Coalesce Capital Appoints Jonathan Gurss as Partner

Coalesce Capital (“Coalesce”), a private equity firm investing in human capital-driven and technology-enabled services companies, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Gurss as a Partner to strengthen its senior investment leadership. The firm also announced the addition of Neil Merchant as a Principal, Jeffrey Stone as a Director of Business Development, Colleen Hynes as a Senior Associate, and James Muse as an Associate. These appointments are part of the continued buildout of the Coalesce team, following the close of its $900 million debut fund earlier this month.

“Jon is a talented private equity investor with tremendous insights on the opportunities and challenges facing business services companies today,” said Stephanie Geveda, Founder and Managing Partner of Coalesce. “He has an outstanding track record of identifying and executing on investment opportunities across the sector, and we look forward to leveraging his experience as we invest behind and partner with entrepreneurs and leadership teams to support the growth of their businesses. I am also delighted to welcome Neil, Jeff, Colleen, and James to Coalesce, and I am confident they will be outstanding additions to our growing team.”

Mr. Gurss brings 15 years of experience investing in and working with middle market business services companies. Prior to joining Coalesce, he was a Principal at Sentinel Capital Partners, where he invested in and served on the board of directors of 10 companies. While at Sentinel, Mr. Gurss worked closely with management teams to drive long-term, profitable growth. Previously, he was an investment banker at Harris Williams & Co.

Mr. Gurss stated, “It is an incredible opportunity to join Coalesce as we look to invest our first fund and work with human capital-driven and technology-enabled services companies. Stephanie has built an outstanding team, and I am thrilled to be working with them all as I look to continue helping talented management teams build their businesses.”

Mr. Merchant brings 10 years of middle market investment and advisory experience to Coalesce. He previously was a Principal at Vestar Capital Partners, where he joined in 2018, focused on business and technology services investments. Earlier in Mr. Merchant’s career, he was with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Original Release