Irving Place Capital

Irving Place Capital (formerly Bear Stearns Merchant Banking) is an independent private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in middle-market companies in North America and Western Europe. The firm targets retail, financial services, consumer products, and packaging sectors, with additional consideration for restaurants, transportation and logistics, healthcare, energy, and industrial products and services, committing $50 million to $250 million of equity capital per transaction in companies with EBITDA in excess of $7 million. Transaction types include management buyouts, growth capital financings, divestitures, consolidations, recapitalizations, and stake purchases, with the firm pursuing control or entrepreneur-driven investments where it can apply substantial operating and strategic resources to enhance value. Irving Place Capital traces its origins to 1997, when founder John D. Howard established Bear Stearns Merchant Banking; the team completed an independent spin-out from JPMorgan Chase in November 2008 following Bear Stearns' acquisition, adopting the Irving Place Capital name. Founded in 1997, the firm is headquartered in New York, New York, United States.