NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Star Mountain Capital, LLC, a specialized investment manager focused exclusively on investing in private small and medium-sized businesses (lower middle-market), is pleased to announce that John Ide has joined as a Managing Director in Star Mountain’s Chicago office. With thirty years of credit experience and of advising sophisticated institutions and family offices on their alternative investments, Mr. Ide brings a diverse skill set and a vast network to Star Mountain’s focus on value-added debt and equity investing in established U.S. small and medium-size businesses that generally have between $15 million and $250 million in annual revenues as well as Star Mountain’s LP investments in lower middle-market funds.
“John brings tremendous experience, insights and relationships to further our overall best practices including increasing our client services as we continue to develop products seeking to optimize various objectives for a wide range of institutional and high-net-worth investors” said Brett Hickey, Star Mountain Capital Founder & CEO. “With many longstanding mutual relationships, we believe John is a great culture fit as a high integrity individual with family and community centric values and a demonstrated track record of success growing to a leadership position within JPMorgan’s $2 trillion AUM asset management business.”
“Having been involved in credit for over thirty years first as a commercial banker and then as part of JPMorgan Asset Management and Deerpath, I find the lower middle-market to be the most compelling risk-reward proposition for investors,” said John Ide. “Star Mountain has built a differentiated business that I believe presents an exciting opportunity for both large and small investors and I look forward to continuing the good work done over the past decade since Star Mountain was founded.”
Mr. Ide spent the bulk of his career, 22 years, at JPMorgan Asset Management, the $2+ trillion AUM investment manager that is part of the international commercial and investment banking group JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM).
As a Managing Director and member of the Strategic Client Group, he oversaw some of the largest and most sophisticated institutional clients and also served on various internal management committees. He oversaw approximately $20 billion of client capital invested across a broad range of global strategies including JPMorgan’s then affiliated $15+ billion AUM Highbridge Principal Strategies’ private credit, mezzanine and special situations funds.
Mr. Ide was most recently a Managing Director at Deerpath Capital Management, a $2+ billion AUM private credit manager focused on senior lending to private equity owned companies in the U.S. lower middle-market.
Prior to JPMorgan Asset Management, Mr. Ide was a Director, Corporate Banker and lender at Banc One Capital Markets, a division of Bank One Corporation (NYSE: ONE) which was later acquired by JPMorgan Chase in 2004. While at Banc One Capital Markets, he originated, structured and underwrote more than $3 billion in asset backed credit securities.
Mr. Ide was also a Credit Analyst at The First National Bank of Chicago, which was later acquired by Bank One Corporation.
Mr. Ide started his career as a management consultant at Cini-Little International in the late 1980s.
Mr. Ide is a graduate of Lawrence University and has an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago. Mr. Ide also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Star Mountain was again named Best Places to Work by Pensions & Investments and one of the 2020 Best Places to Work by Crain’s New York Business highlighting the firms focus on culture and community.
ABOUT STAR MOUNTAIN
With approximately $2 billion in assets under management (as of June 2021), Star Mountain takes a data-driven approach to investing into the U.S. lower middle-market through two complementary investment strategies: (i) direct debt and equity investing and (ii) secondaries (acquiring LP interests and direct assets). Star Mountain believes these complementary strategies provide scalable and diversified access for its institutional and high-net-worth investors to established small and medium-sized businesses that generally have at least $15 million in annual revenues.
Since 2010, Star Mountain has made over 100 direct investments in U.S. small and medium-sized businesses and over 20 secondaries / fund investments within its Collaborative Ecosystem ®, exclusively focused on the U.S. lower middle-market. With over 75 team members (including advisors/operating partners) across 20+ locations nationwide, Star Mountain believes its focus and dedication has been productive for job creation and economic development. Star Mountain is dedicated to this large market of underserved businesses purpose-built to address the challenges and opportunities of these companies. As part of its commitment, Star Mountain has trademarked Investing in the Growth Engine of America ®.
As part of its ESG program (Environmental, Social and Governance), Star Mountain’s Charitable Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 focuses on improving lives through economic development, including job creation, health & wellness and cancer research. Notable missions include helping match veterans and women with high quality small and medium-sized business career opportunities across the country, including within Star Mountain’s portfolio.
