Jim Pribble
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Hey Jim — we both ended up in PE from pretty different directions. been thinking a lot about proprietary origination in industrial lately. would be good to connect.
Hey Jim, we both ended up in PE from different angles — I came through IB at CS & Greenhill in London, not the operator path you took through naval aviation and industrial leadership. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, decent relationships, but no proprietary system of record tying anything together. every deal virtually 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 Jim, looks like we both landed in lower middle market PE, though I came through banking at CS & Greenhill in London rather than the operator route you took through FMC and Thermon into independent sponsoring. 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 Inflight? — Russ
hey Jim — 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 help 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 fund like Mentmore work through that in niche industrial verticals. curious if you've hit the same thing at Inflight? — 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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Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Jim Pribble Title: Founding Partner Fund: Inflight Capital Partners Background: Jim Pribble is the Founder and Managing Partner of Inflight Capital Partners, based in Austin, Texas. He is an experienced operator and investor focused on the lower middle market ($5M-$50M revenue), specifically within the Industrial, Industrial Technology, and Energy sectors. His professional background is distinguished by a decade of service as a U.S. Navy Strike-Fighter Pilot (F/A-18E/F Superhornet) from 2000 to 2011, followed by executive leadership roles at FMC Technologies and Thermon, Inc., where he served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and later led Thermon Heating Systems. He holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, a BS from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and completed Executive Education in M&A at Wharton. His current focus involves partnering with family offices to invest in and scale industrial businesses, as evidenced by his recent board seat at Trinity Electrical Services and advisory roles at Overwatch Aero, LLC, and Pyrock Chemical. Key Skills: Private Equity, Corporate Development, Strategic Planning, M&A, Operational Excellence, Aviation & Aerospace, Subsea Power Systems, and Leadership/Culture building based on "Extreme Ownership" principles. Posts and Direct Quotes: August 26, 2025: Shared news regarding Overwatch Aero, LLC’s deployment of a UAS with PLEO SATCOM for a U.S. DoD customer, noting that the "Resolute Eagle UAS utilizes an Applied Navigation LLC Quattro autopilot and has an operational range of +600 NM." June 25, 2025: Shared a project completion for Trinity Electrical Services, stating: "Quality work, right first time, safely executed. Another great project complete for Team Trinity!" June 3, 2025: Regarding the growth of Trinity Electrical Services, he wrote: "Inflight remains focused on providing Trinity all of resources required to scale its operations... The best part is the amazing people involved in this journey!" May 23, 2025: In a recruiting effort for Trinity, he noted: "If you are located in the southeast U.S. and have an Operations, Business Development, or General Management background, we should talk!" February 10, 2025: Formally announced the investment in Trinity Electrical Services, quoting CEO Chad Hutchinson who described Jim and his partner as "real people with real experience who clearly care deeply about our Company and the people in it." May 19, 2024: Regarding NATO DIANA and energy resilience, he mentioned: "With folks like Stephen [Drake] in the discussion - I feel more confident DIANA will be successful." July 11, 2023: Defining his consulting arm’s purpose: "Inflight Strategic Solutions was created to help lower middle market... companies scale, pivot, or pursue strategic initiatives they may not have the bandwidth or skillsets in-house to execute." May 3, 2022: On the official launch of Inflight Capital Partners: "Laying the groundwork for a career that focuses me squarely where I am most passionate... we are experienced operators, technical experts, and investment professionals partnering with management teams." February 14, 2020: Commenting on leadership philosophy: "Words to live by - spoken by a true practitioner of the art, Jocko Willink... Something one may consider building a culture around." May 5, 2015: Regarding a production alliance at FMC Technologies: "This brings together our latest permanent magnet motor technology and HT's best-in-class manufacturing capability, marking the next step towards commercialization." Fund details: - Description: Inflight Capital Partners is a private equity independent sponsor backed by some of the highest quality capital allocators in the United States. We are former operators, bankers, and investment professionals investing in industrial manufacturing, technologies, services, and distribution businesses in North America. - Website: https://www.inflightcp.com - Location: Austin, Texas, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Inflight Capital Partners Jim Pribble recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Inflight Capital Partners, led by Jim Pribble, focuses on industrial and technology investments. Recent investments include Trinity Electrical Services. The firm is based in Austin, Texas.