Investing in women & minority owned or
managed lower middle market businesses

About

We are a women and minority owned private investment firm with a passion for supporting other women and minorities. We focus exclusively on this underserved demographic and look for quality founder- and family-owned businesses to partner with.

Our team combines the experience of investment professionals and operators to bring a differentiated value-added strategy to the companies we invest in.

About

We are a women and minority owned private investment firm with a passion for supporting other women and minorities. We focus exclusively on this underserved demographic and look for quality founder- and family-owned businesses to partner with.

Our team combines the experience of investment professionals and operators to bring a differentiated value-added strategy to the companies we invest in.

Investment Strategy & Criteria

We focus on identifying businesses that we understand as both investors and consumers. We empower founders by providing hands-on strategic, financial and operational support to help take companies to the next level. Leveraging our extensive network of operating partners and strategic advisors allows us to bring deep industry expertise to our companies.



Company size

  • $10M+ revenue
  • $2M+ EBITDA



Industry focus

  • Consumer & retail
  • Healthcare services
  • Manufacturing &
    industrials
  • Business services
  • Distribution



Transaction types

  • Buyouts
  • Founder ownership transitions
  • Growth & acquisitions
  • Rollup strategies



Company characteristics

  • Women or minority owned or led
  • Proven business model in a stable industry
  • Strong value proposition
  • High free cash flow
  • Identifiable value creation plan

Investment Strategy & Criteria

We focus on identifying businesses that we understand as both investors and consumers. We empower founders by providing hands-on strategic, financial and operational support to help take companies to the next level. Leveraging our extensive network of operating partners and strategic advisors allows us to bring deep industry expertise to our companies.



Company size

  • $10M+ revenue
  • $2M+ EBITDA



Industry focus

  • Consumer & retail
  • Healthcare services
  • Manufacturing &
    industrials
  • Business services
  • Distribution



Transaction types

  • Buyouts
  • Founder ownership transitions
  • Growth & acquisitions
  • Rollup strategies



Company characteristics

  • Women or minority owned or led
  • Proven business model in a stable industry
  • Strong value proposition
  • High free cash flow
  • Identifiable value creation plan

Our Portfolio

Year of investment: 2023
Status: Active
Location: Dallas, TX
Sector: Food production and distribution
Website: twelveoakscatering.com

Year of investment: 2021
Status: Active
Location: Houston, TX
Sector: Food production and distribution
Website: thehealthylunchbox.com

Our Leadership Team

COLLEEN GURDA

COLLEEN GURDA

Co-founder & Partner

Colleen co-founded the firm in 2020 and her responsibilities include deal sourcing, execution, portfolio management, marketing, and investor relations.

She has spent her entire career investing in and working with companies in the lower and mid-market. Prior to Riveter Capital, she was a Managing Director with Comvest Partners, a leading middle market private equity and credit investment firm.

Before joining Comvest, she worked at Alcentra, a division of BNY Mellon which invested equity and subordinated debt in lower middle market companies. Colleen started her career at Barclays Capital, where she was involved in M&A and corporate finance transactions.

Colleen received an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Colleen lives in New York with her husband, children, and beloved golden retriever. She enjoys playing tennis and squash and running on the West Side Highway.

SARAH ABDEL-RAZEK

SARAH ABDEL-RAZEK

Co-founder & Partner

Sarah co-founded the firm in 2020 and her responsibilities include deal sourcing, execution, portfolio management, marketing, and investor relations.

She has extensive experience partnering with lower and mid-market companies to provide strategic, financial, and operational leadership and support. Prior to Riveter Capital, Sarah was a senior leader at MERU, an operationally focused advisory firm, where she served clients across various industries including consumer & retail, manufacturing and distribution. Before MERU, she worked at Alvarez & Marsal, a restructuring and turnaround advisory firm. Sarah started her career at PwC and worked in the transaction services practice.

Sarah received a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Sarah was born and raised in Egypt, attended college and started her career in Canada, lived in New York, NY for 8 years and now resides in Miami, FL with her husband and son. She is a pizza enthusiast who enjoys studio fitness classes, long stroller walks and traveling.

Strategic & Operating Advisors

Amy Kothari

Amy Kothari is a seasoned CEO and former CFO and banker. In 2002, Amy left banking and joined My Alarm Center (MAC) as CFO and in 2004 was appointed CEO and board member. She joined MAC as a “start-up” organization and grew it from less than $4 million to over $200 million in revenue. Amy steered the company through 19 years of acquisitions and technology enabled organic growth with multiple PE partners including Norwest Venture Partners and Oaktree Capital Management.

Anne Vazquez

Anne Vazquez is a General Partner of NewSpring. Anne joined the Firm in 2008 and she has more than 14 years of experience in investing, consulting, and strategic planning in growing lower middle market companies. Prior to joining NewSpring, Anne was a senior Analyst at American Capital, Ltd., at the time one of the largest publicly traded asset managers in the U.S. Previously, she worked in KPMG’s Philadelphia assurance practice.

Heather Dietrick

Heather Dietrick serves as CEO of The Daily Beast. Previously she was President of Gizmodo Media Group, leading day-to-day operations and driving strategic integration into its acquiring entity, Univision.

Before this position, she was President, General Counsel & Board Member at Gawker Media where she oversaw business growth strategy and provided strategic advice to steer the company towards a successful asset sale.

Nick Russell

Nick Russell is a Partner at Tuckerman Capital. For over 20 years, Tuckerman’s exclusive investment focus has been on buyout investments partnering with independent private equity sponsors. Prior to joining Tuckerman, Nick began his career as a strategic advisor helping owners and managers build value in private equity and corporate portfolios.

Brad Maltz

Brad Maltz is the President of Brad Maltz Consulting Inc. Brad has 15 years of experience in strategic/operations consulting and portfolio management.

Brad has helped startups, PE-backed companies, VC-backed companies, and public companies generate more than $100m in annual incremental EBITDA by developing and executing operational improvement initiatives.

Duke Punhong

Duke Punhong is a Managing Partner at Graycliff Partners. Graycliff is a private equity firm focused on investing in the lower middle market. He joined Graycliff’s predecessor firm, HSBC Capital US (HCUS), in 2004. Prior to HCUS, he worked at Cornerstone Equity Investors, a middle market buyout fund based in New York. Before Cornerstone he was an investment banker in the Financial Buyers Group at Bear Stearns.

Contact Us

For transaction opportunities or investor related inquiries, please contact us at the email below.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.