What We Do
Merchant Banking
We employ our experience, knowledge base, and extensive network to identify and pursue investments in companies and real estate projects across a wide range of industries, asset classes, and geographic regions. We target opportunities that have substantial growth potential along with tangible downside protection, and where our relationships, unique skill sets and strategic input create value and maximize returns. We invest our capital alongside management’s to align interests and actively contribute our resources for the benefit of the project and partners.
We leverage our extensive contacts to attract thoughtful capital providers that understand the particular business, respect management’s value, and recognize that capital is an essential contributor to, but not the only element of, a successful investment. Our principals engage on a daily basis with a diverse network of institutional investors, venture capitalists, family offices, and high net worth individuals to understand each party’s investment criteria. Often, successful project capitalization is simply a function of finding the right “fit” between management and investors, although more often than not, this can be anything but “simple”. By developing and maintaining strong relationships and understanding each investor’s target profile, we match opportunities with the right capital providers.
Investment Banking and Strategic Advisory Services
In addition to direct principal investing, we provide specialized advisory services for capital formation, distressed/restructuring situations and acquisition/disposition strategies, primarily on a referral basis within the firm’s network. As entrepreneurs and principals in our own enterprise ventures, the partners at Watermen Capital have experienced firsthand the challenges that small to medium-sized businesses face when seeking equity and debt financing in capital markets biased toward large institutional transactions.
Our senior executives remain directly involved throughout every assignment. When we take on a project, we are passionate advocates to enable your company or real estate venture to achieve its financial and strategic objectives. As every transaction is different, we tailor solutions to each situation; however, the constants to every Watermen deal are exhaustive research, organization, thoroughness of marketing materials, energy, and tenacity.
Debt Financing and Placement
The Watermen team brings over 40 years of combined experience in creative structured finance at major financial institutions. Our principals have negotiated debt transactions as both lender and borrower; we understand the hot buttons on both sides of the table. We maintain extensive relationships at banks, finance companies, bulge-bracket investment banks, conduits, mezzanine investors and private lenders. We are adept throughout the capital stack and possess the expertise to handle complex credit structures including senior and senior participating debt, mezzanine financing, credit enhancements, corporate and real estate bond financing, credit lines, revolvers, repo facilities, rate hedging strategies and more. We understand each lender’s credit culture and can position your company or real estate project for success. At Watermen Capital, we have confidence in our underwriting and will often retain the risk piece of the debt stack. We are uniquely positioned to find our clients the best execution available in the market.