About Alchemy Capital
Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Alchemy Capital Partners is a privately funded merchant banking firm specializing in acquiring, investing in and advising mid-market companies with enterprise values up to $250 million. We partner with management teams and executives to assist in value creation through the development and execution of organic and external growth strategies.
​​
Alchemy Capital was established to address a growing need for professional transaction advice backed by private capital in the lower middle market segment. Historically, this market segment had been overlooked by private equity firms (who typically focus on larger companies and transactions), search funds (who typically undertake a single transaction), individual investors (who seek specialized opportunities from within their personal networks) and by transaction-oriented investment banks.
Advisory Services
Alchemy Capital Partners selectively provides advisory services to growth companies at various stages of their lifecycles. Drawing upon the extensive experience of its principals, Alchemy can assist companies in areas including:
Acquisitions & Divestitures
Private Capital Financing
Recapitalizations
Financial Restructuring
Joint Ventures and Strategic Partnerships
Development of growth or financial Strategies
International Expansion
Investment Strategy
Alchemy Capital Partners seeks to acquire established companies with proven business models, brand recognition, a track record of profitability and prospects for organic or external growth. Our strategy is based on leveraging the experience of our team and our operating partners to actively drive the value creation process. We are long term, patient investors and seek to proactively create value rather than maximize returns through cost-cutting strategies that maybe detrimental over the long term.
​
Our investment focus builds on the legacies of the entrepreneurs we acquire companies from. As a matter of policy, we do not change the name of the entity and have yet to terminate an employee as part of any transition process. Rather than reducing costs, we prefer to invest in the employees at each company we acquire, and to partner with them to create value over the long term.
​
Our Investment Criteria
For direct investments, Alchemy Capital Partners typically seeks companies with an enterprise value of between $5 million and $50 million, and we prefer to be the controlling investor in each of our portfolio companies.
Our ideal investment candidates have EBITDA of between $1 and $5 million, an ample competitive position and historical profitability. We are also comfortable investing in companies that are underperforming and require operational restructuring or strategic repositioning to return them to their growth paths. We are well suited to work with family-owned companies that lack a succession plan as we typically install our own executive management team post-acquisition.
Alchemy Capital Partners
Addictive Mobility (Acquired by Pelmorex Corp.)
Addictive Mobility is an emerging ad-tech company that specializes in formulating and delivering targetted mobile ad campaigns on behalf of Fortune 500 clients globally. Addictive Mobility is headquartered in Toronto, ON and maintains offices in Vancouver, Dubai (U.A.E.) and London (U.K.).
Fernished Inc.
(Acquired by Vesta)
Fernished offers "furniture as a service" with a subscription service that allows users the opportunity to select home furnishings they want for however long they want them for a flat monthly fee. Users can exchange, purchase or return the furniture upon the end of the subscription period. Fernished is based in Los Angeles, CA.
.png)
JM Science Inc. (Acquired by management)
JM Science is a leading distributor and online retailer of scientific instruments and accessories, including a variety of laboratory equipment. Based in Grand Island, NY, JM Science was founded in 1989 and currently operates globally.
Diamond Line Painting
Diamond Line Painting is a leading provider of line marking services across Ontario. The Company specializes in line marking for parking lots, athletic facilities, warehouses and smaller roads. Diamond Line Painting is headquartered in Cambridge, ON.
.png)
GameOnStream (Acquired by LiveBarn)
GameOnStream is an automated broadcast management system that allows clients to stream live events and replay previous ones on-demand. By employing unmanned cameras and a private network infrastructure, GOS' clients are able to broadcast sporting events, recitals, plays and other live events in multi-angle HD quality. GOS is based in Toronto, ON.
.png)
K.D.N. Pavement Markings
K.D.N. Pavement Markings is a leading provider of line marking, obliteration and removal services for highways and roadways across Ontario. K.D.N. is based in Rockwood, ON.
.jpg)
Patlon Aircraft and Industries Ltd.
Patlon is a technical sales organization that represents over 40 international manufacturers, bringing their state-of-the-art technologies to the Canadian market and serving as the exclusive repair and overhaul, and design services to government and private clients across the country. Patlon is based in Halton Hills, ON with offices nationally.
​
.jpg)
Paystone Inc.
​Paystone is a provider of payments and other customer engagement solutions that allow merchants to turn everyday transactions into meaningful interactions and opportunities for growth. Paystone is headquartered in London, ON with operations across Canada.
Schaaf Foods Inc.
Schaaf Foods is a leading provider of loaf cakes and other baked goods distributed through grocery chains and membership warehouses across Canada. With a 45 year operating history, Schaaf is a well recognized and respected brand name across Canadian households.
Our Advisory Experience
Our Team
We are currently in the process of building our team. If you think you would make a good addition, please contact us.
Sajjad Mahmood - Managing Director
​
Sajjad has over 28 years of experience in private equity, venture capital, investment banking, M&A and financial restructuring transactions. Most recently, Sajjad led the Knowledge Based Industries group of Ernst & Young Corporate Finance (Canada) where he advised high growth companies on acquisitions, divestitures and private capital financings. Prior to rejoining EY, Sajjad spent six years in Dubai, U.A.E. where he initially worked for an investment fund backed by two of Dubai's sovereign wealth funds, and subsequently joined a private family office where he was responsible for investing the personal wealth of an ultra-high net worth family across a variety of sectors and geographies.
Before relocating to the Middle East, Sajjad spent six years working in the TMT group of Ernst & Young Corporate Finance. Sajjad's previous experience also includes tenures in the investment banking groups of Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. (now Raymond James Financial) and Wachovia Securities Inc. (now Wells Fargo Securities) in the United States.
Sajjad earned a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration (Honors and Distinction) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds the Corporate Finance qualification awarded by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Michael Ruta - Executive Director
​
Throughout his career, Michael has demonstrated expertise in managing complex middle-market transactions across multiple sectors, including power and utilities, manufacturing, construction, retail, consumer services, transportation and logistics, and alternative fuels, with aggregate transaction value in excess of $1.0 billion.
​
Before joining Alchemy Capital Partners, Michael was a Director in Grant Thornton's Transactions practice, where he advised privately held businesses on divestitures, acquisitions, and capital raising initiatives. Prior to joining the Grant Thornton Transactions practice Michael spend several years working in the firm’s audit group.
Michael earned his Honours Business Administration degree from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University. Subsequently, Michael obtained his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) designation and his Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) designation, receiving the silver medal for exceptional performance on the CBV qualification examination.
.jpg)
_JPG.jpg)