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Majority Search
Majority Search is a New York buyout firm using a diversity-sourced network to acquire tech and sustainability companies.
Majority Search
Nichols and Brackeen founded Majority Search in 2022, building on Nichols' tenure as a founding managing partner at MaC Venture Capital and Brackeen's operating experience as founder and CEO of Kairos, a facial recognition company he sold in 2018. The pair structured the firm to pursue control buyouts in the lower middle market, explicitly targeting technology, data, and sustainability sectors where diverse management teams have historically been overlooked by institutional capital. The firm operates from New York. Majority Search deploys capital across enterprise software, AI/ML, cybersecurity, and climate-resilient infrastructure. The firm executes traditional buyout structures — taking majority stakes in founder-led companies generating between $10 million and $50 million in annual revenue. Sourcing relies on a cultivated network of diverse C-suite operators and board members who surface off-market deal flow, a direct counter to the pattern-matching that dominates private equity deal origination. In September 2024, the firm closed its debut fund at $150 million in capital commitments (per Bloomberg, September 2024). The fund's limited partners include TPG's The Rise Fund and the New York State Common Retirement Fund, alongside endowments and family offices — an institutional-quality LP base for a first-time fund. Nichols runs the investment committee, while Brackeen leads operational due diligence and portfolio company support, applying his experience scaling a venture-backed startup through acquisition. Majority Search's structural identifier is its sourcing model. Rather than competing on auction processes led by investment banks, the firm relies on a curated executive network that identifies founder-owned technology and services businesses before a formal sale process begins. That network is built by recruiting its own senior advisory board from underrepresented operating executives — effectively turning the industry's weakest diversity pipeline into its own proprietary deal origination channel.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2022
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Marlon Nichols
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Brian Brackeen
Co-Founder and General Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes investment decisions at Majority Search?
Marlon Nichols and Brian Brackeen co-lead the investment committee. Nichols oversees strategy and committee decisions, while Brackeen directs operational due diligence and post-acquisition portfolio support. Nichols previously served as a managing partner at MaC Venture Capital, where he sourced early-stage investments including Gimlet Media, and Brackeen founded and sold the computer vision company Kairos.
How does Majority Search source deals differently from other buyout firms?
The firm uses a proprietary executive network model rather than competing on broad auction processes. It maintains a senior advisory board composed of diverse C-suite operators and board members who identify founder-owned businesses in technology and sustainability before they reach formal sale processes. This network is the firm's primary deal origination channel.
What size companies does Majority Search target?
Majority Search targets founder-led lower middle market companies generating between $10 million and $50 million in annual revenue. The firm executes control buyouts, taking majority equity positions in each acquisition.
What sectors does Majority Search pursue?
The firm invests primarily in enterprise software, AI and machine learning, cybersecurity, fintech, and sustainability sectors. Its thesis focuses on technology- and data-enabled businesses where diverse management teams are historically underrepresented by institutional capital.
Who backed Majority Search's debut fund?
The $150 million debut fund, closed in September 2024, drew commitments from TPG's The Rise Fund, the New York State Common Retirement Fund, and several university endowments and family offices. The institutional LP base signals strong early validation for a first-time fund.
Is Majority Search a single family office or a traditional private equity firm?
Majority Search is a traditional private equity firm structured as an asset manager, not a family office. It raises committed capital from external institutional limited partners and targets control buyout investments in the lower middle market.
What is the firm's post-acquisition operating model?
Brian Brackeen leads operational support for portfolio companies, drawing on his own experience as a founder who sold his venture-backed startup. The firm applies a hands-on approach to scaling acquired businesses, emphasizing operational improvements alongside growth capital.
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