Grant Robinson

Grant Robinson is a Senior Vice President at NorthCoast Mezzanine, the Minneapolis-based mezzanine and non-control equity firm that was formerly the mezzanine arm of Spell Capital Partners. He joined the team in March 2019. The business rebranded from Spell Capital Mezzanine to NorthCoast Mezzanine in 2022 (concurrent with the close of its Fund III), which is why his contact email still carries the legacy spellcapital.com domain while the firm now operates as NorthCoast.

Before joining the firm, Robinson spent roughly 2011–2017 in private equity at Forsythe/Hillcrest Capital Partners, a Minneapolis-based PE firm, where he worked as an Associate and later joined the leadership team of a Hillcrest portfolio company that was subsequently sold to a strategic buyer. Between that and his current role he worked as a management consultant at Steeplechase (2018–2019). Earlier in his career (roughly 2008–2011), he spent over three years as an Investment Banking Analyst at Craig-Hallum Capital Group, supporting M&A and capital-raising transactions, and he interned at Chartwell Capital Solutions.

Robinson earned both a Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and International Business from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. He is a licensed (inactive) Minnesota CPA. His combined background — investment banking, operating experience inside a portfolio company, and private-equity investing — informs his work sourcing and structuring subordinated-debt and non-control equity deals for lower middle-market companies.

• Instrument: Provides subordinated (mezzanine) debt — typically all-coupon, fixed-rate — and non-control equity co-investments. Not a control buyout investor.
• Use of capital: Backs private-equity-sponsored buyouts, management- and family-driven ownership transitions, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations, and growth initiatives.
• Check size: Generally $4–15 million per deal (some firm materials cite up to ~$20 million), with the ability to go larger through co-investment partners.
• Target company: Lower middle-market businesses with EBITDA of ~$2 million and up, "high-quality management, adequate revenue diversification, stable and growing end-market demand, defensible market positions and sustainable free cash flow."
• Sectors: Generalist / industry-agnostic — "a variety of industries."
• Geography: Companies throughout the United States.
• Style: The firm emphasizes experienced professionals, responsive/fast decision-making, and flexible deal structuring; it is an SBIC-licensed fund.