New Investment Firm Targets Middle-Market Businesses
Owners of service and healthcare companies can now leverage a new capital partner offering institutional operating support.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Business Strategy
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Three Valleys Capital has launched as a new private investment firm focused on acquiring and supporting services, healthcare, and specialty industrial businesses in the U.S. and Canada. The firm targets companies generating $2 million to $10 million in EBITDA.
Why it matters
The firm aims to bring institutional operating capabilities to smaller family-owned and entrepreneurial enterprises. This model provides an exit path for business owners who want to maintain an economic stake in their operations while accessing external resources.
Three Valleys Capital targets businesses with $2 million to $10 million in EBITDA, drawing on the experience of a founding family that completed 15+ acquisitions between 1978 and 2015. The firm focuses on middle-market companies in services, healthcare, and specialty industrials.
The players
Three Valleys Capital
A private investment firm providing capital and institutional support to middle-market businesses.
JP Gauthier
Managing Partner at Three Valleys Capital with a background at Goldman Sachs, Tenex Capital Management, and Five Arrows.
Claude Gauthier
A founder of an infrastructure services business who oversaw over 15 acquisitions between 1978 and 2015.
Isabelle Nichols
A key contributor who supported the formation of Three Valleys Capital.
The details
The firm utilizes the TVC Operating System to deploy centralized resources, including strategy, performance metrics, talent acquisition, and sales support. By partnering with owners who keep an economic stake, the firm seeks to maintain owner-operator alignment. The investment strategy is based on the history of the Gauthier family, which previously operated an infrastructure services business that grew to employ over 4,000 workers through a multi-decade acquisition strategy.
Timeline
1978: Claude Gauthier founded an infrastructure services business.
1978-2015: The family grew holdings through over 15 acquisitions.
2015-2020: The family sold its businesses and established a family office.
October 21, 2026: Three Valleys Capital announced its official launch.
Market Landscape
Three Valleys Capital reflects the broader rise of firms leveraging proprietary operating systems to transition family-held businesses into institutional-grade assets. The firm’s model follows a documented industry trend of providing scale and structure to smaller middle-market companies.
Owners of services or healthcare businesses in the target EBITDA range should evaluate whether their current management infrastructure is ready for institutional partnership. Prospective sellers should track how the firm’s operating system impacts the growth and retention of existing staff.
The takeaway
Three Valleys Capital emphasizes a collaborative model where owners retain an economic stake, prioritizing long-term alignment over total divestiture. Entrepreneurs should monitor whether this operating-platform approach drives faster EBITDA growth compared to traditional passive private equity buyouts.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest shifts in Business Strategy for middle-market owners.
More information
For more information, visit the Three Valleys Capital website.
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