History

Brantley Venture Partners, L.P. was founded by Robert P. Pinkas in 1987 with the initial purpose of focusing on investments in early stage businesses in the Midwest and Southeast regions of the country. Prior to establishing Brantley, Mr. Pinkas spent approximately six years as a founding director, officer, and investor in early stage businesses.

The initial success of Brantley Venture Partners, combined with that of Mr. Pinkas’ predecessor investments, led to the creation of Brantley Venture Partners II, L.P. in 1990. This $30 million fund continued Brantley’s investment strategy in early stage businesses with a particular emphasis on acquisition strategy investing. The acquisition strategy investing involved identifying highly fragmented industries with an ample number of small to mid-size companies that could be consolidated because of technological advances and other market dynamics.

Brantley Venture Partners III, L.P. was formed in 1994 with a final closing of approximately $60 million. This fund was established in order to continue the firm’s focus on acquisition strategy investments. Brantley Partners IV was formed in 1998 with a target of $150 million to continue to focus on acquisition strategy investments.

Brantley Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: BBDC), a public business development company investing in later stage private equity and post venture small capitalization public companies, was formed in 1996 upon the successful completion of its initial public offering of $38 million. Today, Brantley and its related entities have approximately $300 million of capital under management.

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