Michael Kaye

Michael S. Kaye is the founder and Managing Partner of ClearLight Partners, a Newport Beach, California-based private equity firm he established in 2000. He built the firm to apply what was, at the time, roughly 17 years of hands-on experience helping middle-market companies reach their potential. Since inception, ClearLight has raised approximately $900 million of equity capital across three funds — notably from a single, long-standing limited partner — and has invested in more than 20 platform companies.

Before founding ClearLight, Kaye spent about fifteen years as an operator. In 1985 he became President and CEO of Westec Security Group in Newport Beach, at a time when the business was a single ~$35 million operating unit. Under his leadership Westec grew through a series of growth initiatives, acquisitions, and divestitures; by 1994 the company had expanded to roughly $250 million in scale, with about 4,000 employees across 60 locations nationwide. This operating background is a defining feature of his investing style — he approaches deals as a former CEO who has managed growth, integration, and exits firsthand.

Kaye began his career as a corporate lawyer, practicing at the national firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles before moving into operating roles. He holds a BA from Stanford University and a JD from Harvard Law School, and he studied Japanese law at the University of Tokyo. He has been recognized among Orange County's most influential business figures (e.g., the Orange County Business Journal's "OC 500").

• Invests in established, profitable lower-middle-market companies, not early-stage startups — typically businesses with ~$5M–$50M+ revenue and $1M–$5M+ EBITDA.
• Pursues control buyouts, management-led industry consolidations ("buy-and-build"), and minority/growth-capital investments.
• Sector generalist with concentrations in consumer products, business services, IT/managed services, healthcare, franchising, education/training, manufacturing, and logistics — consumer products and business services have historically been the most common categories.
• Emphasizes long-term value creation and partnership with management teams, reflecting Kaye's own operating background as a former CEO who grew a business through acquisitions and divestitures.
• Backs companies where operational improvement, add-on acquisitions, and disciplined growth can compound value over a multi-year hold.