Cortina Capital Partners
Inspired by the Italian Alps in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Cortina Capital Partners is a private investment vehicle focused on acquiring lower middle market private companies between $1 - $10 million of TTM EBITDA.
Approach
Cortina Capital Partners takes a different approach to
traditional private equity
1
Cortina does not participate in banked or brokered processes but rather sources their deals directly from owners.
2
Cortina is a value investor; we typically pay under 4x EBITDA for our businesses.
3
Cortina takes deep operational involvement in each business, often replacing the ownership rapidly after closing.
4
Cortina focuses exclusively on fragmented markets where add-on acquisitions are abundant.
Story
Our
Story
About us
Carlo Santelli is the sole shareholder of Cortina Capital Partners. Carlo Santelli has spent the last 12+ years at various buy-side and sell-side financial institutions: investment banking analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, investment banking senior analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, vice president at Stonehenge Capital, and most recently, Vice President at Prospect Capital.
Carlo spent the last 8 years of his career sourcing, diligence, closing, and supporting investment opportunities in the lower middle market. Carlo closed over 55 transactions in his career, totaling over $44 billion of deal activity.
Carlo graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in economics. Carlo held the Guinness World Record for the longest singles tennis match (38 hours, 2 minutes, 9 seconds) set in May 2010. He has had background acting roles in Showtime’s Billions, Netflix’s The Irishman, Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and NBC’s The Blacklist. He is an avid traveler (50 US States, 6 Continents).
Companies
Types of companies we seek to acquire
Investment Criteria
Annual EBITDA or cash flow of $1 - $10 million
Minimal business cyclical exposure; relatively stable revenue and profitability
Diverse customer base with a high degree of recurring or
re-occurring revenue
Low CAPEX and net working capital requirements
Identifiable and actionable opportunities for accelerated growth (such as geographic expansion, selling to new customer segments, product development, etc.
Owner Situation
Seeking to retire or exit but lacks a clear succession plan
Aspiring for a liquidity event to achieve life goals​
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Looking to reduce day-to-day involvement
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Honest and motivated to ensuring a smooth transition
Contacts
