Why Growth Catalyst Partners: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

Growth Catalyst Partners Overview

Founded in 2015, Growth Catalyst Partners (GCP) is a middle market private equity firm which primarily invests in the following sectors:

• Business Information & Intelligence
• Marketing Services & Technology
• Tech-Enabled Services

With over 40 years of combined investing experience and managing 250+ mergers & acquisitions in its focus sectors, GCP provides its expertise to support limited partners and companies in creating value.

Typically, GCP looks for companies with $3MM to $7MM of EBITDA with management who is willing to invest a part of their capital alongside the firm. Also, GCP offers management equity incentive programs to management.

Jim TenBroek and Scott Peters, who both have over 20 years of experience in the target industry sectors, founded Growth Catalyst Partners. The firm is currently located in Chicago, IL with an additional office in Rowayton, CT.

Growth Catalyst Partners AUM

As per the most recent regulatory filings, Growth Catalyst Partners has $560 million in assets under management as of March 31, 2023.

Growth Catalyst Partners Interview Process & Questions

There can always be changes in the interview process for each candidate. However, the general nature of the process tends to stay the same at Growth Catalyst Partners (or a firm like it). In other words, you can likely expect the following:

• 4-6 rounds for interviews
• The HR team or junior investment professionals handle the initial rounds, while the more senior staff supervise the later rounds
• Entire process can last multiple weeks – unless it is “on-cycle” or “on-campus” recruiting

When you interview at Growth Catalyst Partners, prepare to receive a mixture of behavioral questions, fit questions, and technical / investing questions.

To better prepare for interviews, check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Why Growth Catalyst Partners

“Why this firm” is one of the frequently asked and most important questions you’ll encounter during interviews.

If you’ve done networking, this is a great opportunity to mention whoever you’ve met at the firm and how they’ve positively influenced your decision to apply at the firm.

Moreover, it’s important to do some research about the firm before attending interviews. One of the best ways to learn about a firm is to listen to interviews with its founders, investors, and employees. You can also read articles and news about the firm.

For starters, you can check out the following resources:

• News — Growth Catalyst Partners
• Growth Catalyst Partners Launched

Growth Catalyst Partners Case Study

Interviewers almost always have the candidates conduct case studies. Firms use case studies to evaluate the communication skills and technical knowledge of each applicant.

At Growth Catalyst Partners, most cast studies revolve around investment recommendations and financial modeling. However, junior roles are often required to perform a cold calling case study as well.

Check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide for in-depth discussion of case studies.

Growth Catalyst Partners Salary & Compensation

According to public data, the average salary of professionals at Growth Catalyst employees is around $94,078 per year. Earners at the top 75th percentile earn around $106,611.

Keep in mind that these figures consider several factors such as level of experience, education, skills and certifications.

Growth Catalyst Partners Careers, Jobs, & Internships

To view open roles at Growth Catalyst Partners, head over to our job board where you can also find vacant positions at similar firms.

Growth Catalyst Partners Portfolio & Investments

According to Crunchbase, Growth Catalyst Partners has done 12 investments and manages two funds since inception. Some of the firm’s notable deals include Shift Paradigm, Cyber Risk Alliance, and TrueFire Studios.

Notable Transaction: Government Executive Media Group (GEMG)

Government Executive Media Group (GEMG) provides state, federal, and local government leaders useful and trusted insights and best practices to support their organizations’ advancement.

GEMG reaches 2 million government influencers via its publications such as Nextgov, Government Executive, Route Fifty, and Defense One.

On March 17, 2020, Growth Catalyst Partners together with Peter Goldstone (former CEO of Hanley Wood) acquired a majority stake in GEMG.

According to Scott Peters, co-founder of GCP, GEMG has all the qualities they look for in companies – a proven portfolio of products, strong management team, and an excellent reputation.

Next Steps

Growth Catalyst Partners could be the right firm for you if you’re interested in its focus sectors. If you plan to join the firm, I highly recommend checking out my Growth Equity Interview Guide first.

This self-paced online course can help you get a good grasp at financial modeling, market thesis, and other growth equity investing topics that are commonly asked during interviews by going through step-by-step video lessons and learning from examples.

Check it out and start learning today!