Trident takes aim at widening access to the private equity and small business acquisition landscape
- September 18, 2023
NEW YORK, September 18, 2023 – Today, Trident graduated its first cohort of Trident American Dreams Fellows, a huge step forward in advancing the small business buyout landscape by raising awareness and education of the potential of private equity and small business acquisition and widening the field of Independent Sponsors and Operating Partners (ISOPs) from diverse backgrounds.
Trident launched the American Dreams Fellowship in April 2023. Participants of the program were put through a rigorous 4-month educational curriculum to enhance their knowledge of private equity and small business acquisitions and they were provided with access to Trident’s network of partners to accelerate their growth within the industry. The inaugural cohort of Fellows graduated earlier this month and are already blazing a trail within the private equity landscape.
“Our goal is to grow the private equity and small business acquisition landscape by increasing the number of participants, including diverse ISOPs’,” said Eric Taylor, Founder, CEO & CIO, Trident. “Our Fellowship will spearhead opportunities for these Fellows to look where others have not and drive greater opportunities for our investors and the national economy.”
The Inaugural cohort consisted of 13 Fellows of which 57% are males and 43% are female. The participants were selected from 11 different states across the country, and range in operating experience and areas of focus, including business services, consumer products, healthcare, transportation, logistics, and more.
“Diversity in finance and specifically in small business acquisitions continues to be underutilized in the investment landscape, despite a plethora of evidence that when diverse professionals are given equitable access to opportunities, not only do they perform, the whole industry benefits,” said Aron Betru, Chief Strategic Officer & COO. Trident. “Promoting greater inclusion in Finance will go a long way towards not only promoting equity for minority communities but unlocking economic potential that benefits all Americans.”
The Trident American Dreams Fellowship was supported by JPMorgan Chase, the education modules were administered by ViableEdu, McGuireWoods LP, our education partner, and the fiscal agent was Impact Assets.
About Trident
Founded in 2017, Trident is a buyout private equity firm focused on acquiring US-based small businesses across three core sectors: Industrials, Consumer, and Healthcare. We generally target companies that do $10-100mm in revenues and look to invest $5-30mm of equity per opportunity. Trident’s competitive advantage is in its systematic approach to sourcing and diligence of small business opportunities and the incorporation of proprietary technology to make the investment process scalable and repeatable. Trident’s commercial-first strategy also encompasses reducing the racial wealth gap through investment in people and opportunities by leveraging a post-transaction playbook that incorporates diversity, equity and inclusion to amplify commercial outcomes (IRR and MOIC) for our Limited Partners and social outcomes for communities. Trident is both black-owned and women-led. www.trident.co
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