Kern Whelan Capital

Overview

Kern Whelan Capital is a private equity firm specializing in growth-stage investments across various sectors. The firm focuses on partnering with strong management teams to build market-leading businesses, typically investing between $5 million and $15 million in each company. They prefer simple capital structures to align their interests closely with management. The firm's investment strategy is opportunistic, seeking companies with the potential to generate operating profit margins of 15% or better. While they have a particular focus on the life sciences, they remain open to opportunities in other sectors that demonstrate strong cash flow potential. Kern Whelan Capital typically serves as the largest personal investor in each of their portfolio companies, reflecting their commitment to the success of their investments. Kern Whelan Capital has a history of investing in a diverse range of industries, including technology, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, and financial services. Their portfolio includes companies such as Cohera Medical, Concentric Analgesics, and UserTesting. The firm is known for its long-term approach to investments, not being beholden to a single exit strategy but instead opportunistic about investor capital return through various means, including mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, recapitalizations, and dividends. The firm is led by Founder and General Partner Jay Kern, who has over a decade of experience in private equity investing. Prior to founding Kern Whelan Capital, Mr. Kern was Managing Director of Reynolds, DeWitt & Co. in Cincinnati, where he led all acquisitions and venture financings. He holds a J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Princeton University. Mr. Kern serves on the board of directors of several companies, including Cohera Medical, ProService Hawaii, and Dixon Midland Co.