Michael Starkle

Michael R. Starkle is the founder and Managing Director of Timepiece Capital, Inc., a Phoenix, Arizona–based private equity firm he established in 2004. The firm works with select institutional investors to act as a principal in acquiring lower-middle-market companies in specialty distribution, manufacturing, and service industries. Starkle is a graduate of Harvard University, which he attended from roughly 1985 to 1989 and from which he graduated with honors.

Before founding Timepiece, Starkle spent two years as a Managing Partner with the buyout firm 17th Street Capital Partners. Earlier in his career he held investment-banking and investment roles at Tucker Anthony Sutro Capital Markets, Security Capital Group, and LaSalle Partners Limited (the predecessor to Jones Lang LaSalle), giving him a background spanning capital markets, real estate, and principal investing.

He also spent approximately six years as Chief Executive Officer of CRE Industries Incorporated, an investment vehicle created for the acquisition, growth, and eventual disposition of two manufacturing and distribution companies — operating experience that aligns closely with Timepiece's buy-and-build approach to niche industrial and distribution businesses.

At Timepiece, Starkle leads alongside a small team that has included Strategic Partner David P. Ransburg, Jr. and CFO William P. Jancosko. The firm positions itself as a hands-on principal investor in businesses with durable competitive niches and predictable cash flows.

• Invests as a control buyer / principal, partnering with select institutional investors to acquire lower-middle-market companies — this is private equity, not seed/angel venture capital.
• Targets companies with revenues of roughly $5M–$50M (and a minimum revenue threshold around $1.25M).
• Looks for businesses with "strong, defensible industry niches," steady income histories, and a "special niche" market position.
• Sector preference: specialty/niche distribution, manufacturing & industrial, business services, and transportation/distribution.
• Explicitly avoids restaurants, real estate opportunities, and ventures carrying significant technology risk.
• Founded the firm in 2004 and pursues acquisition, operational growth, and eventual disposition of niche industrial and consumer-product businesses.