Star Mountain Capital, LLC (“Star Mountain”), a rapidly growing, employee-owned investment firm with ~$5 billion in assets under management (“AUM”), announced the final close of Star Mountain CFO I (“CFO I”), a collateralized fund obligation providing insurance companies and institutional investors with investment grade-rated access to Star Mountain’s direct lending strategy. Star Mountain partnered with Evercore on the transaction.

CFO I was structured to accommodate investors as both horizontal buyers and vertical strip investors, with debt tranches rated by Kroll Bond Rating Agency (“KBRA”). The vehicle provides exposure to a diversified, seasoned portfolio of U.S. lower middle-market investments across Star Mountain’s direct lending funds, focused on established businesses in recession-resilient industries with robust covenant protections and zero direct exposure to software companies, real estate or energy.

“We are pleased to have partnered with Evercore to complete Star Mountain CFO I, which reflects growing institutional demand for rated, structured access to the U.S. lower middle-market,” said Brett Hickey, Founder and CEO of Star Mountain Capital. “This transaction demonstrates our continued commitment to developing innovative solutions that meet investors where they are, and we are proud of the strong execution and institutional interest this offer has received.”

CFO I has a diversified investor base across blue chip institutional investors and wealth management platforms. Star Mountain continues to develop rated structures for its direct lending and secondaries strategies.

About Star Mountain Capital

With ~$5 billion in AUM (committed capital including debt facilities as of 7/31/2026), Star Mountain specializes in providing scalable and data-driven investment solutions across two core strategies:

  • Direct Investments: Providing debt and equity capital to established lower middle-market businesses.

  • Secondary Investments: Acquiring LP interests, direct assets and making primary LP commitments.

Star Mountain’s investors include public and private pensions, insurance companies, commercial banks, endowments, foundations, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. Employee-owned and sharing profits with 100% of its U.S. full-time employees, the firm prioritizes alignment of interests to maximize value for stakeholders.

Since 2010, Star Mountain has completed over 100 direct platform investments and 50 secondary / fund investments in the North American lower middle-market. The firm has been recognized as one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies and a Best Place to Work by Crain’s New York Business and Pensions & Investments.

For more information, visit www.starmountaincapital.com.

Legal Disclaimer:

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase interests in any investment product. Awards and recognitions by third-party rating agencies, companies or publications should not be interpreted as a guarantee of future results or performance. They should not be considered as an endorsement, recommendation or referral of Star Mountain Capital or its representatives by any client or third party. Rankings published by media and industry organizations are based on information provided by the recognized advisor. Additionally, readers should understand that past performance is not indicative of future results. Award descriptions and selection methodologies may vary.

Awards and Recognition Disclosure:

Star Mountain Capital’s awards and recognitions are based on third-party evaluations and criteria, which may be subjective. These honors do not imply a guarantee of future performance or an endorsement by current or past clients.

Ranking Methodologies:

  • Alternative Credit Investor Awards: Awards are issued by Alternative Credit Investor. The award referenced herein was received in 2026. Award recipients are selected by a panel of independent judges and Alternative Credit Investor’s editorial team based on criteria including industry impact, team expertise and quality of products and services, with consideration of submitted materials. Star Mountain Capital submitted information as part of the award application process. Star Mountain Capital paid fees for the use of the award logo and related promotional materials. Third-party awards and recognitions are not indicative of future performance and may not be representative of any one client’s experience.

  • Crain’s Best Places to Work: Evaluations were conducted through a two-part process, assessing workplace policies, practices and employee satisfaction via surveys. Participation required a fee solely for survey processing purposes. More details are available at Crain’s eligibility criteria.

  • Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work: Companies were evaluated based on surveys measuring employee engagement (75%) and employer policies (25%). Participation required a minimum of 20 U.S. employees and $100 million in discretionary assets under management. Further details can be found at P&I eligibility criteria.

  • Inc. 5000 Rankings: Companies were ranked based on revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, firms had to be U.S.-based, privately held and independent, with revenue thresholds of at least $100,000 in 2019 and $2 million in 2022. More details are available at Inc. 5000 criteria.

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