AE Industrial Partners

What they do

Founded in 1998 by David Rowe and Brian Rowe as AeroEquity, AE Industrial Partners (AEI) has grown into a premier specialist investment firm managing $7.5 billion in assets. The firm is uniquely positioned in the market due to its deep domain expertise, often serving as the first institutional investor for privately held middle-market businesses in highly regulated industries. AEI operates three primary strategies: a flagship private equity buyout platform, an early-stage venture capital arm called AE Ventures (built in partnership with Boeing's HorizonX), and an aerospace leasing platform. They are highly regarded in the defense and aerospace ecosystem for their ability to drive value through a combination of organic growth, strategic add-on acquisitions, and deep government and prime-contractor relationships.

What they look for

AEI targets investment themes with strong growth potential in highly technical, long-product-lifecycle markets. Their private equity strategy focuses on making control investments in the critical "toll gates" across aerospace and defense supply chains, supporting industry suppliers as they scale production. Their venture capital arm, AE Ventures, invests in early-stage companies tackling the most critical issues facing aerospace, national security, and industrial markets, specifically targeting disruptive technologies with dual-use (commercial and government) applications.

Stage

Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+

Sectors

Govtech and defence, Deeptech, Cybersecurity, AI, Climate

Based

Boca Raton, US