Who We Are
We are a private investment firm that invests capital in businesses with the
potential to create long-term value. We are unique in that the nature of our capital allows us to focus on long-term holding periods and to be highly flexible in the way we structure investments. Our principal objective
is to partner with management teams to make investments in lower middle-market businesses. Our focus is on well-managed companies with a history of profitability and the potential for growth.
We are particularly focused on family or founder-owned businesses with a legacy-oriented mindset.
Our team has over 100 years of combined management and operating experience. We have been involved in
a wide range of successful businesses across diverse industries. We have experience in every phase
of business, including start-ups, venture capital fund-raising, experience on both sides of
corporate M&A, high-level executive management as well as small business management. As a result, we have
a unique appreciation for the challenges of building a business, and the benefits of compounding growth over an
extended time period.
Why Partner with Us?
We are always intrigued by how many “overnight sensations” were working their butts off for 10 years before bursting on the scene! It takes a long time to build a great business. It took us 15 years before Industrial Scientific began to break away from the pack, so we know a little something about the patience required to reach market leadership.
We want to support entrepreneurs with capital as needed, contacts and advice if asked, and continuous emotional support as they struggle to build great businesses. We are patient. We’ve experienced the ups and downs. We’re not going to force anyone to go big or go home. In our experience, more often than not that leads to someone going home. A partnership with Cathain is a lasting, mutually beneficial one. We build relationships as well as businesses.
We officially incorporated Cathain Ventures in July 2021 but have decades of experience in growing successful businesses and leading in various industries. We are a direct investment fund, sometimes called permanent capital or an evergreen fund. That means, if you partner with us, we’re in it for the long haul. We want to grow and nurture your company to make it the best it can be.
Behind the Name
You may have wondered, “Why the name Cathain?” Let’s dive into some of the history, dating back to one of our founder’s Gaelic roots:
The Arms of McElhattan – our founder Kent McElhattan’s family crest – combine the heraldic symbols of the province of Ulster, Ireland as well as heraldically commemorating St. Cathain. MCELHATTAN is the anglicized version of the Gaelic name MacGiollaChatháin meaning the Son of the Servant to St. Cathain. St. Cathain was a holy man belonging to the Dal nAraide (Irish Picts) of Antrim and named the clan Chattan. McElhattans in Scotland are descendants of Celtic Irish forefathers who migrated to that country following the introduction of Christianity there by St. Columba in the 6th Century. As Scot-Covenanters (Presbyterians), William’s ancestors migrated from Scotland back to Province Ulster, Ireland prior to the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643, making McElhattans truly Scots-Irish. A 1922 fire in Dublin Archives, Ireland destroyed many ancestral records.
And the Logo
You might have noticed our logo, like our name, contains nods to Gaelic and Celtic culture. Our logo is a version of the Trinity Knot or Triquetra which has come to symbolize ‘The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.’ The Triquetra is speculated to be the oldest symbol of spirituality and appears as far back as the ninth century in the Book of Kells.
The Celts very much favored that everything in the world came in threes, hence the three loops in the Trinity Knot. For our purposes, we see the three loops representing Cathain Ventures, you – our client, and the business we create together.