Partnering for Growth

Essex Bay Capital invests in small to mid-sized private companies, partnering with management teams to accelerate growth. 

With over 20 years of investing experience, and more than 70 completed acquisitions, our proven team brings more than just capital to the equation. We are long-term investors, focused on creating sustainable value.  We build companies, both organically and through add-on acquisitions, with a goal of becoming market leaders in their respective niches or geographies. 

Partnership and alignment are at the core of everything we do. We pride ourselves on being transparent and supportive, with the resources, insight and expertise to create win-win opportunities for our partner management teams.

Approach

We invest in small to mid-sized companies that are seeking a partial or full ownership transition and/or where there is a need for capital and resources to help trigger the next phase of growth. We invest committed capital, with the ability to supplement as needed with equity from institutions and individuals with whom we’ve had long-term relationships. We look for healthy companies that have sustainable value propositions, and where the opportunity exists to significantly grow the business, both organically and through add-on acquisitions.

Investment Criteria for Platform Investments

$2-10MM EBITDA or Cash Flow

$10-100MM Total Enterprise Value

Based in North America for platform investments; any geography for add-on acquisitions.

Any size for add-on acquisitions

Sectors of Interest

Software

  • Application & Infrastructure Solutions
  • SaaS & On-Premises Deployment
  • Tech-Enabled Services

Services

  • Commercial Facility Services
  • Residential Services
  • Value-added Distribution

Medical Devices

  • Components & Systems
  • Consumables
  • Life Sciences Instruments

Industrial Technologies

  • Electronic Components & Systems
  • Engineered Products
  • Motion & Flow Control Solutions

Food & Consumer

  • Branded Food Products
  • Ingredients
  • Discretionary & Non-Discretionary Consumer Goods

Current Investments

Munetrix logo

Munetrix

SaaS provider of data management and performance analytics tools for municipalities and school districts, with a focus on financial decision-making and academic achievement.

munetrix.com

Strive logo

STRIVE – Divvy

Employee experience SaaS software platform with a focus on benefits communication, internal culture creation, rewards & recognition, and employee engagement.

onestrive.com

Innofiber

Designs and manufactures engineered photonics solutions for medical and industrial applications, including complex fiber optic cables and subassemblies.

innofiber.com

Representative Prior Investments

Winchester Electronics logo

Winchester Electronics

Interconnect solutions for medical, mil-aero and industrial markets

Aavid logo

Aavid Thermalloy

Thermal management products for datacom, telecom, medical and industrial markets

AAMP logo

AAMP Global

Automotive technologies including integration, safety and infotainment.

NDI logo

Northern Digital

Metrology solutions used in medical surgical applications

Astrodyne logo

AstrodyneTDI

Power supplies and EMI filters for semiconductor, medical, mil-aero and industrial markets

Gabriel logo

Gabriel

Coatings, adhesives and specialty chemicals including curing agents and resins

News

Team

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Franklin Foster, Founder

Franklin has led direct investments into private companies for the last 17 years, and has been in the finance industry for over 20 years. Prior to founding Essex Bay, Franklin was a Managing Director at Audax Private Equity, a leading middle market investment firm with over $9 billion of capital under management. At Audax, he led investments in the industrial, business services, healthcare and technology markets, among others, completing over 60 acquisitions. Representative investments include Aavid Thermalloy (sold to Boyd), Astrodyne TDI (sold to Tinicum), Gabriel Performance Products (sold to Huntsman), Northern Digital (sold to Roper) and Winchester Electronics (sold to Snow Phipps). In addition to leading investments for the bulk of his career at Audax, Franklin also was a member of the Business Development team, maintaining relationships with a variety of deal intermediaries.

Prior to Audax, Franklin was Interim CFO and VP of Corporate Development at Coast Crane Company, then an Audax portfolio company. Earlier, Franklin worked in investment banking in New York, London and Providence.

...

Yash Singh, Managing Director

Yash has more than 15 years of operating and investing experience in healthcare, life science and industrial markets working with both private equity and public companies. Before joining Essex Bay, Yash was President at Analogic where he led their MRI and robotics business ($150 million revenue) and Executive Vice President at Harvard Biosciences where he led the cellular, molecular and physiology business ($80 million revenue). At Analogic and Harvard Bioscience he drove step change revenue growth and profitability acceleration. He also led acquisition and integration of multiple successful targets at Analogic. Earlier, Yash worked in strategy consulting at Booz Allen. He has a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and an MBA from Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley.

...

Holly Ceplikas, Vice President

Holly joined Essex Bay Capital in 2022. Previously, she was Operations Associate Director at S&P Global, where she worked on the integration of the company’s merger with IHS Markit. She also worked as a Senior Associate for Viet Capital Partners on investments in developing and acquiring industrial and logistics real estate in Vietnam. Prior to Viet Capital Partners, Holly was an Associate in consumer & retail investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York. Earlier in her career, she worked in higher education at Dartmouth College and Harvard University. Holly earned a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA with High Distinction from Tuck Business School.

Contact

+1 (978) 233-1331

P.O. Box 696
Essex, MA 01929