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At NextGen Growth Partners (NGP), we often say we’re a leadership development firm first and a private equity firm second. Everything we do begins with people — entrepreneurs, founders, and operators who are ready to build and grow enduring companies. Based in Chicago, NGP partners with entrepreneurial leaders to acquire and scale lower middle-market, mission-critical B2B services businesses. Founded in 2016 by Brian O’Connor, a Booth alumnus and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship through Acquisition, NGP was built from the ground up to merge investment rigor with hands-on operational partnership. Recognized as an Inc. Founder-Friendly Investor in both 2024 and 2025, NGP’s approach is guided by the 3T framework — Thesis, Team, and Trade. We invest in the right industries and businesses (Thesis), pairing them with the right leaders and the right support system (Team) to unlock growth. Finally, we execute with a disciplined approach to valuation and structure (Trade), ensuring alignment across founders, investors, and operators. This model blends the entrepreneurial energy of a search fund with the institutional resources of a private equity firm. With more than a decade of experience and an expanding portfolio, NGP completed the fundraising for its third fund in 2024 with a first and final close at the $165 million hard cap, and the firm remains convicted in its differentiated “talent-first” model. Across its funds, NGP partners with business owners to preserve legacy and accelerate growth — often keeping founders involved in the next phase of their company’s evolution while empowering a new generation of leadership to carry the torch forward.