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Lisanti Capital Growth
Mary Lisanti has run Lisanti Capital Growth since 1997, managing a concentrated US small-cap growth strategy from New York.
Lisanti Capital Growth
Lisanti Capital Growth was founded in 1997 by Mary Lisanti, who previously managed small-cap growth portfolios at firms including Strong Capital Management and Bankers Trust. The New York-based firm operates as an independent, woman-owned asset manager specializing in US small- and mid-cap growth equities. Lisanti structured the firm as a concentrated, high-conviction vehicle, avoiding the benchmark-hugging posture common among institutional small-cap managers. Lisanti's strategy centers on identifying companies with underappreciated earnings power — businesses transitioning from product development to commercial adoption, or management teams executing turnarounds the market has not yet priced. The firm typically holds 30–45 names and invests across technology, healthcare, and industrial transition themes. Portfolio holdings have included names such as Axon Enterprise and Quanta Services during their growth acceleration phases. Geographic scope is exclusively US domestic equities. The firm does not participate in fund-of-funds structures, club deals, or co-investments — it runs a single, focused equity strategy. The practice operates with a lean team, with Mary Lisanti as the lead decision-maker and sole portfolio manager. While total assets and headcount are not publicly disclosed, the firm's Form ADV filings confirm a small, tightly held structure with no external parent entity. Lisanti has not launched additional vehicles, and the firm maintains no philanthropic foundation or operating-business subsidiaries. In September 2023, Barron's profiled Lisanti's focus on growth companies trading at reasonable valuations, highlighting the strategy's resilience during the prior year's small-cap rout. Lisanti Capital Growth's structural differentiator is its independence and founder-controlled architecture. There is no succession plan publicly articulated; the firm is inseparable from its founder's analytical approach and market relationships. This presents both concentration risk and a durable sourcing advantage — public-company CEOs and CFOs in the small-cap universe routinely take Lisanti's calls because they are speaking directly to the decision-maker, not an analyst gatekeeper. The firm's regulatory filings reflect no subadvisory relationships, no institutional parent, and no intent to scale beyond the founder's capacity to evaluate every position personally.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
1997
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Mary Lisanti
Founder, President, and Chief Investment Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Lisanti Capital Growth?
Mary Lisanti, the firm's founder, serves as President and Chief Investment Officer and makes all portfolio decisions. She built the firm in 1997 after leading small-cap growth strategies at Strong Capital Management and Bankers Trust. No other portfolio managers are disclosed in regulatory filings.
How does Lisanti Capital Growth source investment ideas?
Lisanti relies on direct management meetings and fundamental research rather than quantitative screening. The firm's small size and founder-led model mean corporate executives engage directly with the decision-maker. This personal-access advantage is particularly relevant in the small-cap universe, where management relationships are often the margin of analytical insight.
Does Lisanti Capital Growth participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The firm runs a single long-only public-equity strategy concentrated in US small- and mid-cap growth stocks. It does not make fund commitments, co-investments, private-company investments, or club deals. The strategy is an all-equity, bottom-up growth portfolio.
What investment stages and market caps does Lisanti Capital Growth target?
Lisanti invests in publicly traded small- and mid-cap US companies. The firm targets businesses with disruptive technologies or business models and the potential for 20% annual earnings growth — typically those transitioning from early commercial traction to scalable, profitable expansion.
How is Lisanti Capital Growth structured — as a family office or a traditional asset manager?
Lisanti Capital Growth is an independent, woman-owned registered investment adviser, not a family office. It is structured as a concentrated institutional asset management firm with a single strategy and founder-led investment process. No external parent or corporate owner is evident from regulatory filings.
Does Lisanti Capital Growth maintain philanthropic structures or related investment vehicles?
No separate philanthropic foundation, adjacent fund vehicles, or operating subsidiaries are disclosed. The firm operates as a singular entity with Mary Lisanti as the sole portfolio manager and controlling principal, per Form ADV filings.
What is Lisanti Capital Growth's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
The firm does not engage in co-investments, club deals, or private-company transactions. Its strategy is confined to publicly traded US equities, and its regulatory footprint reflects no pooled investment vehicles that would accommodate such structures.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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