ScaleCo Capital

The Codex is ScaleCo’s proprietary post-acquisition framework, composed of standardized tools, strategic playbooks, and partner relationships. It covers financial controls, sales and marketing build-out, technology enablement, talent development, and add-on acquisition execution. The firm embeds operating specialists directly into acquired companies to implement the Codex, rather than relying on outside consultants (per the firm).

ScaleCo targets control investments in companies with up to $50 million in revenue and up to $5 million in EBITDA. Equity hold sizes go up to $25 million, with the ability to co-invest for larger transactions. Add-on acquisitions have no minimum EBITDA requirement, allowing the firm to consolidate smaller competitors into its platforms (per its investment criteria).

Founder and Managing Partner Brendan Anderson and Managing Partner Dave Jacob lead the firm and its investment committee. The investment team is supported by Vice President Matt Sweet and an operating partner focused on go-to-market, indicating a centralized decision-making structure typical of a small, control-oriented private equity firm (per the firm’s team page).

The firm requires platform-company headquarters to be in the Great Lakes region. Add-on acquisitions can be located anywhere, with no stated geographic restriction. ScaleCo itself operates from a single office in Cleveland and describes its investment model as 'Investing Locally in the Midwest.'

ScaleCo’s published materials name three target sectors — business and tech-enabled services, value-added distribution and assembly, and education, training and compliance — but the firm does not publish an explicit avoidance list. What is observable is an omission of direct-to-consumer, healthcare services, and pure manufacturing businesses from its stated focus, suggesting a preference for B2B service models with revenue visibility.