On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we speak with Suzanne Yoon, Founder and Managing Partner of Kinzie Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Chicago. Chicago Mergers and Acquisitions Magazine named Suzanne 2020’s most influential woman in mid-market M&A, and she’s also been recognized by The Wall Street Journal as a top female dealmaker, shaping private equities both present and future. Just recently, Kinzie Capital Partners was honored by the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN) as the North American female-founded firm of the year for 2020.

“Really the start of Kinzie was based on an investment thesis around taking companies that were necessary for the economy, were going through some type of transition, and maybe had some age on them with regards to operations and technology, and being able to handhold, and through governance and technology initiatives, create more efficiencies, and also make sure that the infrastructure is in place to really take a company to the next step and think about growing. That was really our thesis,” says Suzanne.

We chat about Suzanne’s journey in the financial sector, as well as:

• Kinzie’s commitment to the lower-middle market

• The Kinzie Formula: av=f(K+O)T© — wherein accelerated value creation (av) is a function (f) of capital and operational improvement (K+O), compounded by technology (T)

• Her experience with rep and warranty insurance

• Her perspective on the future for women in finance

• And more