Former Mercury Capital Advisors Partner, Justin Garrod, Joins Star Mountain Capital as Managing Director

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Star Mountain Capital, LLC ("Star Mountain"), a rapidly growing, employee-owned investment firm with over $4 billion in assets under management (AUM), is pleased to announce that Justin Garrod has joined the firm as a Managing Director. Mr. Garrod will primarily focus on Star Mountain’s rapidly expanding private credit secondaries business, which has a 10+ year track record of targeting differentiated yield and tax-advantaged total returns.

Mr. Garrod brings over 25 years of experience in the alternative investment, secondaries, corporate finance, and legal advisory industries. His expertise spans leading global investment banks, asset managers, and law firms, with a strong focus over the last 15 years on structuring and advising U.S. lower middle-market private capital funds, including in direct and secondary investments in private credit and private equity.

“Relationships and market knowledge are crucial in the fragmented and inefficient U.S. lower middle-market, and Justin has spent the last 15 years deeply engaged in this space, including founding his own firm,” said Brett Hickey, Founder & CEO of Star Mountain Capital. “His entrepreneurial experience, combined with institutional training, aligns well with Star Mountain’s creative and disciplined, fiduciary culture. His advisory and legal background will add significant value to our team.”

Before joining Star Mountain, Mr. Garrod was a Partner at Mercury Capital Advisors, a renowned capital markets advisory firm that spun out of Merrill Lynch in 2009 and later became a division of Investcorp. At Mercury, he focused on originating and structuring secondary and primary fund investments, as well as direct debt and equity transactions for independent sponsors.

Previously, he co-founded and served as Co-Managing Partner of Stonington Capital Advisors, a specialist placement agent and strategic advisor for U.S. lower middle-market private equity and private credit investments. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with fund managers, family offices, and global institutional investors, offering deep insights into fund structuring, deal execution, and capital raising.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Garrod held positions at Lehman Brothers, Deutsche Bank, and Fundamental Advisors, specializing in alternative investment structuring and distressed private equity. He began his career as a corporate attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and later joined Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, focusing on private equity fund formation and advisory.

“As investors seek complementary strategies to diversify their portfolios, Star Mountain’s dedicated platform and long-standing investment in team, technology, and infrastructure are key differentiators,” said Justin Garrod. “The Firm's distinct approach and focus on the lower middle-market present significant opportunities for investors looking to diversify their portfolio and capitalize on the current interest rate environment and aging demographics.”

Mr. Garrod holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where he was a member of the Fordham Law Review. He also holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, and 79 licenses and serves on the Board of Governors of Newark Academy.

About Star Mountain Capital

With over $4 billion in AUM (committed capital including debt facilities as of 12/31/2024), Star Mountain specializes in providing scalable and data-driven investment solutions across two core strategies:

1. Direct Investments: Providing debt and equity capital to established lower middle-market businesses.
2. Secondary Investments: Acquiring LP interests, direct assets, and making primary LP commitments.

Star Mountain’s investors include public and private pensions, insurance companies, commercial banks, endowments, foundations, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. Employee-owned and sharing profits with 100% of its U.S. full-time employees, the firm prioritizes alignment of interests to maximize value for stakeholders.

Since 2010, Star Mountain has completed over 300 direct investments and 50 secondary/fund investments in the North American lower middle-market. The firm has been recognized as one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies and a Best Place to Work by Crain’s New York Business and Pensions & Investments.

For more information, visit www.starmountaincapital.com.

Legal Disclaimer:

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase interests in any investment product. Awards and recognitions by third-party rating agencies, companies, or publications should not be interpreted as a guarantee of future results or performance. They should not be considered as an endorsement, recommendation, or referral of Star Mountain Capital or its representatives by any client or third party. Rankings published by media and industry organizations are based on information provided by the recognized advisor. Additionally, readers should understand that past performance is not indicative of future results. Award descriptions and selection methodologies may vary.

Awards and Recognition Disclosure:

Star Mountain Capital's awards and recognitions are based on third-party evaluations and criteria, which may be subjective. These honors do not imply a guarantee of future performance or an endorsement by current or past clients.

Ranking Methodologies:

• Crain’s Best Places to Work: Evaluations were conducted through a two-part process, assessing workplace policies, practices, and employee satisfaction via surveys. Participation required a fee solely for survey processing purposes. More details are available at Crain’s eligibility criteria.
• Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work: Companies were evaluated based on surveys measuring employee engagement (75%) and employer policies (25%). Participation required a minimum of 20 U.S. employees and $100 million in discretionary assets under management. Further details can be found at P&I eligibility criteria.
• Inc. 5000 Rankings: Companies were ranked based on revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, firms had to be U.S.-based, privately held, and independent, with revenue thresholds of at least $100,000 in 2019 and $2 million in 2022. More details are available at Inc. 5000 criteria.