VSS Capital Partners (“VSS”), a private investment firm focusing on tech-enabled lower middle market companies in the business services, healthcare and education sectors, has won the “Mezzanine Debt: Performance of the Year” category at Private Equity Wire’s 2026 US Awards. The annual awards recognize excellence among US private equity fund managers based on fund performance.
“Our philosophy is straightforward: structure investments with a focus on protecting capital, participate in the growth we help create, and work closely with management teams to build lasting value,” said Jeffrey Stevenson, Managing Partner at VSS. “This recognition reflects the discipline of our team and the strength of those partnerships. We believe combining tailored capital with active engagement positions us to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns for our investors while helping businesses achieve their next stage of growth.”
VSS’s established Structured Capital strategy bridges traditional private equity and private debt, delivering tailored financing to lower middle market businesses. The approach combines the downside protection of non-control junior and mezzanine debt investments with the upside potential of equity participation and benefits of active partnership.
“Our Structured Capital strategy seeks to create an asymmetric risk-reward profile for investors by combining contractual returns and negotiated protections with meaningful equity upside,” said David Fann, Partner and Head of Capital Formation at VSS. “We believe receiving this recognition for a second consecutive year underscores the consistency and durability of our approach. By bridging traditional private credit and private equity, we offer investors a differentiated way to participate in lower middle market growth.”
Learn more about Private Equity Wire’s 2026 US Awards: https://awards.privateequitywire.co.uk/us-awards-2026
About VSS Capital Partners
Headquartered in New York, VSS is a private investment firm that invests in tech-enabled business services, healthcare, and education companies. Since 1987, VSS has partnered with lower middle market companies, working closely with management teams, to facilitate their next stage of growth. VSS provides capital for growth financings, recapitalizations, strategic acquisitions, and buyouts with the flexibility to invest control or non-control capital, based on the needs and objectives of each company. With approximately $4 billion in committed capital across eight funds, VSS has completed over 100 platform investments and more than 600 add-on acquisitions. See also www.vss.com
VSS was ranked #1 in three categories by PitchBook, an independent data provider, in its 2025 Global Manager Performance Score League Tables: Global Private Debt, Global Mezzanine, and North America Private Debt (as of December 31, 2025, and published on July 28, 2026). The annual report highlights top private capital managers across 29 strategic and geographic categories, ranked by historical performance. For a breakdown of the rankings by strategy, please see here.
Private Equity Wire’s 2026 US Awards: Published November 2026. Winners were selected by Private Equity Wire, part of Global Fund Media Ltd., based on fund performance data covering April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261113059467/en/
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