Fast-growing Incline Equity to hire at junior, mid-levels

Incline Equity Partners, a buyout firm whose payroll has more than doubled in the last three years, has openings for associates, senior associates and vice presidents in its Pittsburgh and New York City offices.

Jake Kramer, a vice president on the Ascent fund who joined the firm last summer, revealed the broad outline of the firm’s hiring plans in this Linkedin post. In an interview this week, Jack Glover, a co-founder and managing partner, said that its Ascent investment team alone needs to add some half dozen professionals.

The firm’s hiring spree, which has taken the firm from less than 30 people three years ago to more than 60 today, “is really driven by the growth” in AUM, said Glover. With all the fresh capital raised, “we have to do more deals, and we have to do them quicker, and we have to do more with the companies that we buy.”

The Firm: Incline Equity Partners acquires value-added distribution, specialized light manufacturing and business services with enterprise values ranging from $25 million to $750 million. It has three fund families. Its fifth flagship fund, which closed at $1.165 billion in early 2020, is earmarked for deals at the large end of that EV range; while its second Elevate fund ($630 million, early 2022) and first Ascent funds ($310 million, early 2022) are earmarked for smaller deals.

The Leadership: Founded in 2011, Incline Equity Partners is led by Glover, who worked for more than 15 years at PNC Equity Partners prior to launching the firm; Co-Founder and Senior Partner Justin Bertram, a colleague of Glover’s at PNC Equity Partners; and Senior Partner Leon Rubinov, who had previously worked at buyout firm Sterling Partners.

The Culture: “We take our business seriously but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” said Glover. He added: “We love what we do. We love working together. And that allows us to have success.” What kind of people thrive at the firm? Glover said it comes down to wanting to be part of a winning team. “It’s not about any one person doing any one thing,” Glover said. “Everyone shares in success.” Nearly every person at the firm is an investor in the fund, he noted, including members of the business development, finance and portfolio support teams.

The Location: Glover called Pittsburgh a great, affordable location, a short flight from New York City and a reasonable drive to the Jersey shore. The nearby Allegheny Mountains offer mountain biking, hiking and skiing. The office is located “right in the heart of the cultural district,” near museums, theaters and restaurants. Expect to work in the office. “We work in the office because everyone wants to be in the office,” Glover said. “Ours is an apprenticeship business. You learn by doing and by participating in the process.”

In his post Kramer said to reach out to him if interested in the open positions.