Private Equity Fast Pitch Andy Levison - Southfield Capital
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Aug 6, 2026 Andy Levison, founder and managing partner of Southfield Capital with decades in leveraged finance and private equity. He discusses targeting founder-led, recurring-revenue business services. He explains proprietary deal sourcing and long-term founder relationships. He recounts building tech and AI capabilities to speed add-ons and shares a culture of collaborative decision-making and disciplined scaling.
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Lower Middle Market Offers Bigger Multiple Upside
- After leaving big-bank roles Andy chose the lower middle market because purchase multiples were stable and you can more easily multiply small EBITDA businesses.
- He believed doubling/tripling a $5M EBITDA company was materially easier than doing the same to a $50M EBITDA business.
Hire For Cultural Fit And Continuous Improvement
- Build a culture that avoids toxic people: Andy's first rule was 'no assholes' for employees, founders, and service providers.
- Combine that with continuous improvement: question old ways and ask how to do things faster, smarter, and better.
Focus On Non Discretionary Recurring Services
- Southfield targets founder-owned non-discretionary business services with contracted recurring revenue and high retention.
- These services are mission-critical to clients (e.g., forklift fleet management) so churn is low and expansion is reliable.