Benford Capital Partners (“Benford Capital” or “BCP”), a Chicago-based lower middle market private equity investment firm, is pleased to announce the first and final closing of its third investment fund, Benford Capital Partners III, L.P. (“BCP III” or “Fund III”).  BCP III was significantly oversubscribed and closed with total limited partner commitments of $365 million, above its initial $300 million target.

Benford Capital will continue to focus on buying and building lower-middle market businesses in partnership with families and founders. Since 2004, BCP has acquired 59 companies and built its team to include 18 investment and operating professionals.

BCP III received commitments from a diverse group of limited partners including university endowments, family offices, charitable foundations, fund-of-funds, and high net worth individuals.  “We are extremely grateful for the consistent support of our existing limited partners and the overwhelming interest from new investors, despite a challenging fundraising environment.  All of our Fund II institutional investors committed to Fund III, which we believe is a testament to the success of our operationally-oriented strategy, the dedication of the BCP team, and consistent results.  We look forward to executing on the same, proven valuation creation playbooks in Fund III and continuing to focus on scaling family and founder-owned companies into market leading platforms,” said Edward Benford, Managing Director.

Benjamin Riefe, Managing Director added, “In recent years, we have steadily grown the firm and focused on building an outstanding team of investment and operating professionals, while also broadening our Executive Partner network.   The hard work and dedication of the team has enabled the firm to scale and dedicate more resources to the growth and success of our portfolio companies, which is core to our investment strategy.”

Kirkland & Ellis provided legal counsel.  With Fund III closed, BCP has now raised more than $750 million over its 20-year history, while maintaining its heritage and focused lower middle market investment strategy.

About Benford Capital Partners

Founded in 2004, Benford Capital is a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on buying and building leading lower middle market companies with $3-$20 million of EBITDA in partnership with founders and management. Since inception, Benford Capital has acquired 59 companies. BCP’s industry areas of focus include industrial technology, food and consumer products, agricultural products and services, and B2B e-commerce. For more information, please visit www.benfordcapital.com.