Michel Cute
Senior Partner
Get their honest, personalized take on your startup.
Sign in to pitch Michel →At a glance
- Full Name
- Michel Côté
- Title
- Partner Emeritus
- Firm
- Novacap
- Firm Type
- Private equity
- Investment Stage
- Middle-market and lower-middle-market control buyouts; growth capital
- Check Size
- More than $20 million
- Target Company Profile
- Founder-owned, owner-managed, and management-led middle-market businesses; Novacap’s buyout strategies target companies with up to $100 million of EBITDA and up to $1.0 billion of enterprise value.
- Sector Focus
- Industries; Novacap’s broader strategies include Technologies, Digital Infrastructure, Industries, and Financial Services.
- Geographic Focus
- Canada and the United States, with investment activity also listed in Europe and Asia.
- Location
- Montreal / Brossard, Quebec, Canada
Background
Michel Côté is Partner Emeritus at Novacap, where he is listed in the firm’s Investment Team – Industries group. He joined Novacap in June 2001 and is based in the Montreal region.
Before Novacap, Côté built more than 30 years of experience managing mid-sized and large businesses. Novacap says he previously held President & CEO, Vice-President & General Manager, and Vice-President of Operations & Business Development roles in companies operating across North America, Europe, and Asia.
His operating background is concentrated in manufacturing, operations, and turnarounds. Novacap specifically cites experience in aerospace with Pratt & Whitney; packaging with Continental Can, Twinpak, and Rexam; specialized products with SNC Défense; toys with Mega Bloks and Hedstrom; publishing with Tormont; and entertainment with Mendes.
Côté earned a Bachelor of Sciences from the Université de Montréal and participated in the executive MBA program at HEC Montréal. He is currently listed by Novacap as a board member of E-Solutions Furniture Group Inc.; the firm also notes prior board roles at Knowlton Development Corporation, Demers Ambulances, B.G.R. Saws, and IPL, as well as service on the board of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Côté sits within Novacap’s Industries investment team, so his strongest fit is with industrial, manufacturing, distribution, packaging, consumer-products, and operationally complex businesses.
- Novacap describes itself as a sector-focused private equity firm partnering with “middle market founders-owners and management teams across Canada and the US.”
- The firm focuses on control buyouts of middle-market and lower-middle-market companies across Technologies, Digital Infrastructure, Industries, and Financial Services.
- Novacap’s operating model emphasizes sector knowledge, operational excellence, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
- Côté’s own quoted emphasis in the Globe Electric transaction was on backing “ambitious owner-entrepreneurs in Quebec” and helping a Canadian company move into its “next chapter.”
- Novacap’s relevant financing types include growth capital, MBO/LBO transactions, turnaround capital, recapitalizations, equity, and quasi-equity.
Notable Investments
- Globe Electric Company — Montreal-based lighting and electrical-products company; Novacap acquired a majority interest in May 2021, with Côté quoted on the transaction.
- HeathCo / Heath Zenith — Outdoor security lighting and door-chime products company acquired by Novacap portfolio company Globe Electric in November 2021.
- E-Solutions Furniture Group Inc. — Furniture company where Novacap lists Côté as a current board member.
- Knowlton Development Corporation (KDC) — Contract development and manufacturing company; Côté is listed by Novacap as a former board member.
- Demers Ambulances — Ambulance manufacturer; Côté is listed by Novacap as a former board member.
- B.G.R. Saws — Industrial saws business; Côté is listed by Novacap as a former board member.
- IPL — Packaging/manufacturing company; Côté is listed by Novacap as a former board member.
Unlock the full research
Get how to approach them, recent activity, sources, contact links — plus pitch their AI twin for a candid read on your raise.
One-time. Stays unlocked for you.