Jonathan Saltzman
Managing Director
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- Full Name
- Jonathan Saltzman
- Title
- Managing Partner & Co-Founder (also referenced as Managing Director)
- Firm
- Torque Capital Group LLC
- Firm Type
- Private equity (lower middle-market buyout / special situations) — *note: not an angel/seed investor, despite the stub classification*
- Investment Stage
- Control buyouts, plus flexibility for minority and growth equity — not seed
- Check Size
- Equity investments up to ~$100M; targets companies with EBITDA under $35M (revenues cited up to ~$500M)
- Target Company Profile
- Small-to-lower-middle-market manufacturers at inflection points with operational, strategic, or financial improvement and add-on acquisition potential, paired with strong management teams
- Sector Focus
- Niche/enthusiast branded manufacturing, supply chain services; specific interest in automotive, building products, aerospace/defense, and consumer/retail
- Geographic Focus
- North America (North American headquarters required)
- Location
- New York, NY (437 Madison Avenue) — firm has signaled a move to Stamford, CT; Saltzman resides in Fairfield County, CT
Background
Jonathan Saltzman is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Torque Capital Group, a private equity firm he helped establish in 2011 to invest in niche manufacturing and supply-chain businesses. At Torque he leads the sourcing, structuring, and financing of investments and is deeply involved in the strategy, management, and growth of portfolio companies, taking what the firm describes as a hands-on, operational approach to building value in lower-middle-market industrial companies.
Before founding Torque, Saltzman was a senior investment professional focused on manufacturing investments at The Cypress Group, a New York-based private equity firm. Earlier, he sourced and led transactions at BG Strategic Advisors, a boutique investment bank specializing in the supply-chain sector, and served as a corporate finance manager at TNT N.V., the Amsterdam-based transportation, logistics, and shipping multinational. He began his career in the financial institutions group of Salomon Brothers' investment bank, after starting out as a public auditor in Ernst & Young's financial services practice.
Saltzman is a CPA and holds an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA and a BBA (with highest distinction) from Emory University. He sits on the boards of several Torque-affiliated portfolio companies, including Brake Parts Inc., Remy International, Maval Industries, and J-Pac Medical. He lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with his wife and three children.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Stated approach: *"Deploying patient capital and strategic operating resources in companies at critical inflection points."*
- Invests in small-to-lower-middle-market manufacturing and supply-chain businesses "in attractive industries," partnering with "exceptional management teams."
- Targets companies with identifiable operational, strategic, or financial improvement opportunities and clear revenue-enhancement or bolt-on acquisition potential.
- Financial parameters: equity investments up to roughly $100M; EBITDA typically under $35M; revenues cited up to ~$500M.
- Sector interests: automotive/mobility, building products, aerospace & defense, consumer/retail, and niche enthusiast-branded products.
- Typically takes control positions but is flexible on minority and growth-equity stakes; requires a North American headquarters.
- Pursues "buy-and-build" platform strategies — acquiring a platform manufacturer and adding complementary businesses.
Notable Investments
- Cable Manufacturing & Assembly Co. (CMA / Cablecraft) — designer and manufacturer of mechanical cables, controls, and actuation assemblies; acquired by Torque's investor group as a platform.
- Remy International / Remy — automotive parts remanufacturing (starters, alternators); Saltzman serves as a director.
- Brake Parts Inc. — automotive braking components manufacturer; board seat.
- Maval Industries — automotive steering component remanufacturer; board seat.
- J-Pac Medical — outsourced medical device and diagnostics contract manufacturer; board seat.
- JGA Space and Defense — aerospace/defense manufacturing acquisition within Torque's buy-and-build strategy.
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