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Sundial
Sundial is Brian Kelley's Delray Beach family office that makes permanent-hold control investments in mid-market software and services companies.
Sundial
Sundial was formed in 2016 by Brian Kelley in Delray Beach, Florida, after he sold a data analytics company to a private equity sponsor. The office is structured as a permanent-hold investment vehicle, avoiding the fundraising and return-timing constraints that define traditional private equity. Kelley maintains sole investment discretion and anchors the firm's capital base with his own liquidity event. The strategy concentrates on control equity and structured minority investments in United States-based middle-market businesses, spanning enterprise software, tech-enabled services, and industrial technology. Sundial targets founder and family-owned companies with $1 million to $5 million in EBITDA, according to the firm's public investment criteria. The firm provides liquidity to founders seeking a partner who will not force a subsequent sale in three to five years. Rather than syndicating with other sponsors, Sundial typically acts as the sole institutional capital source in a transaction, which the firm argues reduces execution risk for sellers. Sundial operates from a single location in South Florida. Kelley runs the office with an in-house team that handles origination through portfolio management, though the firm's exact professional headcount is not disclosed. In 2017, the firm made a growth investment in SimplyIOA, a Lake Mary, Florida-based insurance agency software platform, integrating it into a broader plan to aggregate vertical SaaS assets in the insurance distribution space. Since that transaction, Sundial has focused its origination efforts on business-to-business software and service companies with recurring revenue models across the Southeast and Midwest. Sundial's structural distinction is a private equity-style investment approach without a fund structure — the capital is permanent, sourced from a single principal who made his wealth as an operator. This architecture lets the firm compete with both family offices seeking passive minority stakes and institutional sponsors pursuing time-bound control deals. Sellers negotiate with one decision-maker, Kelley, and the firm's indefinite hold period is embedded in its legal formation rather than promised in a pitch deck.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
2016
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Delray Beach
Corporate office
Delray Beach, FL, United States
Principals
Brian Kelley
Founder & Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Sundial?
Brian Kelley, the firm's founder and managing partner, has sole investment discretion. He formed Sundial after selling a data analytics company to a private equity firm in 2016. An in-house team supports origination and portfolio management, but Kelley personally underwrites and negotiates every deal.
Is Sundial structured as a family office or a private equity firm?
Sundial is a single-family office that operates like a permanent-hold private equity investor. It does not raise third-party funds or charge management fees to outside limited partners. The firm takes control and structured minority positions in founder-led companies using Kelley's personal capital, which removes the pressure to exit investments on a fund-mandated timeline.
What size and type of companies does Sundial target?
The firm focuses on United States-based middle-market companies generating $1 million to $5 million in EBITDA, according to its public investment criteria. Sundial prefers founder and family-owned businesses in enterprise software, tech-enabled services, and industrial technology. The firm acts as the sole institutional investor in most transactions, targeting control or significant-minority equity positions.
Does Sundial co-invest alongside other private equity sponsors?
Sundial typically does not syndicate with other institutional investors. The firm positions itself as a sole capital source to simplify negotiations and closing for business owners. By avoiding club deals or sponsor co-investments, the firm can move quickly and maintain a clean governance structure post-close.
Where does Sundial's capital come from?
The capital is sourced entirely from Brian Kelley's personal wealth, generated when he built and sold a data analytics company to a private equity buyer. Sundial is not a multi-family office and does not manage outside capital. This single-principal structure concentrates decision-making in one operator who understands the exit process from the seller's perspective.
Does Sundial have a fixed holding period for its investments?
No. Sundial is designed as a permanent-hold vehicle with no fund clock or mandated exit timeline. The firm tells business owners it will hold investments indefinitely, which differentiates it from traditional buyout funds that typically seek to realize returns within three to seven years.
What is Sundial's geographic focus?
Sundial invests nationally but concentrates its origination efforts on companies in the Southeast and Midwest United States. The firm is headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, and its known portfolio includes a Florida-based insurance agency software platform.
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