Keytone Ventures

Keystone Capital is an entrepreneurial holding company and private equity firm founded in 1994 by Kent Dauten and Scott Gwilliam. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Keystone has historically utilized the personal capital of its partners to acquire high-quality, market-leading businesses. In 2021, the firm closed its debut institutional fund, Keystone Capital Fund II, LP, with $420 million in capital commitments, marking a significant evolution in its strategy by including external investors. Keystone Capital focuses on long-term value creation by acquiring and growing businesses across various sectors, including engineering and technical services, tech-enabled services, commercial services and engineered products, and food and beverage manufacturing. The firm emphasizes operational and growth-oriented support for business owners and management teams, aiming for sustainable success. Keystone’s investment philosophy is built on three core values: expertise, conservative investing, and creativity. They conduct thorough preliminary tests to ensure profitability and optimal risk diversification in each transaction, maintain a controlled risk approach to provide investor confidence, and employ creative thinking to overcome barriers and execute complex deals. The firm's recent investments include partnerships with Inspire11 and ClearWater Solutions. Keystone has completed over 110 acquisitions throughout its history and continues to actively manage and grow its portfolio, recently completing ten add-on acquisitions and selling two platform investments in late 2020.