To secure access to complex corporate divestitures, the firm avoids total reliance on investment banks by maintaining a proprietary database of over 3,500 companies. They contact them multiple times a year, building direct relationships to ensure they are on the short list of preferred buyers for sensitive, narrowly-marketed deals.
Contrary to hiring functional specialists, the firm's value creation team consists of generalists with strong business acumen. Since their strategy cuts across industries, they believe generalists are better equipped to partner with management, handle complex carve-outs, and serve as interim leaders—skills that are industry-agnostic.
To ensure cultural consistency during its European expansion, the firm implements a structured program, including mid-level staff rotations, US leadership actively supporting the new team, and mandatory in-person meetings every other month. This treats culture as a tangible asset that must be actively managed and transferred.
The firm's core thesis is acquiring businesses from owners who no longer see them as strategic. This creates opportunities from a "lack of prioritization" and underinvestment, rather than from fundamental business flaws. This subtle distinction allows them to find value where others see only neglect, not distress.
When scaling, the firm chose Europe as its first growth vector because it allowed them to replicate their exact strategy in the same industries and check sizes. This approach minimizes strategic variables, viewing geography as the most "close in adjacent" move before tackling different deal sizes or verticals, ensuring operational consistency.
Rather than choosing a headquarters based on financial hubs like London, Pacific Avenue based its main European office in Paris. This decision was driven entirely by the location of the specific, highly sought-after individual they hired to lead their European efforts after an 18-month search, prioritizing key talent over geography.