Trivest

Trivest, also known as Trivest Partners, is a private equity firm headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida. Established in 1981, it is among the oldest private equity organizations in the southeastern United States. The firm invests primarily in founder- and family-owned companies and presents itself as a partner for owners seeking growth capital, partial liquidity, succession support, or a transition of control. The firm’s investment approach is designed around privately held businesses rather than a single narrow industry. Trivest is generally industry-agnostic, although its activity has frequently centered on business services, consumer products and services, healthcare, value-added distribution, and niche manufacturing. Its strategy spans smaller founder-owned companies, established middle-market businesses, larger founder-led enterprises, and growth companies where the founders retain control. Trivest operates through several investment platforms. Its Discovery strategy targets smaller companies and generally pursues majority buyouts. The Mid-Market strategy focuses on more established founder-led businesses, also usually through majority investments. The Recognition strategy addresses larger founder-owned companies, while the Trivest Growth Investment Fund is intended for minority or non-control investments in growing founder-led businesses. The fund families are structured to cover different company sizes and transaction requirements rather than treating every investment as a conventional leveraged buyout. A distinctive element of Trivest’s positioning is its founder-oriented “Just Say No” program. The program is intended to reduce common sources of friction in private equity transactions and partnerships, including inflexible deal structures, unclear communication, and misalignment over the owner’s continuing role. More broadly, Trivest emphasizes flexible transaction structures and cooperation with founders and families during periods of expansion, professionalization, acquisition activity, or ownership transition. Trivest has maintained a geographic presence beyond Florida, including offices or personnel in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and Charlotte, North Carolina. This network supports sourcing and portfolio development across the United States and Canada. Since its formation, the firm has completed investments in more than 500 companies. As of 2025, reference material describes approximately $6 billion in assets under management across its fund families; this figure is time-specific and should not be treated as a permanent value. Examples of businesses associated with Trivest’s investment history include Turnpoint Services, National Carwash Solutions, Big Truck Rental, HighGround, ScanSTAT, Oil Changers, Pave America, Pelican Water Systems, Take 5 Oil Change, National Auto Care, and North Star Seafood. The firm has also backed professional and technology-related businesses, including Province, Applied Value Group, and Unosquare. These investments illustrate the breadth of Trivest’s approach, which combines sector flexibility with a recurring focus on founder-led or family-owned companies. Trivest is not a publicly traded operating company and has no public stock ticker. Its identity is therefore primarily that of an investment-management and private-equity institution rather than a consumer-facing product brand. Its reputation and market position are tied to its longevity, founder-focused transaction model, multi-platform fund structure, and ability to support companies across different stages of the private-company life cycle.

Trivest was founded in 1981 in Florida and developed into one of the longest-established private equity firms in the southeastern United States. From the beginning, its business model centered on investing in privately held companies, particularly businesses controlled by founders and families. This orientation distinguished the firm from investment organizations focused primarily on public markets or large institutional transactions. Over time, Trivest broadened its geographic reach and investment capacity while retaining a focus on privately owned middle-market businesses. Its activity expanded across North America, supported by a presence in Coral Gables and additional locations or personnel in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and Charlotte. The geographic network allowed the firm to source opportunities in different regional business communities and to work with companies whose owners were considering growth, recapitalization, succession, or a full sale. The firm’s investment scope has remained broad. Rather than limiting itself to one industry, Trivest has repeatedly invested in business services, consumer businesses, healthcare, value-added distribution, and specialized manufacturing. Its portfolio history includes companies in automotive services, water systems, staffing and healthcare support, distribution, technology, consulting, home products, seafood, and other specialized sectors. This mix reflects a preference for fragmented or specialized markets in which operational improvement, add-on acquisitions, professional management, or expanded distribution can support growth. Trivest later organized its activities into distinct investment platforms. The Discovery platform was designed for smaller founder-owned businesses, generally seeking majority positions in companies with approximately $1 million to $4 million of EBITDA. The Mid-Market platform addressed more established founder-led businesses with roughly $4 million to $15 million of EBITDA. The Recognition platform targeted larger founder-led companies with more than $15 million of EBITDA. The Trivest Growth Investment Fund was created for minority or non-control investments in founder-led companies with more than approximately $4 million of EBITDA. These thresholds and strategies allow the firm to engage with companies at different stages while maintaining a consistent founder-oriented approach. A major part of Trivest’s more recent positioning has been the “Just Say No” program. The initiative responds to concerns that business owners may have about private equity partnerships, such as complicated transaction processes, rigid governance arrangements, or uncertainty over the owner’s continuing involvement. Trivest presents the program as an effort to remove avoidable pain points and offer more flexible structures. In practical terms, the firm’s founder-partnership model can include majority buyouts, minority growth investments, and arrangements that preserve a continuing role for existing owners and managers. Trivest has completed investments in more than 500 companies over its history. Its associated portfolio and prior-investment list includes Turnpoint Services, National Carwash Solutions, Big Truck Rental, HighGround, ScanSTAT, Oil Changers, Pave America, Pelican Water Systems, Take 5 Oil Change, National Auto Care, North Star Seafood, Lamark Media, AM Conservation, Ellery Homestyles, Group III International, and Hazmasters. More recent transactions mentioned in reference material include investments in Province, a restructuring and advisory firm, and Applied Value Group, a management consulting business. The firm also exited Unosquare, a nearshore software-development company, in 2025. By 2025, Trivest was described as managing approximately $6 billion in assets under management across several fund families. The firm remains privately held and is not represented by a public stock ticker. Its current identity is built around longevity, flexible capital, sector breadth, and a stated specialization in partnering with founders and families across North America.

• 2025

  Trivest reports approximately $6 billion in assets under management

  [1]Trivesten.wikipedia.org

  Reference material described the firm as managing approximately $6 billion across multiple fund families in 2025.

• 2025

  Unosquare is sold

  [1]Trivesten.wikipedia.org

  Trivest’s recent exit activity included the sale of Unosquare, a nearshore software-development company.

• 1981

  Trivest is founded

  [1]Trivesten.wikipedia.org

  Trivest was established in Florida as a private equity firm focused on privately owned businesses.

A long-established, founder-oriented private equity partner offering majority buyouts, minority growth capital, and flexible transaction structures to privately owned businesses across North America.

• Private equity fund

  Trivest Discovery Fund II

  A majority-buyout strategy aimed at smaller founder-owned companies in fragmented industries. Reference material describes a target range of approximately $1 million to $4 million in EBITDA and identifies the platform as part of Trivest’s effort to provide institutional capital to smaller privately held businesses.

• Private equity fund

  Trivest Mid-Market Fund VII

  A majority-investment strategy for established founder-led businesses. The fund targets companies with approximately $4 million to $15 million in EBITDA and can support expansion, acquisitions, operational development, and ownership transitions.

• Private equity fund

  Trivest Recognition Fund

  A platform for larger founder-led businesses, generally targeting companies with more than $15 million in EBITDA. It is designed for majority buyouts and larger-scale partnerships where Trivest can provide capital and institutional support while working with existing leadership.

• Growth investment fund

  Trivest Growth Investment Fund III

  A minority and non-control investment vehicle for founder-led companies with more than approximately $4 million in EBITDA. The strategy gives owners access to growth capital without requiring a full transfer of control.

• Founder partnership program

  Just Say No

  Trivest’s founder-oriented program seeks to address common concerns about private equity partnerships. It emphasizes clearer alignment, flexible transaction structures, and reducing avoidable friction during negotiations and the post-investment relationship.

• Build a multi-platform founder-investment modelStrategy

  Background

  Trivest serves founder- and family-owned businesses of different sizes and ownership needs, ranging from smaller companies to larger middle-market enterprises and growth businesses.

  Action taken

  The firm organized its investment activity across Discovery, Mid-Market, Recognition, and Growth Investment strategies, combining majority buyouts with minority or non-control growth investments.

  Aftermath

  The structure expanded the types of founder-led companies Trivest could finance while preserving a consistent focus on privately owned North American businesses.

  Source

• Emphasize flexible founder partnershipsStrategy

  Background

  Business owners considering private equity may be concerned about rigid transaction terms, loss of control, or unclear expectations after closing.

  Action taken

  Trivest promoted its “Just Say No” program and broader founder-focused positioning to reduce common transaction pain points and support flexible deal structures.

  Aftermath

  The program became a central part of Trivest’s differentiation in the market for founder-owned and family-owned businesses.

  Source

• 2021.10.13

  Reported2021.10.13

  Transit receives minority investment from Trivest Partners[2]Transit获得Trivest Partners少数股权投资autosphere.ca

  Transit received a minority share investment from private equity firm Trivest Partners; the financial terms were not disclosed.

• 2021.06.02

  Reported2021.06.02

  Quatrro announces acquisition of EAB Solutions[3]Quatrro宣布收购EAB Solutionsprnewswire.com

  Quatrro announced its acquisition of Egger Accounting & Business Solutions, Inc. (EAB), with investment partners VSS and Trivest Partners. The announcement describes the acquisition as part of Quatrro's strategy to grow its nonprofit segment.

Read more

1. 1Trivesten.wikipedia.org
2. 2Transit获得Trivest Partners少数股权投资autosphere.ca
3. 3Quatrro宣布收购EAB Solutionsprnewswire.com