About Us

D2 Equity Capital is executing a focused, private equity investment strategy which leverages significant transactional, financial and operating experience. The core strategy targets investments in lower-middle market businesses as more fully described below.

D2 is led by Dennis Dunn, a former Managing Director of Carlisle Enterprises, LLC, a highly successful private equity firm based in San Diego, California. During Dunn’s tenure from 1992 to 2012, Carlisle invested in over 30 platform companies, with aggregate annual sales in excess of $5.0 billion, operating in a wide variety of industrial manufacturing, industrial service and consumer industry segments.

The D2 strategy draws upon Dunn’s experience in leading the execution of Carlisle’s Small Business Initiative (“SBI”), which targeted lower-middle market manufacturing, distribution and business-to-business companies in the western U.S. In addition to structuring and executing SBI transactions, Mr. Dunn’s roles included active board governance and special projects such as strategic planning, raising equity and debt capital, and executing add-on acquisitions.

The D2 strategy also represents a carry-forward of the practice at Carlisle to utilize the operational expertise of the firm’s principals and investors, who were primarily senior Fortune 500 operating executives. D2 will draw upon a network of operating executives in executing and monitoring acquisitions. Employing this complementary financial/operating model has proven invaluable in making well-informed investment decisions and in working with management teams to improve and grow businesses post-acquisition.

D2 has established strategic relationships with a select set of single or multi-family office organizations to provide the equity component in transactions purued by the firm.  D2’s family office investors are generally characterized by their long-term investment horizon, deploying “patient” personal family capital, without the parameters, restrictions and short-term holding period of most institutionally-backed funds.

D2’s acquisition program targets manufacturing, service and distribution businesses with EBITDA of approximately $2-$10 million, and smaller companies with earnings below this range which are experiencing rapid growth. The broad array of industry segments fitting the criteria include industrial; aerospace and defense; oil and natural gas; engineered materials; clean-tech, including alternative energy, energy efficiency and water-related sectors; business services; consumer products, and other segments where the experience of the D2 principals can be applied. The targeted geographic region will emphasize western and southwestern U.S.-based businesses enabling more frequent on-site involvement of D2's principals.

D2 is pursuing transactions utilizing the following types of structures:

• Majority and minority recapitalization investments in private companies
• Growth capital investments in private companies
• Consolidation of a fragmented industry by acquisition
• Acquisition of small public company corporate divestitures

D2  represents a formidable partner for owners and management teams who are seeking a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship to grow and improve their businesses. For additional information, please contact Dennis Dunn at D2 Equity Capital:

122 15th Street #1209, Del Mar, CA 92014
(858) 461.0975 (office) | (858) 525.2808 (cell)

▫ den***@d2*************.com ▫