Private Credit Investor: Star Mountain Capital’s CEO Brett Hickey

In this episode, we speak with Trevor Clark, Founder and Managing Partner of Twin Brook Capital Partners, TPG’s middle-market direct lending business. Founded in 2014, Twin Brook provides tailored, cash flow–based financing solutions to middle-market private equity–backed companies across North America.  Based in Chicago, Twin Brook has approximately 125 dedicated professionals and offers a flexible product suite supporting leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, add-on acquisitions, growth capital, and other financing needs for companies typically generating between $3 million and $50 million in EBITDA. TPG Credit is part of TPG, a leading global alternative asset management firm with $286 billion in assets under management. Prior to founding Twin Brook, Trevor was a Co-Founder and CEO of Madison Capital Funding, a subsidiary of New York Life Investments, where he led the firm’s middle-market lending platform. Earlier in his career, he held underwriting and origination roles at Antares Capital, GE Capital, and Bank of America. TPG Twin Brook was recognized as a Top Private Credit Firm of 2025 by GrowthCap. Trevor support Culinary Care. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Brett Hickey, Founder and CEO of Star Mountain Capital, a specialized U.S. lower middle-market asset management firm. Founded in 2010, Star Mountain focuses on providing debt and equity capital to established, growing small and medium-sized businesses, as well as acquiring LP interests in lower middle-market funds, often at a discount. Star Mountain manages approximately $4.5 billion in assets under management and has completed more than 350 direct investments and over 40 secondary or fund investments since inception. The firm is 100% employee-owned, with more than 100 team members and senior advisors sharing in the firm’s investment profits. Brett founded Star Mountain after previously co-founding and serving as President of a multi-manager platform that included four U.S. state-sponsored small business investment funds. Earlier in his career, he worked as an investment banker at Citigroup Global Markets, advising leading asset managers and financial institutions on more than $8 billion in completed transactions. Star Mountain was recognized as a Top Private Credit Firm of 2025 by GrowthCap. Brett supports YMCA. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Ben Levin, Co-Founder and CEO of Level Equity, a lower middle market private investment firm focused on providing capital to rapidly growing software and technology-enabled businesses. Founded in 2009, Level Equity has raised over $4.5 billion across closed funds and co-investments, completed more than 125 investments, and operates out of New York City and Greenwich, CT. Ben shares how Level’s distinctive NextLevel Operations platform, a three-tiered operational model of internal operators, senior special operators, and curated external experts, drives tangible value for portfolio companies across go-to-market, product, and M&A initiatives. This approach ensures highly tailored support, enabling high-growth SaaS companies to scale efficiently and sustainably. Drawing on his experience investing in high-growth software companies since 1997, Ben discusses the firm’s disciplined approach to AI adoption, strategic engagement with portfolio companies, and focus on building a sustainable, high-performance culture that develops top-tier talent while preserving operational excellence. Level Equity and Ben Levin have received numerous accolades, most recently with Ben named a Top Software Investor of 2025 by GrowthCap, and Level Equity recognized as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025, underscoring their enduring impact on the software growth investing landscape. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Phil Dur, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of PeakSpan Capital, a leading growth equity firm focused exclusively on high-growth B2B software companies. Founded in 2015, PeakSpan manages $2.5 billion in assets and has a team of 24 investment professionals across its San Mateo and New York City offices. The firm has supported 54 software businesses, completed 19 full and partial exits, and raised approximately $1.9 billion in capital commitments, with each fund significantly oversubscribed. Before co-founding PeakSpan, Phil spent a decade at Investor Growth Capital, where he led software investing, and previously worked at Morgan Stanley Venture Partners and Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in technology investing roles. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve for seven years. Phil was recently recognized as a Top Software Investor of 2025 by GrowthCap, and PeakSpan was named a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.  

In this episode, we speak with Dave Evans, Partner at Apax Digital, the technology and growth equity investment arm of Apax Partners. Apax Digital focuses on growth equity and buyout investments in high-growth enterprise software, consumer internet, and technology-enabled services companies worldwide. The team leverages Apax Partners’ deep tech expertise, global platform, and specialized operating experts to help companies accelerate growth and realize their full potential. Apax has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of approximately $80 billion across three sectors—Tech, Services, and Internet/Consumer—providing long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. Dave joined Apax in 2009 and focuses on high-growth internet, enterprise software, and tech-enabled services companies. He was previously in Morgan Stanley’s Financial Sponsors Group and holds an MBA from Wharton and a BA from Duke University. Dave was recently recognized as a Top Software Investor of 2025 by GrowthCap. Dave supports Innocence Project. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Dan Williams, Partner at Delta-v Capital, an investment firm focused on growth-stage software and technology services businesses. Founded in 2009, Delta-v Capital has provided flexible growth capital solutions to innovative companies across infrastructure software, cloud services, CxO software, and vertical software sectors for more than a decade. The firm manages over $1.3 billion in assets and maintains offices in Denver, CO, and Dallas, TX. Dan leads Delta-v’s infrastructure software practice, focusing on cybersecurity, AI, and DevOps. He has led investments in companies including Arctic Wolf, Claroty, Corelight, Teamworks, CloudBees, LogRocket, and You.com, with successful exits such as Socrata and Venafi. Before joining Delta-v, Dan held product, engineering, and corporate development roles at Cisco and worked in the buyout group at American Capital. He holds a BS in computer science from MIT and an MBA with honors as a Palmer Scholar from the Wharton School. Dan was recently recognized as a Top Software Investor of 2025 by GrowthCap. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.  

In this episode, we speak with Jeffrey Stevenson, Managing Partner of VSS Capital Partners, a private investment firm that invests in healthcare, business services, and education companies. Since its founding in 1987, VSS has partnered with lower middle-market companies, working closely with management teams to facilitate their next stage of growth. With approximately $4 billion in committed capital across eight funds, VSS has completed over 100 platform investments and more than 600 add-on acquisitions. Jeffrey has overall responsibility for the management of the firm and each of its funds. He joined VSS in 1982, shortly after its formation, and founded its private equity business in 1987. He currently serves as Chairman of the Investment Committee and has been a board member of over 31 portfolio companies.  VSS was recently recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025. Jeffrey supports The Center for Discovery. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with David Katz, Managing Director at Charlesbank Capital Partners, a $24 billion AUM middle-market private equity firm that spun out of the Harvard Management Company in 1998. Drawing on its endowment heritage, Charlesbank takes a research-based approach to investing across its four target sectors: business & consumer services, healthcare, industrial, and technology. The firm partners with management teams to help businesses unlock value and accelerate growth. At Charlesbank, David oversees the firm’s Business & Consumer Services sector team. Since formalizing the sector in 2019, Charlesbank has been among the most active and successful private equity investors in business services, including several notable realizations. Charlesbank views the services ecosystem as offering compelling and durable opportunities for continued private equity investment. David has been with Charlesbank for nearly 13 years, during which time he has also helped to advance the firm’s investing system including its “fan of outcomes” underwriting approach. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, and previously worked at Bain Capital and McKinsey. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Kirk Konert, Managing Partner at AE Industrial Partners—a private investment firm with $7.2 billion in assets under management, focused on specialized sectors including national security, aerospace, and industrial services. Since its founding in 1998, AEI has completed more than 140 investments in market-leading companies, leveraging deep industry expertise, operational experience, and a broad network across its core sectors. Kirk joined AEI in 2014 and is primarily responsible for sourcing, executing, and managing the firm’s portfolio investments. Prior to AEI, he held roles at Sun Capital Partners and was a member of Wells Fargo Securities’ Industrials Group.  AE Industrial Partners was recently recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Randall Eason and Keoni Schwartz, Co-Founders and Managing Directors at Altamont Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on transforming and scaling lower-middle market companies through deep operational expertise and value-creation capabilities. Since its founding, Altamont has invested in over 45 companies across the industrials, business services, financial services, and franchising & multi-unit sectors, with more than $4 billion in capital under management. Randall leads investments in the industrials and franchising & multi-unit sectors. Previously, he was a Principal at Golden Gate Capital, and held roles at Bain & Company and Williams-Sonoma. He holds an MA in sociology and a BA in economics, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford. Keoni leads investments in the financial and business services sectors. He was formerly a Principal at Golden Gate Capital and began his career as a consultant at Bain & Company and The Bridgespan Group. He holds a BA in history with honors from Princeton. Altamont was recently recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.