Michael Sutton
LinkedIn Copy
Hey Michael — similar path (IB → PE). been thinking a lot about lower middle-market origination lately. would be good to connect.
Hey Michael, see we came up through a similar IB → PE path, though I was at CS & Greenhill in London not BofA like you. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, good relationships, but no proprietary system of record tying anything together. the people, tools and ideas were all disconnected. 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 Michael, looks like we share a similar IB → PE path, though I was in London doing growth equity deals not in Dallas partnering with founder-led 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 Guideboat? — Russ
hey Michael — 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, loading contacts into Instantly. 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 Guideboat? — 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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Michael — hope you're having a good Tuesday. wanted to reach out for two reasons: a) jealous of what you've built at Guideboat. though we share a banking/PE background (you at BofA, me CS/Greenhill), I hope to one day launch my own fund and buy a great multi-location platform like The Light Park. b) in the meantime I've been building deal origination engines for investors like you — just finished one for Backer Group in the UK also acquiring founder-owned service and multi-site businesses. It takes your thesis, maps targets across various data sources incl. google maps, and runs the full engagement cycle (email/linkedin/whatsapp) — connected live to the crm. Given we've already built this out, I wondered if you wanted to jump on a quick call and take a look under the hood? very best, Russell searchloop.ai linkedin.com/in/russellt23
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Michael Sutton Title: Managing Partner Fund: Guideboat Capital Partners Background: Name: Michael Sutton Current Role: Managing Partner at Guideboat Capital Partners (since February 2018), based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Professional Focus: Michael is a private equity professional focused on venture capital and small-to-mid-sized business partnerships. His firm, Guideboat Capital Partners, typically operates with a lean team of 2-10 employees. Background: He has extensive experience in investment management and international operations. Previous roles include Managing Director at Leon Capital Partners, Partner at JCP Investment Management, and Associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He also has international entrepreneurial experience as the Founder/Operator of Bullet Forestal (Grupo de Bullet) in Colombia. Education: He holds an MBA from the University of Virginia - Darden Graduate School of Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University. Key Skills: Private equity, investment management, venture capital, financial services, and international business operations. He is fluent in English and has full professional proficiency in Spanish. Recent Posts and Activity: - On May 19, 2022, Michael reshared a post from Guideboat Capital Partners regarding a new investment, stating: "Looking forward to an awesome journey with a group that's the best in the game." - The original post he shared noted: "We're thrilled to invest and join as partners with an incredible team. John Rotche, CFE, Dave Keil, David Barr." Fund details: - Description: GCP is a Dallas based private equity firm focused on investments in lower middle-market companies. We strive to be long term partners to great founders and management teams seeking out the next level of growth or liquidity. We continuously support our portfolio companies as thoughtful advisers and offer operational support in an effort to achieve full potential value for all stakeholders. - Website: https://www.guideboatcap.com - Location: Dallas, Texas, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Guideboat Capital Partners Michael Sutton recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Michael Sutton's Guideboat Capital Partners recently acquired a majority stake in P3 Cost Analysts, focusing on scaling overlooked businesses. Guideboat is known for its long-term investment strategy and partnership approach.