Shawn Domanic

Shawn Domanic is a Principal at Avathon Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on the education and workforce-management markets. Avathon traces its roots to Sterling Partners, where the strategy operated as the Education Opportunity Fund before rebranding to Avathon Capital around 2021. Domanic joined the Sterling team in 2016 as a Vice President of the Education Opportunity Fund and carried that focus forward into Avathon, where he now leads investment operations spanning sourcing through management of private equity deals across the education sector.

Before Sterling, Domanic built roughly a decade of investment-banking and direct-investing experience, including a Senior Associate role at CHS Capital and its affiliates New Harbor Capital and Shorehill Capital (Chicago-based middle-market private equity groups). In 2019 he was named one of *Mergers & Acquisitions'* "Rising Stars of Private Equity."

Domanic holds a B.S. from Boston College and also studied at University College Dublin; he attended Joliet Catholic Academy. He speaks openly about being a first-generation college graduate with "blue-collar Chicago roots," and frames education investing through that personal lens — describing education as "the power to transform lives and solve many of our most complicated societal problems." Colleagues at Avathon describe him as someone who "exudes authenticity and consistency – in personality, attitude, and value of work product." He is also active in mental-health and social-justice causes.

• Invests through Avathon Capital in lower-middle-market education and workforce companies, not early-stage/angel deals — the firm targets roughly $20M–$50M of equity per investment and seeks meaningful ownership positions.
• Deep vertical specialization: early childhood education, edtech/learning platforms, and workforce development, building on a 30-year Sterling heritage of investing and operating in education.
• Describes himself as "a builder and an optimizer" who is passionate about "working with teams to solve problems, advance the ball and ultimately grow better organizations."
• Mission-driven filter: prioritizes companies that expand access to high-quality education and preserve a strong mission while professionalizing operations and curriculum.
• Hands-on ownership model — active board involvement and close collaboration with founders and management teams post-close.