Court Square Defies Market, Closes Record $3.8 Billion Fund V

NEW YORK, NY – April 09, 2026 – In a clear signal of investor confidence that stands in stark contrast to a challenging private equity landscape, Court Square Capital Partners today announced the successful final closing of its fifth flagship fund. The fund, Court Square Capital Partners Fund V, secured approximately $3.8 billion in total capital commitments, significantly surpassing its initial $3.0 billion target and marking it as the largest fund in the firm’s 47-year history.

The oversubscribed closing comes at a time when the broader private equity industry has faced considerable headwinds. Global fundraising has been on a downward trend, with many firms experiencing extended fundraising timelines and struggling to attract capital amidst a liquidity crunch for limited partners (LPs). This market turbulence makes Court Square's achievement particularly noteworthy, highlighting the appeal of its established strategy and consistent performance.

A Vote of Confidence in a Challenging Climate

The private equity fundraising environment of the past two years has been characterized by caution. Rising interest rates, a subdued exit market, and valuation disagreements have slowed the pace of distributions back to investors, limiting their capacity to commit new capital. Data shows that the average time to close a fund has stretched significantly, with LPs becoming increasingly selective and exhibiting a “flight to scale,” favoring larger, more established managers with proven track records.

Court Square's success with Fund V directly taps into this sentiment. The fund not only exceeded its target but also attracted a diverse and global investor base, including over 40 new investors from more than 20 countries. This roster of leading pensions, asset managers, insurance companies, and family offices demonstrates widespread trust in the firm’s ability to navigate the current market and generate returns.

“We are grateful for the trust and support from both longstanding partners and new investors in Fund V,” said Chris Bloise, President and Managing Partner of Court Square, in a statement. “This close signals continued confidence in our approach and our ability to partner with founders, families, and management teams to drive long-term value and growth.”

The Enduring Formula: Performance and Alignment

Driving this strong investor demand is a combination of a long-term performance history and a structural alignment of interests that resonates deeply with LPs. In a market where cash distributions are king, Court Square’s recent track record on exits has been a powerful differentiator.

Rick Walsh, a Partner at the firm, pointed to this as a key factor in their fundraising efforts. “Our DPI story also helped our efforts, given that we’ve returned $7.4 billion from 17 full exits and 15 dividend recaps since 2022, the year the Fed started raising rates,” he stated. This strong record of Distributions to Paid-in Capital (DPI) provides tangible proof of the firm’s ability to return cash to its investors, a critical metric in a liquidity-constrained environment.

Further bolstering investor confidence is Court Square's significant General Partner (GP) commitment. The firm has a long-standing practice of being one of the top three investors in its own funds, and its GP is the largest single investor in Fund V. This substantial “skin in the game” creates a powerful alignment of interests, assuring LPs that the fund managers are investing alongside them with conviction.

Targeting Growth in the Middle Market

With $3.8 billion in fresh capital, Fund V will continue Court Square's focus on control buyouts within the U.S. middle market, a segment that has shown remarkable resilience. The firm will target companies with strong long-term growth potential in four core sectors: business services, healthcare, industrials, and technology.

These sectors are poised for continued expansion, driven by durable secular trends. The middle market, in particular, remains a fertile ground for private equity investment, with studies showing that PE-backed middle-market companies consistently report higher year-over-year revenue and employment growth compared to their non-PE-funded peers. Court Square’s strategy focuses on acquiring majority stakes in these businesses, allowing the firm to actively partner with management teams to drive operational improvements, execute strategic initiatives, and build market-leading enterprises.

“We are incredibly excited about the opportunity set across our target sectors, and we continue to find compelling ways to deploy capital in the current market environment,” Bloise added.

Building on Decades of Momentum

The new fund builds on the foundation laid by its predecessor, Fund IV, which successfully invested in 23 companies across the same core sectors. The firm’s long history, dating back to 1979, includes the deployment of $13.4 billion of capital across more than 245 platform investments, showcasing a deep well of experience in partnering with founders, families, and manager-owners.

Demonstrating its readiness to put the new capital to work, Court Square has already committed to six investments from Fund V. This strong early momentum indicates a proactive deployment strategy and a clear pipeline of opportunities that meet the firm's stringent investment criteria. This proactive deployment underscores the firm's readiness to leverage its substantial new capital to build market-leading businesses in its chosen sectors.