Eagle Merchant Partners ("Eagle"), a private equity firm investing in lower middle-market franchise, consumer and industrial companies, today announced the closing of its inaugural fund, Eagle Merchant Partners I, L.P. 

The fund closed with over $265 million, well in excess of its initial target. Investors include U.S. and international institutions, endowments, foundations, wealth managers and family offices. Led by Stockton Croft and Bill Lundstrom, Eagle leadership has invested more than $1 billion of equity and is committed to growing founder-owned businesses in the Southeast with $2 million to $20 million of EBITDA.

"We are grateful for the support from our previous investors and the positive response we received from our diverse group of new investors. We appreciate their confidence in our focused investment strategy and experience across our core sectors," said Stockton Croft, Partner and Founder of Eagle.

"The Eagle team is excited about the six platform investments we have already made in Fund I, all of which are representative of our strategy," said Bill Lundstrom, Partner and Founder of Eagle. "As we deploy the rest of the fund, we look forward to partnering with additional founders, owners and management teams to help them create value and achieve sustainable growth."

Having invested in the Southeast for over 20 years, Eagle maintains deep networks in the region, providing strong access to business founders and key intermediaries in the region. The firm applies its Eagle operating playbook to build A+ management teams, invest in portfolio company infrastructure and accelerate growth through acquisitions, new unit development and organic initiatives.

Aviditi Advisors served as exclusive placement agent for the fund and Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Eagle.