Alex Gelman
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Hey Alex — similar path (IB → PE). been thinking a lot about proprietary origination in small business buyouts lately. would be good to connect.
Hey Alex, similar IB → PE background, though I was at Greenhill in London not McKinsey and KKR in New York. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, decent relationships, but no proprietary system of record tying anything together. 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 Alex, looks like we came up through a similar IB → PE path, though I was in London doing growth deals at Greenhill not in LA acquiring small businesses 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 Heritage Point? — Russ
hey Alex — 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 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 Heritage Point? — 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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Alex — We've been building deal sourcing infrastructure for PE funds acquiring founder- and family-owned businesses in the $5-50mm range — and Heritage Point came up while i was poking around. we share a similar-ish path too. I did a few years in M&A (Credit Suisse, Greenhill) before moving to the investor side at a growth equity fund in London. Two clients that are closest to your mo are Backer Group and Mentmore Capital — both UK-based PE funds buying small founder-owned businesses. Backer uses our system to source and score targets on owner readiness and acquisition fit → then runs personalized outreach (email, LinkedIn, letters) — everything integrates with their CRM. Small team, so the system handles origination while they're busy with the portfolio. Given the overlap with what you're building at Heritage Point, I wondered if you wanted to take a look under the hood and see if any of it's relevant. I'm fairly free this week and next, just let me know a time that suits. Russ searchloop.ai linkedin.com/in/russellt23
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Alex Gelman Title: Managing Partner Fund: Heritage Point Background: Name: Alex Gelman Location: Los Angeles, California Current Role: Founder and Managing Partner at Heritage Point since May 2020. Current Focus: Alex leads Heritage Point, a private equity firm that focuses on small businesses with enterprise values between $5mm and $50mm. He emphasizes a "human-centric" and "gritty" approach to private equity, specifically targeting founder succession issues and the underserved small business market. Background: He is a former CEO of mTab (2015–2020), where he integrated multiple companies (PAI, GAMMA, and Slideworx) to create a global market research technology firm. His earlier career includes roles as a Managing Partner at Poplar Partners, a Capstone Associate at KKR & Co. Inc., and a Senior Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. Education: MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business (Arjay Miller Scholar) and a B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from Dartmouth College (summa cum laude). Key Skills: Private Equity, Financial Modeling, Venture Capital, Corporate Development, Small Business Acquisitions, Market Research Technology, and Strategy. Relevant LinkedIn Posts: - February 4, 2026: "The lesson: customers will forgive you for a mistake, as long as you delight them in the process of solving the problem." He discussed a personal onboarding experience with Ramp and a lesson learned at McKinsey regarding NPS scores. - January 9, 2026: "We're looking to hire a Senior Associate / VP to join Heritage Point's LA office... No assholes; no prima donnas." - September 28, 2023: "Congrats Sheret R. and Michael Levine! You guys have done a terrific job. It's been a joy to partner with you," regarding a strategic investment in Cardata. - July 27, 2023: "Dave Dodson's 'Manager's Handbook' is wildly practical and refreshing. It's a must read for anybody managing others." He mentions Dave Dodson has been a mentor and investor of his for over a decade. - June 23, 2021: "Kirill and I have loved backing female entrepreneurs, not only because it's good for the world, but because it's just good business." He shared insights on a Yale study regarding Women in Search Funds. - May 2, 2020: "Running mTab for the past 5 years has been the highlight of my professional career, but it is now time to pass the baton... I suspect my next venture will return me to my passions of buying small businesses and coaching entrepreneurs to succeed." - June 19, 2019: "Since leaving big consulting and joining the market research industry, I've been wanting to share some of the 'tricks of the trade' with market researchers." He hosted a webinar on why "Big Consulting is Eating Market Research's Lunch." Fund details: - Description: A PE Firm dedicated to acquiring small businesses ($5mm - $50mm of enterprise value). - Website: https://www.heritagepoint.com - Location: Los Angeles, California, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Heritage Point Alex Gelman recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Alex Gelman is a managing partner at Heritage Point Partners, a private equity firm founded in 2022. He previously led the Gelman Brothers Family Investment Office and was CEO of mTab. Heritage Point Partners focuses on acquiring and growing small, profitable businesses.