Headquartered in New York City, Branford is a pre-eminent private market investor. We are focused on working with already strong companies that typically have under $100MM in sales. Since its original founding in 1986, Branford’s mission has been to work with these companies to maximize their potential, both in terms of strengthening operations and facilitating growth. As evidence of the success of our partnership with companies, two recent managers of our businesses made between 30-45x their invested capital during Branford’s ownership period.

In the investment world, there are few organizations more experienced and qualified to work with private companies. The Branford team is made up of highly-regarded individuals with significant investing experience. For the past 15 years, Branford has been led by John S. Castle and David Castle. Both are also members of the firm’s investment committee. Included in the day-to-day management team are Managing Directors, Laurence Lederer and Eric Korsten, who each have two decades of experience.

On the investment committee, David and John S. are joined by John K. Castle, David Pittaway and Richard Smith. Each additional member has over three decades of successful investing in and working with private companies. Of particular note, John K. Castle is considered an early founder of the private equity industry and one of its most successful investors due, in part, to his having founded and successfully managed the leading middle-market private equity firm, Castle Harlan, Inc. (CHI). David Pittaway has led the most transactions at CHI and is also regarded as one of the private equity industry’s leading investors.

Branford’s team is rounded-out with highly-skilled and professional investors and operators, who understand that carefully listening to the needs of entrepreneurs and management teams is crucial to recognizing the distinct needs of a business and helping it to achieve long-term success.