# Search Fund Partners

The first fund dedicated to search funds.

The first private equity fund dedicated to investing in search funds, by its own words, founded in 2003 by two operating chief executives. It invests in traditional searches and the acquisitions they produce, with partners who are largely former searchers and CEOs; its portfolio grid carries about 190 investments, roughly half of them exited, and its home page counts 195 acquisitions.

- Category: Capital & Investors
- Pricing model: Custom Pricing
- Where it fits: Learn & Choose Your Path, Set Up & Fund the Search
- Website: https://www.searchfunds.net

## At a Glance

If you are raising a traditional search, the longest track record in the niche belongs on your outreach list; just arrive already fluent in the standard economics.

- Track Record: The first private equity fund dedicated to investing in search funds, in its own words, backing searches and their acquisitions since 2003. Its searchers page puts its expertise at over 150 search acquisitions, its home page counter rendered zero at the last read, and its portfolio grid renders about 190 cards, roughly half of them exited.
- Lane: Traditional
- Funds: The search phase and the deal
- Based: Menlo Park, California.
- Invests: No investing scope on the pages this review read, so ask whether it will look at a search where you are.
- Buys: A short front page about the model and the team. Its approach page describes the search fund model itself rather than the firm's own appetite, and its searchers page describes the feedback it gives while a searcher brainstorms industries. No size band, industry list or deal criteria on any of them.
- Before A First Call: A searchers page about the support it gives and the annual gathering it runs, listing the searches it is currently backing. Its contact form asks for a name, company, phone, email, a message and consent to text messages, and nothing is named as a prerequisite anywhere.
- First-Time Operators: A searchers page about the support it gives and the community it runs, and a roster of current searches. Nothing about what any of those people had done before.
- How Long The Search Runs: No length on the search and nothing about what happens if it ends without a deal, on the pages this review read. Ask what the clock is before you sign anything.
- Published Terms: No check size, stake or fee on the pages this review read. Most firms on this shelf publish none, so ask early rather than late.
- What A Searcher Gets: Not published on the pages this review read. It is the figure a searcher most wants and most of this shelf does not print it, so ask before the first call rather than after.
- After The Close: Says it serves on boards and helps its searchers toward the best outcome at exit.

## What It Costs

Investment terms, not fees. The site publishes no terms on either side; the traditional search-fund structure, which the Stanford primer in this directory explains, is what applies.

## Best For

Traditional [searchers](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/searcher) assembling a [cap table](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/cap-table) who want the longest-tenured dedicated investor in the room and partners who have sat in the searcher's chair

## Pros and Cons

- Pro: The category's original dedicated fund, with two decades of pattern recognition
- Pro: Partners are predominantly former searchers and operating CEOs
- Pro: A deep portfolio history that third-party trackers document independently
- Con: Traditional search economics mean meaningful equity and governance go to the investor group; understand the standard structure before any conversation
- Con: Selective by design; a strong personal and deal thesis is table stakes
- Con: Terms and process details are not published, which is the norm for the category

## What Searchers Say

Consistently named among the [anchor investors](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/anchor-investor) in [search-fund](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/search-fund) roundups and community discussion, with a reputation built on longevity and mentorship. As with all search investors, individual searcher experiences track the specific partner relationship.

## Compared With

- Search-phase backer or acquisition-stage bench? (https://searchspheresource.com/resources/compare/search-fund-partners-vs-ttcer-partners.md)

## Sources

- https://www.searchfunds.net/
- https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/51482-80
- https://www.searchfunds.net/approach
- https://www.searchfunds.net/portfolio
- https://www.searchfunds.net/searchers
- https://www.searchfunds.net/team

Also on this site: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/category/capital.md
Source: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/search-fund-partners
Last checked: 2026-09-23

Site index for machines: https://searchspheresource.com/llms.txt