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About Us

Based in San Diego, CA, CEP is a "Smaller Growth Equity" firm that invests in B2B, Lower-Market SaaS companies.

Programming Console

Core Investment Criteria

Business Type

B2B software & software-enabled services

Location

United States & Canada

ARR

$3M - 15M

Growth Rate

30%+

Retention

~85%+ Gross; ~100%+ Net

Deal Size

$3M - 15M

Minority Growth

Growth capital for scaling go-to-market

Secondary Liquidity

Liquidity to early investors / founders / employees of compelling businesses

Extensions

Additional capital at existing terms to efficiently strengthen balance sheet

Bridge Rounds

Small financings to bridge to larger raise or liquidity event

Syndicates

Fill out larger rounds referred to / by close relationships in our network

Flexible Deal Profiles

Where Does "Smaller Growth Equity" Fit in the Private Capital Landscape?

Traditional/Larger Growth Equity Struggles in Lower-Market SaaS

  • Large funds ($300M - $1B+) require $20M+ investments to deploy across 15 - 20 portcos.

  • Large check sizes create significant dilution or inflated investor expectations.

  • Many sub-$15M ARR businesses do not have the management and infrastructure to take on traditional growth equity's minimum check size.

VC's "Portfolio Theory" is Fundamentally Misaligned with Lower-Market SaaS

  • Focused on hypergrowth, huge TAM opportunities.

  • High loss ratio tolerance from VCs puts founder / employee equity at risk.

  • Handful of companies generate vast majority of VC returns - while others are neglected.

Private Capital Pyramid 3.png

Private Capital Landscape Detail -- VC vs SGE vs LGE

Private Capital Landscape Detail 3.png

Lower-Market SaaS Businesses Have Multiple Exit Paths

Lower-Market SaaS Exit Paths 2.png

Lower-Market SaaS Businesses with Stable Recurring Revenue Have Many Exit Paths

Our History of "Channeling" Investments to Strategics and Larger Capital Providers

Our Track Record of Channeling Investments 4.png
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