Our History
Castanea Partners was founded in 2001 by Brian Knez and Robert Smith, former co-CEOs of Harcourt General and The Neiman Marcus Group, following the sale of Harcourt General. Included in Castanea’s launch were Paul Gibbons, former Treasurer of both Harcourt and Neiman Marcus, and Steven Berg, an investment professional from Bain Capital. Their strategy was to create an operationally focused private equity firm dedicated to investing in lower middle market companies within specifically defined industry verticals.
Today, we are investing our third fund, Castanea Partners Fund III, a $500 million institutional fund targeting both middle and lower middle market companies. Our team has grown to approximately 20 professionals, including six investing and operating partners.
Our deep industry knowledge and operating experience differentiates us from other private equity firms. Our proven operating, private equity, consulting and investment banking expertise enhances our ability to: i) be knowledgeable participants in the investment process ii) perform effective and efficient due diligence, iii) partner closely with selling founders or management to identify and execute significant value creating companies and iv) deliver superior returns to our investors.