About This Fund
Eagle Merchant Partners Fund II is a lower middle-market private equity buyout fund managed by Eagle Merchant Partners, an Atlanta, Georgia-based investment firm co-founded by Stockton Croft and Bill Lundstrom. Closed in May 2025 with $415 million in capital commitments — above its original hard cap — the fund raised its capital in just seven months, reflecting strong institutional demand for the firm's differentiated Southeast-focused strategy. Eagle Merchant Partners Fund II is the firm's second institutional vehicle and continues its mission of partnering with founder-owned businesses seeking their first institutional capital partner.
The fund pursues a control-oriented lower middle-market buyout strategy targeting companies in the franchise, multi-unit, and commercial services sectors across the Southeastern United States. Eagle Merchant Partners focuses on businesses generating $2 million to $20 million in EBITDA, providing capital alongside operational expertise to support growth, professionalization, and eventual exit. The Southeastern U.S. provides the firm's target investment universe: strong demographics, a business-friendly climate, and a fragmented lower middle market with abundant proprietary deal flow from founders seeking their first institutional partner.
Eagle Merchant Partners Fund I, the firm's inaugural vehicle, closed at over $256 million in August 2023 and has been fully deployed across eight platform investments, demonstrating the team's ability to source and execute proprietary transactions efficiently. Fund II broadens the firm's capacity for platform building with a larger check size and a deepened LP base comprising institutional investors, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. Piper Sandler and Aviditi Advisors served as placement agents; Kirkland and Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel.