-middle-market transactions closed
$500M+in closed transaction value
100+capital partner relationships
25+ yrsas active independent sponsors
Kevin Sample
President & Co-Founder

Kevin Sample

Former Managing Director of the Erasmus Advisors Co-Investment Fund and previously in senior fixed-income and equity sales roles at TIAA-CREF. More than 25 years as an active independent sponsor.

Janice Thompson
Co-Founder

Janice Thompson

Background spanning the Federal Reserve Bank, Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division, corporate finance and more than 25 years across lower-middle-market private-equity diligence, independent sponsorship and portfolio-company leadership.

Ken Lewis
Co-Founder

Ken Lewis

Ken has 30 years of experience in deal sourcing, capital partnerships and deal structuring in consumer products, financial services, biotechnology, telecommunications, health care, insurance and manufacturing. He is a graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School.

How It Works

What Happens After You Reach Out

Becoming an owner requires more than operating experience. We help you prepare for the decisions, responsibilities, and risks that come with acquiring and leading a business.

  1. Phase 1

    Explore your fit
    No feeInitial review and conversation

    We review your background and, where there is alignment, talk through your acquisition interests, readiness, geographic flexibility, and ownership goals.

    What you receive

    • A call at a time you choose
    • A direct conversation with the sponsors
    • A clear answer on whether and how to proceed

    Financial commitment: none.

  2. Phase 2

    Prepare to become an owner
    $10,000Program fee

    You work through realistic acquisition and operating scenarios, making the decisions an owner faces and seeing how they play out over time.

    What you learn carries into Phase 3, shaping how we evaluate opportunities with you and what support a transaction may require.

    What you receive

    • Owner-level decision scenarios
    • Feedback on your judgment and potential blind spots
    • A shared view of your strengths and where support may help

    Financial commitment: the program fee, paid only if you choose to begin this phase.

    This fee pays for the preparation program. It does not purchase ownership and is separate from your equity investment in the business.

  3. Phase 3

    Find and acquire the right business
    $10,000Engagement fee

    We evaluate opportunities with you. When one fits, SEE Opus handles all negotiations and leads underwriting, structuring, financing, and execution while you build the operating case.

    What you receive

    • Opportunities evaluated against your experience
    • All negotiations, from letter of intent through closing
    • Equity and debt capital sourced through our capital partner relationships
    • Capital structuring and lender package preparation
    • Coordinated diligence and transaction execution

    Financial commitment: the engagement fee, due when a letter of intent is signed. Third-party diligence, such as quality of earnings, legal, and tax, is paid separately.

    This fee pays for transaction work. It does not purchase ownership and is separate from your equity investment in the business.

  4. Phase 4

    Lead, grow, and build ownership
    Your equitySet by each transaction

    You lead the business after closing, with SEE Opus involved through governance and sponsor support.

    What you receive

    • Ownership in the business you run
    • Sponsor support through the hold period
    • The opportunity to earn additional equity over time, potentially reaching majority ownership under negotiated terms

    Financial commitment: your equity investment in the business, agreed before closing.

    Your equity investment is separate from the program and engagement fees and is specific to each transaction.

You don’t need to leave your current position to begin the conversation. And expressing interest does not obligate you to pursue an acquisition.

Introductory Call

Explore Your Path to Business Ownership

A confidential introductory conversation about your operating experience, acquisition interests, and what it could take to become an owner.

No fee or obligationThe initial conversation is free. It does not obligate you to leave your position, invest capital, or pursue a transaction.
ConfidentialYour information is reviewed only by Kevin and Janice. We do not contact your employer or share your information without permission.
Pick a time that worksAfter a few short questions, you choose a time on our calendar and receive a confirmation right away.

Book an introductory call

Share a few details so we can prepare, then choose a time on our calendar.

No fee or obligation for the initial conversation. Please do not include confidential seller materials or information about a specific target company.

Prefer to start in writing? Send Us Your Background

Send us your background

The full written application. It takes about 10 minutes, and every completed submission receives a response within two weeks.

  1. Step 1 · Your background
  2. Step 2 · Ownership goals
Your professional background

Your ownership goals

Your personal investment capacity helps us evaluate possible transaction structures. It does not necessarily determine your ultimate ownership percentage. We recognize that experienced operators may have the qualifications to lead an acquisition without the capital to fund a large portion of it personally.

PDF or Word, up to 8 MB.

Submitting this form indicates interest only. It is not an offer of employment, investment or transaction commitment. Your information is held in confidence and is not shared outside SEE Opus Capital without your permission. If you have a target, please do not send confidential seller materials through this form — we will open a secure channel first.