Lower middle market private equity firm (one-stop buyouts combining debt and control equity)

Sound Growth Partners

At a glance

Latest fundSound Growth Partners Fund I, $275M (Jun 2024) S5
EBITDA range$2M to $15M S3
Deal typesPlatform S3
SectorsEnvironmental & Waste, Roofing, Construction Services, Consumer & Food, Industrial & Manufacturing

What Sound Growth Partners buys

Sound Growth Partners is a Seattle private equity firm, with partners also in Washington, DC and Dallas, that buys companies holding a leading share of a small, protected niche. It targets $2 million to $15 million of EBITDA in business services, consumer products, distribution and light manufacturing, and it wants a history of steady cash flow with low spending needs for equipment and working capital. Its eight current companies range from a roof ballast removal and disposal service in Ohio to a maker of pitching machines in Nevada.

Its signature structure is what it calls the One-Stop Buyout: the firm supplies the whole purchase price itself, as a unitranche loan plus control equity, so the deal does not depend on any outside lender. That means no financing contingency and one set of diligence instead of several. Sound Growth closed its first fund at a $275 million hard cap in June 2024 and has made eight platform investments since. It works directly with owners and management teams, and also with independent sponsors.

Recent deals

Announced in the 24 months before October 26, 2026.

DateCompanyTypeSectorSource
Aug 2026Diamond Art ClubMiami maker of diamond painting kits with patented tools and licensed artworkPlatformConsumer & FoodSource
Apr 2026RK HydroVacPiqua, Ohio roof preparation company that vacuums ballast off low-slope roofs and runs a dumpster disposal service for roofing contractorsPlatformEnvironmental & WasteSource
Dec 2025Sports AttackVerdi, Nevada maker of pitching, serving and kicking machines for sports training, founded in 1995PlatformConsumer & FoodSource
Jun 2025The BARS ProgramLakewood, Colorado provider of in-store ID check compliance services for convenience and grocery storesPlatformSource
Nov 2024LPiMilwaukee publisher of advertising-supported print and digital bulletins for churches, community groups and membership organizationsPlatformSource

Portfolio by sector

From the firm's portfolio page S4.

Business Services

  • RK HydroVac Current
  • Stueve Current
  • LPi Current
  • Sunny Communications Current
  • The BARS Program Current

Consumer Products

  • Diamond Art Club Current
  • Sports Attack Current

Manufacturing

  • ATEK Access Technologies Current

Greymont’s take

How Sound Growth Partners fits a seller

Sound Growth suits the owner of a steady, profitable niche business who wants a clean and predictable sale. Because the firm provides both the loan and the equity, there is no separate bank that has to approve the deal, which removes a common reason sales fall apart late. The trade-off is that the business will owe its debt to the same firm that controls it, so an owner who stays on or rolls equity should look at the loan terms as closely as the price.

The firm prefers a big share of a small market over a small share of a big one, so owners of category leaders in overlooked niches, such as ID-check compliance for convenience stores or fertilizer storage construction, are natural targets. Owners should ask how much debt the deal will put on the company, whether management can roll equity, and how the firm plans to fund add-ons, since none appears on its press page yet.

Questions owners ask

What is a One-Stop Buyout?

It is Sound Growth's name for providing all of the money needed to close a purchase, both unitranche term debt and control equity, so no third-party lender is involved and the deal carries no financing contingency.

What size company does Sound Growth Partners buy?

Its criteria call for $2 million to $15 million of EBITDA, a strong share of a geographic, product or service niche, a history of steady cash flow, and low capital spending and working capital needs.

Does Sound Growth work with independent sponsors?

Yes. Its investment approach page names two kinds of partners, business owners with their management teams and independent sponsors, and says its team has a long history of investing alongside independent sponsors.

Has Sound Growth bought a waste or disposal business?

Its April 2026 platform, RK HydroVac of Piqua, Ohio, vacuums ballast off flat commercial roofs and offers dumpster service to roofing contractors, hauling its own dumpsters to landfills around Charlotte, North Carolina and arranging service elsewhere.

Sources

  1. S1Sound Growth Partners home page Accessed October 26, 2026
  2. S2Sound Growth Partners: About Us Accessed October 26, 2026
  3. S3Sound Growth Partners: Investment Approach (structure, criteria, partners) Accessed October 26, 2026
  4. S4Sound Growth Partners: Portfolio Accessed October 26, 2026
  5. S5Sound Growth Partners: Press Releases (dated list, including the Fund I close on June 4, 2024) Accessed October 26, 2026
  6. S6Sound Growth Partners: Team (Seattle, Washington DC and Dallas) Accessed October 26, 2026
  7. S7Sound Growth Partners portfolio: RK HydroVac (invested April 2026) Accessed October 26, 2026
  8. S8RK HydroVac: Disposal Services Accessed October 26, 2026
  9. S9RK HydroVac: About Accessed October 26, 2026
  10. S10Sound Growth Partners portfolio: Diamond Art Club (invested August 2026) Accessed October 26, 2026
  11. S11Sound Growth Partners portfolio: Sports Attack (invested December 2025) Accessed October 26, 2026
  12. S12Sound Growth Partners portfolio: The BARS Program (invested June 2025) Accessed October 26, 2026
  13. S13Sound Growth Partners portfolio: LPi Accessed October 26, 2026
  14. S14Sound Growth Partners portfolio: Stueve (invested October 2024) Accessed October 26, 2026
  15. S15Sound Growth Partners portfolio: Sunny Communications Accessed October 26, 2026
  16. S16Sound Growth Partners portfolio: ATEK Access Technologies (invested August 2024) Accessed October 26, 2026

Compiled by Greymont Advisors from public sources, including the firm’s own website and press releases. Greymont is not affiliated with Sound Growth Partners. Figures are as reported on the dates shown and may have changed. Request a correction

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