BDE Capital and Advisory
EST. ATLANTA · MMXXIV

Capital and advisory for founders and operators in the lower middle market.

Investment Criteria Lens by BDE Capital
What we look for
B · D · E

What we look for in a platform investment.

Model
Independent sponsor, deal-by-deal. No fund pressure. We raise capital around the right transaction.
EBITDA
$3M – $15M Established, profitable, with three or more years of consistent operating history.
Sectors
Trade schools and workforce training. Healthcare services. Industrial services and equipment. B2B services. Sector-disciplined. We pass on everything else.
Stage
Founder- or operator-owned. Owners considering a transition. Family successions. Carve-outs from larger platforms.
Hold
Long-term ownership orientation. We compound businesses. We don't run a fund clock.
Geography
United States. Southeast and Texas preferred. Open elsewhere for the right deal.
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Companies we operate.

AI advisory built on captured operator judgment.

Most AI advisory is generic. Lens is the opposite. We capture how a specific operator thinks — their actual reasoning, their voice, the patterns they've earned over a career — and deliver that thinking to your team as on-demand consultation.

Built for portfolio companies, family offices, and operating teams that need senior-level operating judgment without hiring another executive.

For PE-backed portcos
Family offices
Multi-unit operators
Search funds How Cold-start pilot
Install engagement
Monthly retainer
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