Kirk Benson

Kirk Benson is a private equity investor who worked as a Vice President on the investment team at Crestview Partners, the New York–based middle-market private equity firm founded in 2004 and managing approximately $10 billion of aggregate capital commitments across industrials, media, and financial services. At Crestview, Benson focused on industrial technology investing and served on the boards of portfolio companies including Elo Touch Solutions and Accuride Corporation. He also had earlier operating exposure at JR Automation, working on finance and operations initiatives.

Benson holds an MBA from Harvard Business School (2017–2019) and a Bachelor of Arts degree. Earlier in his career he served as a Trial Clerk at the United States Tax Court, giving him a background that spans law, finance, operations, and deal-making.

In October 2022, Benson moved from Crestview into an operating role at Convergix Automation Solutions — a global automation platform Crestview founded in August 2021 — serving as Chief Financial & Administrative Officer. Effective October 1, 2024, Crestview named Benson and Darryl King (formerly COO) as Co-Chief Executive Officers of Convergix. The press release noted Benson's experience spanning "technology, operations, and sales to financial management, strategy, and acquisitions."

Convergix, built by Crestview around the 2021 acquisition of automation systems integrator JMP Solutions, designs and integrates hardware and software automation solutions. Under Benson's tenure it grew to more than 900 employees across 25+ global locations, having acquired multiple automation companies.

• Invests through Crestview Partners as a control-oriented, middle-market private equity firm — not a seed or angel investor — targeting businesses where operational improvement and buy-and-build strategies can drive value.
• Personal specialization at Crestview in industrials and industrial technology / factory automation, reflected in his board work and his move to run an automation platform.
• Crestview describes itself as "opportunistic investors with deep expertise," concentrating on three core verticals: Industrials, Media, and Financial Services.
• Favors platform / buy-and-build approaches (e.g., assembling Convergix from multiple automation-company acquisitions) rather than minority venture bets.