About this episode
What does it take to build an investment firm outside the traditional private equity model?
David Weisburd speaks with Jeff Schwartz about founding Corbel Capital Partners, identifying opportunities in the lower middle market, and why structured capital fills a gap left by banks and large buyout firms. Jeff discusses the operational realities of scaling an investment platform, fundraising challenges, and how market inefficiencies continue to shape strategy selection.
Highlights:
The market gap that led Jeff to launch Corbel Capital Partners
Why traditional banks retreated from lower middle market lending
The difference between growing a firm horizontally versus vertically
How managing an investment firm differs from being an investor
Fundraising challenges for emerging and mid-sized managers
Using multiple strategies without outgrowing a core market focus
The role of SBIC leverage in enhancing return profiles
Why special situations investing is increasingly attractive
Aligning incentives across teams and strategies
Guest Bio:
Jeff Schwartz is the Founder and Managing Partner of Corbel Capital Partners, a private investment firm focused on structured capital solutions for lower middle market businesses. He is a senior private equity investment professional with extensive experience raising capital and executing leveraged buyouts, distressed debt-for-control investments, and structured equity transactions across multiple industries, with a focus on consumer products and retail, specialty manufacturing, and business services. Prior to founding Corbel in 2014, Jeff held senior roles at Ares Management.
Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at david@weisburdcapital.com.
We’d like to thank @AlphaSense for sponsoring this episode!
Sponsor:
AlphaSense is the AI-powered market intelligence platform trusted by 85% of the S&P 100, helping investment professionals make faster, more confident, data-driven decisions. Built for hedge funds, asset allocators, private venture capital firms, and investment bankers, AlphaSense uses advanced AI and powerful search across premium proprietary content to surface the insights that matter most—before the market moves. Elevate your research and stay ahead of the competition. Visit https://www.alpha-sense.com/howiinvest/ to learn more.
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