Ben Krauskopf
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Hey Ben — similar path (IB → PE), though I went the London route. been thinking a lot about lower middle market origination lately and Palingen caught my eye. would be good to connect.
Hey Ben, similar IB → PE path, though I was at Greenhill in London not Houlihan in New York. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, strong relationships, but no proprietary system of record tying anything together. every deal basically sourced from scratch, nothing compounding over time. curious if that's still how most funds operate or if I'm behind the times? — Russ
Hey Ben, looks like we share a similar IB → PE background, though I was in London doing growth equity deals at Treis not in Seattle building an evergreen holdco from restructuring like you. the pattern I keep seeing with most funds is weirdly consistent — strong thesis, solid network, but no proprietary system of record. the people, tools and ideas are never really connected. every deal virtually sourced from scratch, nothing compounds on itself. curious if that resonates or if you've built something different at Palingen? — Russ
hey Ben — no worries if the timing's off. most funds I talk to have tried some version of building origination in-house — analyst pulling from Pitchbook or Grata, maybe using ChatGPT to qualify, dumping it into a spreadsheet. each piece kind of works, but there's no system of record tying it together. the people, tools and ideas stay disconnected so there's tonnes of wasted energy. been helping a few funds like Mentmore work through that. curious if you've run into the same thing at Palingen? — Russ
totally get it if origination infrastructure isn't top of mind right now — most funds have 10 things ahead of it on the priority list. the funds I've seen crack it early just tend to compound deal flow in a way that's hard to replicate later. if it ever moves up the list, I'm easy to find. — Russ
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Ben — Noticed you spent a decade at Houlihan Lokey before launching Palingen — and that you'd been at Amazon before that. Not a typical path into holding company land, but a pretty compelling one. I had a similar itch — was deploying €10-30M growth equity tickets in London, loved the investing, hated how much time went into finding the deals. So I built SearchLoop to fix it. Backer Group in the UK uses it to source service and light manufacturing businesses for acquisition — define their criteria → score and rank targets across a geography → reach owners and book meetings. The whole system plugs into their CRM so they see everything. With Palingen's focus on values-aligned operating businesses and Valor as your first platform, I figured there's a version of this that maps well to how you're building the portfolio. We've already done similar work in industrials and services — worth a quick call to walk through what's in there? Russ searchloop.ai linkedin.com/in/russellt23
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Ben Krauskopf Title: Co-Founder; Managing Principal Fund: Palingen Capital Background: Benjamin Krauskopf is the Founder and Managing Principal at Palingen Capital Management, LLC, an evergreen holding company based in the Greater Seattle Area. He founded the firm in August 2019 with a philosophy that financial returns and human flourishing are synergistic, specifically focusing on values-based, "people-first" investing in family businesses. He is currently hiring a Seattle-based Investment Associate to assist with origination, underwriting, and portfolio analysis. Before Palingen, Benjamin spent a decade (2009–2019) at Houlihan Lokey as a Director in Financial Restructuring in New York. His earlier career includes four years as a Product Manager at Amazon (2003–2007). He holds an MBA in Analytical Finance and Entrepreneurship from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a B.S. in Business Administration from Bucknell University. His key skills include financial modeling, valuation, strategic partnerships, and restructuring. Recent Timeline and Posts: January 27, 2026: "Palingen is hiring a Seattle-based Investment Associate to help lead execution across all aspects of operations. This is a foundational role for someone early in their investment career... The role includes origination, underwriting, diligence, portfolio analysis, and firm-building." December 19, 2022: "I don't post often, but this is some exciting news to share - Palingen Capital's investment into Valor Companies is a significant milestone, and Marshall Everett, Brent Blonkvist, and I are grateful to be partnering with such an outstanding business!" (Referring to the acquisition of a rebar fabrication business in Rhome, TX). May 19, 2021: "Check out the latest article in our Palingen is About People series where we discuss our approach to the business owners we work with." April 13, 2021: "Excited to announce the launch of Palingen Capital, an evergreen holding company for values-focused businesses built on the premise that financial returns and human flourishing are synergistic." Fund details: - Description: Palingen is an evergreen holding company that acquires lower middle market businesses from legacy-minded owners, invests deeply in the people, strengthens the operations, and stewards the companies for the long term. Our mission is to deliver superior long term economic results through investments in companies that are financially compelling, ethically sound, and socially uplifting. Palingen aims to become the most sought after capital partner for legacy-minded owners of quality businesses looking to monetize their life’s work. - Website: https://www.palingencapital.com - Location: New York, New York, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Palingen Capital Ben Krauskopf recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Ben Krauskopf leads Palingen Capital, focusing on long-term value creation through investments in people and companies. He has a background in financial analysis and investment management. Palingen Capital seeks to build a firm grounded in purpose and excellence.