Growth partners for founders building ecosystem defining digital services firms in the era of data + AI

Monarch Digital Partners is an investment vehicle created by Bill Petty in partnership with FFL Partners to invest in and partner with founders of digital services firms generating $10 – $50 million of revenue.

Monarch’s role as a growth partner is to provide far more than capital. Our role is to provide long-term, values-driven partnership grounded in humility, curiosity and respect. We help founders elevate go-to-market partnerships, scale best-in-class delivery organizations, recruit key executives, develop differentiated training programs to cultivate talent, implement proven processes and systems, complement organic growth with strategic acquisitions and position the business for an optimized outcome.

A foundational element of Monarch’s investment thesis is the belief that AI will fundamentally reshape the IT services landscape over the next 10 years. We aim to partner with founders and management teams that want to embrace AI across all facets of their organization and develop compelling AI use cases for their clients.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Monarch has extensive experience across the spectrum of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) ecosystems and digital service business models (professional services, managed services and resell).

Monarch’s exclusive focus on digital services means that we are intimately familiar with the challenges facing founders and management teams of high growth ISV centric services firms. Our laser focus on one market enables us to act quickly and decisively in our pursuit of great businesses. It also allows us to develop bespoke value creation plans that focus on the few strategic initiatives that can have the greatest impact.

~15
Digital Service Firm Investments
$1.6B+
Capital Invested in Tech Enabled Service Firms
20+ ISVs
Experience as Investor / Investment Banker
30+
Tech Enabled Service Firms Sold as Investor / Investment Banker
MONARCH DIGITAL TEAM

Team, Culture and Values Focused Investors

Through our decades of experience in human capital centric businesses we have gained a deep appreciation for the importance of culture and values in building market leaders. Monarch’s role as a growth partner is to help world-class Founders and their management teams scale while safeguarding and enriching the team culture that fuels long-term success.

Bill Petty

Founding Partner
Monarch Digital Partners
Education:
BS, DePaul University;
MBA, Kellogg Northwestern School of Management

Bill Petty has dedicated his career to advising and partnering with founders of IT Services firms

  • Over the course of his career Bill has had the privilege of investing in and/or serving on the board of directors of more than 10 digital services firms across a wide range of ecosystems.
  • Prior to founding Monarch, Bill was the Managing Partner of Seroda where he oversaw the sale of the firm’s largest portfolio company, Kipi.ai, to WNS and helped launch and incubate several digital services firms.
  • Prior to Seroda, Bill was a Partner at Tercera, a growth equity firm focused on IT Services.
  • Prior to Tercera, Bill was a Managing Director at Guggenheim Partner’s in their technology investment banking practice where he advised IT services clients on sell-side and buy-side M&A transactions.
Select Members of the FFL Team

Jonathon Bunt

Education:
BSE, Princeton;
MBA, Harvard Business School

Lauren Graham

Education:
BA, Princeton;
MBA, Harvard Business School

Cas Schneller

Managing Partner
Education:
BBA, Notre Dame;
MBA, Harvard Business School
OUR INVESTMENT FOCUS

Differentiated digital services firms with compelling growth tailwinds

Monarch partners with and invests in digital services firms developing highly technical and specialized talent in high growth ISV ecosystems. We look for firms that exhibit the following characteristics:

  • Passionate, values driven founders and management teams
  • Proven track record of above-market performance
  • Differentiated technical expertise and a reputation for high-quality client service/outcomes
  • Strong go-to-market alignment with technology partners
  • Deep industry vertical expertise
  • Scalable talent and delivery models
Investment Parameters
Growing North American ISV Centric Digital Services firms
$20 - $50 million
Initial Equity Investment of
Flexible Investors with Experience Across a Wide Range of Transaction Structures
Target Financial Profile
$10 - $50M
In Revenue
> 15%
Organic Growth
35 - 40%+
Gross Margins
5 - 20%
EBITDA Margin