Ep. 149: Jarrett Turner, Founder & Managing Partner at Soundcore Capital Partners
Topics:
Why Fewer, Better Theses Win
Integration Lessons from 100+ Acquisitions
What LPs Look for in the First Meeting
How to Win Trust in Controlled Deals
...and so much more.
Top Takeaways
Avoid overpaying, overlevering, and overconcentrating.
Because Jarrett has seen firsthand how getting this wrong—even on a “good” business—can take down an entire fund. His rule: only buy what already makes sense — disciplined price, manageable leverage, no oversized bets. If the return depends on fixing everything post-close, you’re exposed.
Slow down idea generation to improve deal quality.
The Soundcore team moved from ~500 loosely formed ideas a year to about one per week, each built on a required template, reviewed in advance, and pressure-tested as a team. The result is a tighter, higher-quality pipeline (~40 ideas annually, ~30 advancing to qualification) and far fewer wasted cycles on weak or unvetted theses.
Start slightly bigger, so you can scale faster.
Soundcore found that sub-$1M EBITDA deals often lack the infrastructure to grow, making them harder to double. $2M+ businesses already have systems, teams, and customer density in place. That’s why they shifted upmarket: not for size, but for execution. Cheap doesn’t always matter if it can’t scale.
Lead with trust and a clear angle.
Or you won’t get a second meeting. In Jarrett’s experience, fundraising comes down to two things—credibility and a differentiated strategy. That’s why the first few minutes of LP meetings matter most. If you can’t clearly answer why you, why this strategy, and why now, they won’t get to the rest.
About Jarrett Turner
Jarrett Turner is the Founder and Managing Partner of Soundcore Capital Partners. He has led 100+ acquisitions, building the firm from an Independent Sponsor into a $450M+ platform focused on buy-and-build investments in fragmented, recession-resistant industries. Jarrett’s approach is shaped by his blue-collar upbringing: growing up around his father’s business, he saw firsthand the inefficiencies in founder-led companies.
About Soundcore Capital Partners
A New York–based private equity firm focused on building companies through buy-and-build strategies in fragmented, lower middle-market industries. Since its founding in 2015, the firm has completed 100+ acquisitions and has grown to $700M+ in AUM. They invest in mission-critical, recession-resistant sectors, partnering with founder-led businesses to create scalable platforms through disciplined sourcing and operational improvements.
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