Joe Kaczorowski

Joe Kaczorowski is Partner & CFO at Breakwater Management LP, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm founded in 2009 that partners with emerging lower-middle-market businesses. At Breakwater, he is responsible for financial, legal, tax, and general administration of the firm, its funds, and portfolio companies. He also serves as Head of Portfolio Management and as Breakwater’s Chief Compliance Officer.

Kaczorowski joined Breakwater in 2017 as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, alongside Darrick Geant. Breakwater said at the time that both new hires would serve on the firm’s investment committee. His role was framed around fund administration, portfolio oversight, and legal, tax, and compliance responsibilities rather than front-line sourcing alone.

Before Breakwater, Kaczorowski was President of Grosvenor Park Media, an alternative lender that provided asset-based loans and consulting services to the media and entertainment industry. Earlier, he served as President and Chief Financial Officer of HOB Entertainment, the private equity-sponsored music and hospitality company behind House of Blues, which was sold to Live Nation Entertainment. Public company biography data from Napster states that he joined HOB Entertainment in August 1996 and served as president from May 2004 to January 2007.

Kaczorowski began his career at Kenneth Leventhal & Company, a national CPA firm. He earned a B.S. from St. John’s University and is a Certified Public Accountant, inactive. He has also served on the boards of two publicly traded companies, Napster and Roxio.

• Breakwater’s current strategy is control equity investing in Media & Entertainment, Marketing, and Tech-Enabled Services businesses.
• The firm targets companies with $25+ million of revenue and $5+ million of EBITDA, and invests $20+ million through structured and common equity.
• Breakwater’s transaction types are control buyouts, growth equity infusions, and recapitalizations, with capital used for growth, acquisitions, and shareholder liquidity or distributions.
• The firm says it looks for “fast-growing enterprises at an inflection point in their growth” with established revenue models, differentiated market positions, attractive margins, and management teams with a track record.
• Breakwater emphasizes founder and management partnerships, using organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to accelerate growth.
• Kaczorowski’s background in media finance, entertainment operations, CFO work, portfolio management, and compliance is most relevant for companies where financial discipline, legal/tax structure, and operational scaling matter.