May 28, 2025

Connor McMahan Launches Virent Capital to Partner with Founder-Led Services and Consumer Companies in the Lower Middle Market

RADNOR, Pa., May 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Connor McMahan today announced the launch of Virent Capital, a private equity firm headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, focused on partnering with founder-led services and consumer companies across the U.S. lower middle market. Virent was founded on the belief that the next generation of private equity success will be driven by deep sector […]

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Rob

Cottone

Senior Advisor

Robert Cottone is Chairman of IMC Construction and has been a leader in the construction industry for more than 40 years. He has led the development of several billion dollars’ worth of projects across the United States. After running his own firm for a decade, Robert joined IMC over 30 years ago and rose through the ranks—serving as Project Executive, Vice President of Development, Executive Vice President, President, and now Chairman. In his current role, he focuses on strategic planning, problem-solving, talent development, and select special projects. Robert earned his degree from LaSalle University in 1982. He recently served as President of the Citadel National Construction Group, a national, multi-billion-dollar construction consortium.

In addition to his leadership at IMC, Robert is the founder, partner, or general manager of the following ventures:

RC Company, an interiors general contracting firm
Tristate Equipment, a commercial construction equipment sales and rental company
Tristate Materials, a commercial specialty materials supplier
Risk Strategies, an insurance firm
Linden Lane Capital Partners, co-founder of a real estate development company
Greyhawk, partner in a home healthcare company
Linden Lane Structure Capital, partner in a real estate finance firm
General partner in numerous commercial real estate holdings

In 2007, Robert founded the IMC Charitable Foundation to formalize his longstanding commitment to community engagement and social investment—values that remain central to his leadership. He leads by example and has been honored for his work by LaSalle University, the American Heart Association, Community Volunteers in Medicine, and many other business and charitable organizations.

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Michael

Parsons

Senior Advisor

Michael Parsons is Executive Vice President at CTDI and provides leadership and direction for the Networks & Cable Business Unit’s day-to-day operational performance. Michael also leads CTDI’s engineering efforts and recently created the CTDI Innovation Lab. The CTDI Innovation Lab engineers, designs and fabricates CTDI’s test platforms and automation solutions supporting CTDI’s global footprint.

Michael began his career at CTDI in 2007 working in the engineering organization as a set-top box Project Engineer. In 2010, Michael was appointed Director of Set-Top Box Division and was responsible for CTDI’s innovative test engineering of CTDI’s Patented Gen-3, Gen-5 and CMTx-5 multi-unit testers. Michael led the technical and business development of CTDI’s STB business and played a key role in establishing CTDI as an industry leader both technically and operationally. In December 2013, Michael was promoted to Vice President, Set-Top Box Division.

Michael graduated in 2007 from Fairfield University with a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and received his MBA from Villanova University in 2011.

Leadership in the Community

Board of Limited Jurisdiction for the Sts. Peter and Paul School in Chester County
Active Malvern Prep Alumni Board Member

Former Board Member for SPARC, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Autism Resource Center

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Timothy

Hughes

Senior Advisor

TIMOTHY P. HUGHES is the Founder and President/CEO of MSS, Inc., which has delivered specialty moving-related services to the relocation marketplace throughout North America since 1978. 2025 marked the company’s 16^th consecutive year as a Philadelphia Inquirer Top Workplace and in 2023 Tim was honored with the Top Workplace Leadership Award in the midsize company category. MSS is the nation’s largest provider of relocation support services handling over 180,000 relocations annually. In 2011 Tim founded Snap Install Inc., an Osseo, MN based company offering turnkey solutions for nationwide installation needs for digital signage, healthcare service and warranty, product recall management, ergonomic furniture and commercial AV. Tim holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Saint Francis University. He has served on the American Moving & Storage Association’s Board of Directors, the Worldwide Employee Relocation Council’s US Advisory Council, Wissahickon Trails Emeritus Board of Director, LaSalle College High School’s Board of Trustees and the Abraham Lincoln Foundation. He currently serves on the CHOP Foundation Board of Advisors and the Union League of Philadelphia Board of Directors in the role of Vice President. Tim was honored with the American Trucking Association/Moving & Storage Institute Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

MSS is a key supporter of Move For Hunger, a non-profit organization that works with over 1,200 relocation companies to collect non-perishable food items (over 23 million pounds’ worth to date) and deliver them to food banks. Tim contributes financially to scholarship programs for over two dozen schools throughout the region. He also supports Variety – The Children’s Charity, the National Liberty Museum, the Union League of Philadelphia’s Founding Forward and Wissahickon Trails, a non-profit land trust founded in 1957 to protect the quality and beauty of the region. He is an avid supporter of both the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Fox Chase Cancer Center.

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Mike

Kealey

Senior Advisor

Mike Kealey is a Senior Advisor at Radial Equity Partners, focusing on investments in the vehicle Aftermarket, and is currently serving as Chairman of the Board at Coker Group, MultiParts and Moss-Rimmer SNG. Prior to his current role Mr. Kealey served as President and CEO at Coker Group. Before joining Radial Equity Partners, Mr. Kealey served in numerous leadership roles over 20 years with Dorman Products, Inc. (NASD: DORM), including most recently as EVP – Commercial, a leading provider of replacement and upgrade parts for the vehicle aftermarket industry serving passenger cars, as well as light, medium and heavy-duty trucks and specialty vehicles.

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Avrum

Elmakis

Senior Advisor

Avrum Elmakis is a serial entrepreneur with a focus on consumer companies across a wide range of industries, serving as an investor, advisor, founder, and operator. He has a particular specialization in the pet industry, where he has built, sold, advised, and consulted on over ten companies.

Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Avrum has consistently emphasized speed, disruption, and large-scale impact. He has successfully executed multiple exits to family offices, private equity firms, strategic buyers, and through management buyouts. Navigating both rapid growth and optimal exit opportunities are among his personal and professional passions.

Avrum is a recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and has earned a place on the Inc. 500/5000 Honor Roll for five consecutive years of market-leading growth. His work has also garnered numerous local, regional, and national honors.

He currently serves on several private company, private equity, bank, and nonprofit boards. Avrum lives in Arizona with his wife and four daughters.

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Suchit

Bachalli

Senior Advisor

Suchit Bachalli serves as the CEO of Unilog, the industry-leading B2B eCommerce platform purpose-built for mid-sized distributors and specialty retailers. Under his leadership, Unilog has redefined digital commerce for the wholesale distribution market by combining enterprise-grade capabilities with rapid time-to-value—empowering independent businesses to compete and thrive in an increasingly digital economy.

A strategic thinker with an operator’s mindset, Suchit has spent his career architecting and scaling sophisticated eCommerce solutions for the underserved mid-market. He is a vocal advocate for practical innovation, championing a customer-first product culture that blends modern technology, vertical specificity, and intelligent automation.

Since becoming CEO, Suchit has led Unilog through a period of transformative growth, including securing a significant investment from Investcorp, a global private equity firm, to fuel the company’s North American expansion and product innovation roadmap. Prior to that, he established and scaled Unilog’s U.S. operations, eventually relocating the company’s global headquarters to Wayne, PA—where it continues to serve a growing customer base across HVAC, electrical, plumbing, jan/san, safety, and industrial verticals.

Suchit’s leadership has been widely recognized. He was named Technology CEO of the Year (2024) by the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital & Technologies (PACT), received the Vistage Impact Award (2017), and was a Philadelphia Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree (2015).

Beyond Unilog, Suchit remains an active and committed civic leader. He serves as a trustee of The Franklin Institute, one of the country’s most storied science museums and home to the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial. As a proud immigrant, he is humbled to support the advancement of science, innovation, and education in his adopted hometown of Philadelphia. He also chairs the TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) program in Philadelphia, mentoring high school students in entrepreneurship and invention.

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Michael

Carter

Senior Advisor

Mike is a successful serial technology entrepreneur, author, and venture capitalist. Mike is the Founder and CEO of EMG.AI. Mike founded and was CEO of BizEquity, the world’s largest online business valuation platform. Mike earlier in his career worked with legendary investor Warren V. “Pete” Musser as Managing Director of The Musser Group and began his career at Safeguard Scientifics affiliated companies Cambridge Technology Partners, and US Interactive. Mike has been called one of the top 100 FinTech Entrepreneurs Globally and is the best selling author of The Mission Corporation.

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Brock

Weatherup

Senior Advisor

Brock Weatherup is a proven CEO/Leader/Executive with a uniquely broad background centered around the intersection of technology & data to sell a product or service. Brock has broad experience actively engaging as a senior c-suite executive in the board rooms of two large corporate entities, to innovating/founding four startups with three successful exits, to operating partner involvement at multiple levels of investment firms (seed stage, venture capital and mid market PE). This broad background has exposed Brock to the workings of a number of large-scale consumer businesses, their executive teams, successful capital allocation & strategic investments, handling competing positions/strategies, led the sourcing & integration of 20+ strategic acquisitions and the inner workings of CEO’s and their boards. The net result of these many experiences is that Brock has developed the judgement, perspective, and maturity to manage in large and diverse business entities through all stages of growth & expansion. Brock career is a filled with successful leadership of strategic innovation, organizational design, effective capital deployment and enterprise value creation including three successful scaling of startup/high growth businesses including their acquisition. Brock has been an integral part of multiple value creation scenarios including being Founder/CEO of transformational sport brand Fathead, to creating a 10x VC return via turnaround to exit as CEO of Pet360, to being the Chief Digital Officer helping facilitate the $8.7B ‘take private’ of PetSmart to being a member of the four person executive committee at Petco transforming to the pet health and wellness company for eventual successful public IPO. Both organic growth and transformational acquisitions have been central to Brock’s experience including having led/completed over 12 acquisitions and associated integrations.

Strategic organizational leadership through advisory roles at the highest level of companies has been as staple of Brock’s professional as well as non-profit involvement. This includes being an part-time Operating Partner at MidOcean Private Equity firm as well as an active angel investor, advisor and board member to a number of companies in the startup ecosystem through to scaled growth. Currently serving as an advisor/board member to TrustedHousesitters, Miva Technologies, PetLabCo, Oowlish Technology, PetShop.uk, and an Angel investor in over 25 Companies. Volunteering includes: Multiple Sclerosis Society Board, PathNorth Board, and CU Leeds Business School Deans Advisory Counsel.

Most recently Brock was the CEO/Founder of Great Pet/Metamorphosis Partners – a pet focused venture studio & digital marketing planform sold in March 2022 to Covetrus after only 2 years. Previously Brock was EVP/Chief Innovation & Digital Officer for Petco having arrived as a result of the acquisition of PetCoach (tele-medicine/digital engagement pet care platform) where he was CEO/CoFounder. As EVP, Brock led Petco’s efforts to maximize the $6B/28,000 employee/1,500 location business of today, while strategically redefining the future of the company as he oversaw +40% growth of a $650M ecommerce business all while turning the business from a loss to substantial profit. It also included leadership of 600+ person team, d2c pet pharmacy, creating the successful ‘store of the future’, all digital product development (Apps, online scheduling, BOPS), new business concept development and leading cultural transformation.

Brock previously held the position of SVP/Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of PetSmart beginning in 2014, when his digital media and ecommerce business, Pet360 built over the prior 5 years growing revenue 600% and shareholder value by 800%, was acquired by PetSmart for $160MM. As SVP/CDO, Weatherup guided the +$9B retailer’s digital efforts from ecommerce to digital marketing to in-store technology. Brock had previously cofounded the breakthrough consumer product company, Fathead, where he served as CEO growing sales from zero to ~$40MM/yr, including product creation, retail distribution, and exclusive licensing contracts with the NFL, NBA, Disney, among others. Up until that point Brock held various leadership roles within Interactive Corp (NASDQ: IAC), including EVP
Entertainment Publications; President/CEO, Reserve America; and VP, Corporate Development, Ticketmaster.

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Satya

Tiwari

Senior Advisor

Satya Tiwari is the president of Surya, Inc., a leading wholesaler of high-quality, fashion-forward home furnishings, including rugs, furniture, lighting, textiles, wall decor and accents. The company was founded in India by Satya’s father, Surya Tiwari, in 1976 as a small manufacturer of area rugs. Under Satya’s leadership, Surya, Inc. has grown into a global operation servicing interior designers, retail stores and e-commerce sites through its portfolio of brands including Surya, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Global Views, RST Outdoor and Livabliss. Surya Inc.’s one-million-square-foot headquarters is located in White, GA. Surya, Inc. has earned ten placements on the Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies and, in 2017, Satya received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Southeast region.

In 2021, Satya co-founded the Yuvaan Tiwari Foundation, a non-profit organization which funds research to find a cure for diffuse midline gliomas and other fatal pediatric brain cancers, while supporting patients and families along their journey. He also currently serves on the boards of Akshaya Patra, the world’s largest NGO school meal program, and The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, an organization founded to preserve the history of the U.S. home furnishings industry, and to inspire a new class of innovative industry leaders.

Satya holds a dual degree in Computer Engineering and Economics from Northwestern University. Prior to joining the family business in 2004, Satya worked in investment banking at Compass Partners, Credit Suisse First Boston and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.

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Ian

Moran

Senior Advisor

Ian Moran is a global executive with 30 years experience, leading cross-cultural and cross-functional industrial manufacturing organizations in the US and overseas. Ian is currently President of SEKISUI America Corporation, the regional headquarters for North America of SEKISUI Chemical Corporation (4204: Tokyo) and also serves as a Board Director of SEKISUI Europe B.V.

Prior to leading SEKISUI America, Ian has served in a variety of leadership roles in SEKISUI Chemical, most recently as Representative Director of the SEKISUI-Fuller Co. Ltd. joint venture based in Tokyo. In this capacity, Ian drove the strategic direction and Board alignment of the 50/50 joint venture, and his team was able to achieve leadership positions in the Packaging, Hygiene and Housing & Assembly verticals in the highly-competitive Japanese market. Under Ian’s leadership, SEKISUI-Fuller expanded its’ local manufacturing footprint and optimized operations by embracing the philosophy & methodology of kaizen across the company’s four sites. Leveraging his bi-lingual skills & industrial pedigree, Ian’s team was able to secure critical supply of scarce raw materials from both Japanese & global suppliers which fueled further business growth with key Japanese customers as they expanded in Japan, China, Asia-Pacific and IME countries.

Earlier in his career, Ian led many market and product development teams for Lutron Electronics in the specification and construction markets in North America, Japan, China & IMEA and the Asia-Pacific region.

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Peter

Batushansky

Senior Advisor

Mr. Batushansky is an experienced investor, operator, and entrepreneur with a strong track record in e-commerce, healthcare, and technology-enabled service businesses. He is a senior investment professional at L2 Capital Partners, where he leads sourcing, execution, and portfolio company support in the consumer sector.

At L2 Capital, Mr. Batushansky serves on the board of Elevated Brands Group, the parent company of RugsDirect.com, a leading online retailer of area rugs and home décor, and Lightopia.com, a fast-growing digital retailer of lighting fixtures. He also serves on the board of Full Spectrum Franchise Consulting, the parent company of iFranchise, the market-leading franchise consulting firm; TopFireMedia, a digital marketing agency specializing in franchise development; and FranDevCo, a leading franchise sales outsourcing company.

Prior to joining L2 Capital, Mr. Batushansky led the acquisition of Allivet as an independent sponsor and joined the company as Chief Executive Officer to guide its transition from founder-led to professionally managed. During his tenure, Allivet’s revenue more than tripled organically, establishing it as one of the leading online pharmacies for pet health products in the United States. He also led the development of Allivet’s white label pharmacy service offering and secured strategic partnerships with several of the country’s largest national retailers.

Previously, Mr. Batushansky was the CEO of WebEyeCare, where he helped grow the company from a startup into a nationally recognized online retailer of contact lenses and eyeglasses. In 2014, WebEyeCare was ranked #360 on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Batushansky was an Associate at Milestone Partners, a lower middle-market private equity firm, and a Senior Analyst at Roark Capital Group, a leading private equity firm focused on franchising and multi-location consumer businesses. He also worked as a consultant in Deloitte’s Strategy & Operations practice and began his career in General Electric’s Financial Management Program.

Mr. Batushansky holds a B.A. from Temple University and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), Miami Chapter.

Outside of the boardroom, Mr. Batushansky is a proud pet parent to Lucy, a 10-year-old Boston Terrier, and Reggie, a 3-year-old French Bulldog.

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Bob

Levine

Senior Advisor

Bob Levine is the Managing Partner of L2 Capital, where he is responsible for all aspects of the firm’s strategy, investment execution, and portfolio oversight. He is an anchor investor in Virent Capital and a long-time mentor to its Founder and Managing Partner, Connor McMahan, who worked directly for Bob at L2 Capital for over a decade. Bob brings institutional perspective, deep investment experience, and a passion for assembling diverse, high-performing teams. He founded L2 Capital in 2011 to deploy his personal capital into private investments, with a focus on founder-led businesses in sectors where he has long-standing domain expertise.

Prior to founding L2 Capital, Bob co-founded Milestone Partners in 1995 and helped build it into a successful lower middle market buyout firm with over $350 million under management. At Milestone, he led investments across the consumer products and business services sectors.

Earlier in his career, Bob spent a decade executing middle market M&A transactions for niche manufacturing and distribution companies, first at Lehman Brothers and later at several boutique investment banks. He began his professional career practicing business law in Denver, Colorado. Bob holds a B.A. from Northwestern University, a J.D. from George Washington University, and an MBA with distinction from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Emma

Dougherty

Executive Assistant

Emma Dougherty is the Executive Assistant at Virent Capital, where she supports firm operations, scheduling, communications, and administrative coordination across the team. She ensures the smooth functioning of daily activities and serves as a key point of contact for internal and external stakeholders.

Before joining Virent, Emma spent several years as an elementary teacher at Blessed Virgin Mary School. Earlier in her career, she explored her interest in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing through both academic and hands-on experience, building a strong foundation in branding, presentation, and client-facing communication. Her background brings a unique combination of organization, attention to detail, and service orientation to her role at the firm.

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John "JP"

Perucki

Analyst

John “JP” Perucki is an Analyst at Virent Capital, which he joined in May 2025 as a member of the deal team. He evaluates, analyzes, and monitors the firm’s investments and supports the other deal team members. Prior to Virent, JP worked at Delphi Wealth Management, where he helped the firm assess and complete a series of strategic acquisitions and led support for an operational restructuring initiative. JP earned a B.S. in Finance with a minor in Classical Civilizations from New York University’s Stern School of Business. At NYU, he was a member of the varsity swim team and served as a teaching assistant for Stern’s Private Equity courses taught by Gustavo Schwed, working with students on LBO modeling and other private equity concepts. Outside of work, JP enjoys time with his dogs and family, learning about science, spending time outdoors, and listening to audiobooks.

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Christian

Springer

Associate, Business Development

Christian joined Virent Capital to lead the firm’s transaction origination efforts. He is responsible for managing and expanding Virent’s business development strategy, cultivating relationships across the investment banking and intermediary communities, and supporting portfolio companies with lead generation and M&A initiatives.

In addition, Christian leads the business development efforts for Virent Lens, where he helps the Firm build partnerships with industry experts and entrepreneurs in sectors targeted under Virent’s thesis-driven efforts.

Prior to joining Virent Capital, Christian worked at Queens Court Capital, where he focused on sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities across the lower middle market.

Christian earned a B.B.A. in Corporate Finance from Temple University’s Fox School of Business and is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying backcountry skiing and spending time with his black Labrador puppy.

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Bryan

Hall

Vice President

Bryan Hall, Vice President, joined Virent Capital in April 2025. He is responsible for evaluating, analyzing, and monitoring investments made by the firm.

Previously, Bryan was a Vice President with Incline Equity Partners and an Associate in the U.S. Buyout Fund at The Carlyle Group, where he was responsible for evaluating new investments and managing existing assets in the industrial sector. Prior to that, he worked in investment banking at Lazard Frères.

Bryan graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a BBA in finance. He also received an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business where he was an Academic Excellence Fellow and graduated as a Palmer Scholar.

Bryan enjoys hiking and the outdoors, traveling, American history, and spending time with his family.

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Connor

McMahan

Founder and Managing Partner

Connor McMahan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Virent Capital, where he leads the firm’s investment strategy, organizational development, and all aspects of firm operations. He is responsible for overseeing the full investment lifecycle, including thematic research, sourcing, negotiating and leading transactions, and driving portfolio value creation.

Connor founded Virent Capital with a clear vision: to build a next-generation private equity firm designed specifically for founder-led services and consumer businesses in the lower middle market. Under his leadership, the firm integrates a deeply thematic, research-driven investment model with Virent Drive—a proprietary, technology-enabled operating platform. Virent Drive leverages a curated network of digital, technology, and operating experts to help portfolio companies modernize, scale, and accelerate growth in environments where analog-to-digital transitions, performance marketing, application development, and data enablement are increasingly critical.

Prior to founding Virent, Connor was a Partner at L2 Capital (and continues to serve on the Investment Committee of L2 Fund III, LP), where he spent more than a decade investing in and scaling founder-owned companies. There, he led numerous platform and add-on acquisitions, with a focus on building infrastructure, driving commercial strategy, and navigating transformational growth. Connor currently serves on the Board of Directors for Elevated Brands Group, KosmosQ, iFranchise, Robbins Sports Flooring, Ecotone, and Family Quest Entertainment.

Connor is supported at Virent by a senior network of operators, technologists, and strategic advisors. He is committed to building trusted partnerships with founders and management teams, delivering value well beyond capital. Connor lives in Radnor, PA, with his wife Alex, their three children—Maeve, Max, and Mikey—and their Australian Shepherd, Phantom.

Day: May 28, 2025

Connor McMahan Launches Virent Capital to Partner with Founder-Led Services and Consumer Companies in the Lower Middle Market