Matthew Bahnij
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Hey Matthew — similar path (IB → PE). been thinking a lot about proprietary origination in energy and industrials lately. would be good to connect.
Hey Matthew, looks like we share a similar IB → PE path, though I was in London at CS & Greenhill not in Cleveland running energy and industrial deals. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, decent relationships, but no proprietary system of record. the people, tools and ideas were never really connected. 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 Matthew, looks like we share a similar IB → PE background, though I was in London doing growth equity deals at Treis not in Cleveland building out an energy and industrial portfolio like you guys at Praetorian. 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, so every deal is virtually sourced from scratch. nothing compounds on itself. curious if that resonates or if you've built something different at Praetorian? — Russ
hey Matthew — 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 are all disconnected, so there's tonnes of wasted energy and everything ends up out of sync. been helping a few funds like Mentmore work through that. curious if you've run into the same thing at Praetorian? — 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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Matthew — Congrats on the Dealmaker of the Year recognition from Smart Business — well deserved given what you've been building at Praetorian across energy and industrials. I spent three years deploying €10-30M growth equity tickets in London and loved the investing but hated how much time went into finding the right companies. So I built SearchLoop to fix it. Backer Group in the UK uses it to source service and light manufacturing businesses — define target criteria across a sector → score and rank companies on fit → reach owners directly and book meetings. The whole system is custom-built and plugs into their CRM so they see everything. Given Praetorian's focus on energy and industrial and the growth you've been talking about, there's a version of this that maps well to what you're doing. We've already built out pipeline logic for similar sectors — worth a quick call to walk through what's in there? Russ searchloop.ai linkedin.com/in/russellt23
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Matthew Bahnij Title: Managing Partner Fund: Praetorian Holdings Group Background: Matthew Bahnij is an experienced finance and operations executive currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Dominion Steel and a Managing Partner at Praetorian Holdings Group. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, his professional focus is centered on Private Equity and Venture Capital, specifically within the Energy and Industrial sectors. Under his leadership, Praetorian Holdings Group focuses on asset allocation and management to produce consistent returns, while Dominion Steel operates as a large-scale structural steel and custom fabrication service center. Matthew holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, and Finance from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, along with studies in Political Science. He also completed a Graduate Specialization in Corporate Governance at Harvard Business School. Prior to his professional career, he was a varsity soccer player at the University of Rhode Island. His skill set is heavily weighted toward leadership, corporate finance, strategic planning, and investment management. Key insights from his LinkedIn posts: On June 5, 2023, he shared his excitement about receiving professional recognition: "Honored to be recognized by Smart Business Dealmakers last week and receive the Dealmaker of the Year Award in Cleveland... Praetorian is experiencing massive growth and we're just getting started." On August 6, 2020, he highlighted a major industrial project: "Shoutout to our team and partners for successfully RePowering 133 GE 1.5 MW Wind Turbines at the Peetz Wind Farm! These turbines are capable of generating enough electricity to power more than 77,000 homes. The decommissioned removal and recycling scope was executed flawlessly... Praetorian loves doing our part to promote sustainable energy!" On May 19, 2021, while recruiting for his team, he noted the firm's location and structure: "Praetorian is looking for a driven summer intern to support our growing investment and treasury teams at our headquarters on public square in Cleveland." On April 24, 2021, he showed his involvement in local philanthropy: "Praetorian is happy to contribute to a great cause. Looking forward to attending this event and supporting an awesome charity with awesome people! Brodie's Good Vibe Tribe (BGVT)." Matthew frequently shares content related to long-term value investing, corporate governance, and sustainable energy. He has expressed admiration for investors like Warren Buffett and has shared articles regarding market valuations and the history of trading. Additionally, he actively uses his platform to recruit for his firms, specifically promoting an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program. Fund details: - Description: Praetorian Holdings Group is a Private Equity firm focused on investments in the Energy and Industrial sectors. We partner with entrepreneurs, industry experts, and established companies to properly allocate capital in order to produce strong and consistent returns. - Website: https://www.praetorianvc.com - Location: Cleveland, Ohio, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Praetorian Holdings Group Matthew Bahnij recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Matthew Bahnij is the Managing Partner of Praetorian Holdings Group, which focuses on energy and industrial investments. The firm's recent investments include decommissioning wind turbine parts. Praetorian Holdings Group is based in Cleveland, Ohio.