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Ballast Point Ventures

With $550 million raised across four funds, BPV is a growth equity investor providing expansion capital to established but rapidly-growing private companies located in Florida, the Southeast and Texas.

The BPV principals have spent our careers building and investing in outstanding companies throughout the Southeast and Texas, where the favorable business climate and strong quality of life provide an attractive home to talented and driven entrepreneurs.

 

We know from experience that many entrepreneurs prefer to work with high quality partners in their own “backyard” who know not only their businesses but also their local communities.

Our proximity and emphasis on long-term relationships have allowed us to focus on adding value for our partner companies in ways that other firms investing across the country find difficult to match.

Our Approach

We are partners, not bosses. We provide financial resources, operational insight and strategic counsel to entrepreneurs who understand that growth capital from an experienced financial partner can help them grow smarter and faster and substantially increase the value of their businesses.

We view our capital, expertise, and extensive network as the means for a company with a proven business model to accelerate its growth. Together, we will take your company to the next level and beyond.

Most of the time our capital is deployed to achieve faster organic growth, but we also have funded follow-on strategic acquisitions and provided liquidity to passive investors or outstanding entrepreneurs who want to continue building their business but would also like to “take a few chips off the table.”

We are long-term growth investors who focus on building and realizing value in the form of capital gains over a three to seven year period, and we prefer minority ownership stakes to control positions.

Although we typically act as the lead investor, we will participate in financings led by others who share our approach, objectives and values.

You don’t have to like everything about your partner – outside of integrity and honesty – but you should be able to tune out the little things over the long haul.  You’re patient with their schtick because they’re patient with yours, and that becomes a big part of sustaining a great relationship once the honeymoon is over.  You should also have some hearty laughs and fun along the way because the journey is too long without them.

“It’s easier to remember the importance of being honest when everyone involved in a relationship can observe how decisions are being made – both the inputs and the outcomes. The key is open communication in real time.”

When Business Promotes Honesty – June 16, 2010

“How you react to the creative tensions of building a business together will define the relationship.  It’s likely to be a long term relationship, so over time you each learn when to take your shot and when to pass the ball.”

The fate of control – December 2, 2009

“Properly understood, integrity transcends ‘honesty’ and permeates everything about your business from product quality to user experience:  the reliability of FEDEX, the consistent taste of a Hershey bar, etc.  Whether you’re a chocolatier or financier, your durability will depend on how true a partner you are.”

Integrity is more than a virtue – May 10, 2012

“The willingness to challenge one another’s assumptions and beliefs – a virtuous coupling of tension and mutual esteem – may be the most important characteristic of a great partnership, indicating bonds strong enough to withstand clashing viewpoints and then decide on the right path.”

When boards work well – November 3, 2009

“Choppy seas are inevitable for any rapidly growing company, but a strong entrepreneur-investor partnership relies on a shared understanding of how to best navigate them.  It’s crucial to stay focused on long term objectives and not let the inevitable setbacks in the business turn into personal failures that strain the partnership.”

Does success always start with failure? – May 20, 2011

Our Companies

A credible partner will encourage you to speak with as many of their entrepreneur partners as you can – some successful, some less so –  in order to get a feel for what they are like to work with in good times and when challenges arise.

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