Kirk Konert | Source | Partner at AE Industrial Partners
Kirk Konert
Kirk is a Partner at AE Industrial and is primarily focused on originating, executing and monitoring AE Industrial’s portfolio investments. Mr. Konert currently serves on the Board of Directors of AE Industrial portfolio companies: American Pacific Corporation, Belcan, BigBear.ai, Columbia Helicopters, Firefly Aerospace, Pangiam, Redwire, ThayerMahan and York Space Systems, and is a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Gryphon Technologies, prior to its sale to ManTech International Corporation in 2021. Prior to joining AE Industrial in 2014, Mr. Konert was a Senior Associate at Sun Capital Partners where he focused on sourcing, screening and executing middle market buyout transactions across several industries, as well as monitoring portfolio companies. Prior to Sun Capital, Mr. Konert was a member of Wells Fargo Securities’ Industrials Group, where he focused on M&A and corporate finance transactions.
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AE Industrial Partners (https://www.aeroequity.com/)
Partner
started Aug 2014
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Private Equity’s Billions Are Fueling New Space Industry Boom
The last two years have brought a flurry of new private investments in space companies, as inflation and supply-chain issues have dampened the enthusiasm for investments in other sectors, in part because many space contractors, like Maxar, have long-term government contracts to sustain them.
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Space & Defense Private Equity, with Kirk Konert (AEI)
Today, the Pathfinder podcast brings you a conversation with Kirk Konert, a partner at AE Industrial Partners (AEI) focusing primarily on space and defense. Kirk joined AEI in 2014 just as the firm was institutionalizing and scaling its investment offering. Before AEI, Kirk worked at Sun Capital Partners, a private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, and at Wells Fargo’s Industrials Group. AE Industrial Partners is a FL-based PE firm that focuses on aerospace, defense and government services. It launched its first fund in 2014 and has since grown to over $5.5B of assets under management (AUM). Kirk joins us on the show today to discuss: The history of AEI and the evolution of its strategy Why private equity is a compelling tool in this market What AEI looks for in an investment Portfolio company synergies Fundraising predictions for the industry And much more… Today’s episode is brought to you...
Podcast
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“Smart private equity firms coming into the space industry is a good thing, right? Despite it being more competitive,” Kirk Konert, a partner at AE Industrial Partners, a Florida-based investment firm active in the field, said in an interview. “It creates more M&A activity, more founders coming to the table to sell. They have more options, right? All that’s great for the ecosystem.” - https://news.bloomberglaw.com/tech-and-telecom-law/private-equitys-billions-are-fueling-new-space-industry-boom
