Compass Group Equity Partners
Compass Group Equity Partners states that it partners with founder- and family-led lower-middle-market companies, bringing capital, strategic planning, operational support, talent resources, and financial discipline. Its published criteria include North American businesses with enterprise value of $20 million to $200 million, EBITDA between $2 million and $15 million, and EBITDA margin of at least 10%.
What stands out about Compass Group Equity Partners
Compass Group Equity Partners publicly targets North American businesses with enterprise value of $20 million to $200 million, EBITDA between $2 million and $15 million, and EBITDA margin of at least 10%. It identifies sector interests spanning industrial, services, environmental, infrastructure, energy, healthcare, and related thesis areas, and describes a process covering thesis research, due diligence, closing, value creation, and exit.[1][2][3][4][5][7][8][9][10]
What does Compass Group Equity Partners invest in?
Compass Group Equity Partners is a St. Louis-based private equity firm that partners with lower-middle-market companies. The firm began in 2014 as an independent sponsor.
Compass states that it brings founder- and family-led companies new capital and enterprise-level capabilities, including strategic planning, operational support, talent, and financial discipline. Its Compass Guides provide senior-level functional support in areas including human resources, marketing, finance, legal, IT, and digital transformation.[1][2][3]
Compass describes its approach as thesis-based. Its team may spend months or years researching market drivers, industry structure, competitive dynamics, customer needs, and long-term risks and opportunities before making formal proposals.
The firm’s stated partnership process includes thesis research, due diligence, closing, creating value, and finding the exit. Compass says it starts partnerships with the end goal in mind and may pursue an intentional long-term plan involving a strategic buyer, a second capital infusion, or continued growth under current leadership.[4][5]
Owners evaluating a financial buyer can compare the offer with independent valuation analysis, understand how acquirers approach transactions through Auxo’s buy-side M&A process guide, and consider whether a full or partial sale best fits their objectives.
What should a business owner evaluate before considering a transaction with Compass Group Equity Partners?
An owner evaluating Compass can compare the company’s profile with Compass’s stated North American geography, enterprise-value and EBITDA ranges, margin criterion, sector interests, and preference for favorable growth prospects, positive historical cash flows, non-discretionary products or services, and diversified customers.
Compass’s stated process and transaction announcements provide a basis for discussing thesis selection, due diligence, functional operating support, and exit planning. The Koma Precision, Illuminate Group, and Endurant Disaster Recovery announcements do not state transaction consideration, financing terms, or complete ownership percentages; the partnership-process page does not state a numeric investment holding period. Those points should be addressed directly in diligence.[2][4][5][7][8][9][10]
What companies does Compass Group Equity Partners target?
Compass states an ideal financial profile of enterprise value of $20 million to $200 million, EBITDA between $2 million and $15 million, and EBITDA margin of at least 10%.
The firm also seeks favorable growth prospects, stable competitive dynamics, positive historical cash flows with opportunities for improvement, non-discretionary products and services, and diversified customer bases.[2]
Compass publicly identifies interests including niche manufacturing and distribution, advanced materials, safety products, engineered equipment and products, assembly and fulfillment, business and consumer services, testing and certification, environmental services, infrastructure and utilities, and field services.
Its active investment theses include central plant services, security integration and access control, electrical testing and safety, industrial instrumentation and calibration, industrial lifting, specialty equipment rental, renewable energy, pet services, cold chain, flow control, MedTech services, specialty physician practice management, advanced materials, podiatry, restoration and remediation, home services, and youth sports.[2][4]
Compass states that its target businesses are based in North America.[2]
Compass has made platform investments. The Koma Precision announcement describes Koma as the sixth platform investment from Fund III.
Owners should clarify how Compass distinguishes platform and add-on investments, including any applicable thresholds and ownership arrangements.[6][7]
Compass’s portfolio page identifies current and realized investments across industrial, healthcare, environmental, utilities, energy, manufacturing, logistics, and services categories.[6]
On August 18, 2026, Compass announced a partnership with Koma Precision, a national provider of precision machine tool accessories, custom-engineered manufacturing solutions, calibration services, and aftermarket parts and support. The announcement states that Koma was the sixth platform investment from Fund III, which closed in April 2024 with $408 million in commitments.
On July 9, 2025, Compass announced a partnership with The Illuminate Group, a Tampa-based cold-chain design and management provider specializing in last-mile pharmaceutical logistics. The announcement states that Illuminate was the fourth platform investment from Fund III.
On May 27, 2025, Compass announced the formation of Endurant Disaster Recovery through the combination of Parker Young Restoration and McCabe Restoration, with an initial regional focus across the South and Southeast.
On May 19, 2025, Compass announced the exit of EPIC Systems to VINCI Energies. The announcement states that Compass had partnered with EPIC Systems in 2018 and supported growth and professionalization across the business.[7][8][9][10]
What is not clear from Compass Group Equity Partners's public investment criteria?
Compass’s official terms page states that private-fund information, including investment objectives, risks, fees, and expenses, is contained in private placement memoranda and other offering documents rather than being presented as public website information.
The partnership-process page describes an intentional long-term exit plan but does not state a numeric investment holding period, ownership-duration range, or universal exit timetable.
The Koma Precision, Illuminate Group, and Endurant Disaster Recovery announcements do not state transaction consideration, purchase price, financing terms, or complete ownership percentages. The EPIC Systems exit announcement does not state transaction consideration, purchase price, financing terms, or Compass’s realized return.[3][5][7][8][9][10]
Questions to ask when evaluating Compass Group Equity Partners as a buyer or investment partner
What percentage of equity and voting control would the seller and management retain?
What are the expected rollover-equity, earn-out, seller-note, leverage, and indemnity terms?
How does Compass determine valuation and EBITDA adjustments?
Which Compass Guides and operating resources would be assigned to the company, and what fees would be charged to the fund or portfolio company?
What is the expected investment horizon and exit planning process?
What add-on acquisition strategy, capital budget, and management succession expectations would apply?
How are conflicts involving fund-level fees, affiliated entities, and portfolio-company service charges handled?
Sources & research notes
- Official website / firm overview
- Services / capabilities
- Services / capabilities
- Investment strategy
- Investment approach
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- SEC investment adviser record
How this profile was researched
Auxo profiles are prepared from publicly available primary and authoritative sources and reviewed for entity identity, factual support and disclosure consistency. When a fact cannot be supported by the reviewed public record, the profile identifies it as something to confirm directly rather than inferring it.
Independent research profile
This profile was prepared by Auxo Capital Advisors from publicly available information believed to be reliable and is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. It is not an endorsement, recommendation, ranking, solicitation, or representation regarding the profiled firm, its services, qualifications, transaction experience, regulatory status, financial condition, or suitability for any particular person, company, transaction, or investment.
Information obtained from third-party and public sources may be incomplete, inaccurate, outdated, or subject to change, and Auxo Capital Advisors makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Readers should conduct their own independent diligence and consult appropriate professional advisers before engaging any advisor, intermediary, investor, lender, acquirer, or other transaction counterparty.
Broker-dealer and securities disclosure
Auxo Capital Advisors is an affiliate of Weild & Co., Member FINRA | SIPC. Securities-related activities and securities transactions are conducted through Weild & Co.
Nothing contained on this page constitutes an offer to sell, an offer to purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security, investment product, or financial instrument. Nothing on this page constitutes investment advice, a recommendation regarding any security, or a recommendation to enter into any transaction with the profiled firm or any other party.
Any securities transaction, capital-raising engagement, investment-banking engagement, or other securities-related activity involving Auxo Capital Advisors or Weild & Co. is subject to applicable regulatory requirements, internal review and approval, suitability and other applicable diligence requirements, and the terms of a separate written engagement or transaction agreement, as applicable.
Inclusion of a third-party firm in this directory does not imply affiliation with, sponsorship by, endorsement by, or any other relationship with Auxo Capital Advisors or Weild & Co. unless expressly stated otherwise.