NextGen Search Fund · AI-Augmented · British Columbia

Where Capital
Meetsthe Land.

Search Fund + AI = NextGen Search. One acquisition. Enduring legacy.

Arbutus Capital Partners seeks one exceptional natural resource business in British Columbia — from a founder ready to pass the torch to an operator who will tend it with the same care it took to build.

Our Thesis Submit a Company
Delaware Incorporated
Geographic Focus: British Columbia
AI-Augmented Operations
Explore
Our Belief
"The most durable businesses are built closest to the earth — and the next chapter belongs to operators who can honour that legacy while harnessing the tools of the modern economy."
Why Arbutus Capital

Not every buyer
deserves to own
what took a lifetime.

Selling a business you've spent thirty years building is not a transaction. It is a transfer of identity, livelihood, and responsibility — to employees, customers, and a community that depends on what you built.

Arbutus Capital Partners is a Delaware-incorporated, NextGen search fund with a geographic focus on British Columbia. We raise capital specifically to find, purchase, and actively operate one great company — combining traditional search fund discipline with AI-augmented sourcing, diligence, and post-acquisition performance monitoring.

We step in as owner-operators, not financial sponsors. And we bring something most operators don't: a genuine command of AI tooling that turns operational data into strategic advantage — without displacing the teams and culture that made the business great.

Our commitment
One Company. Undivided Attention.
We don't spread ourselves across a portfolio. The business we acquire gets our full energy, every single day.
Our structure
Operator-Led, Not Financial Sponsor
We take the CEO role ourselves. Your team gets a leader who shows up — not a board that meets quarterly.
Our horizon
Long-Term Stewardship
We build toward enduring value — not a quick flip. Built to last generations, not fund cycles.
Our edge
AI-Augmented Operations
We deploy AI for deal sourcing, operational dashboarding, and performance monitoring — amplifying human judgment, not replacing it.
Confidential & Low-Friction
No auction, no broker pressure, no strangers walking your floor. We work quietly, on your timeline, with absolute discretion.
Your Team, Protected
We acquire to grow, not to cut. The people who built your business with you are the foundation of everything we plan to build next.
Flexible Deal Structures
Open to seller financing, earnouts, and equity rollovers. We structure deals to reflect what matters most — legacy, certainty, or ongoing upside.
Deep Roots in BC
We know BC's regulatory environment, resource communities, and industrial character. This geography is not just a target — it's home.
Live Case Study — Proof of Concept
Small Business Acquisition · Vancouver, BC

Little Sister's Book & Art Emporium.
43 years of legacy.
One right buyer.

Little Sister's Book & Art Emporium — one of Canada's most iconic independent bookstores and a 43-year cornerstone of Vancouver's LGBTQ+ community — is the live proof-of-concept for the Arbutus Capital Partners model. This acquisition represents the full search fund journey: from thesis formation and investor capital raises, through letter of intent, intensive due diligence, closing, and now active CEO-led operations targeting 3× revenue growth on a two-year plan.

"Little Sister's wasn't just a business to acquire — it was a community institution to steward. It required the same capital discipline, operational rigor, and long-term conviction we bring to every thesis."

The deal used a -structured financing package (structured financing at closing), an asset purchase , and required a complete operational reset at close — rehiring all staff, new payroll, benefits, WorkSafeBC registrations, POS migration, merchant accounts, and insurance. Parmjot now operates as fractional CEO, executing a comprehensive 90-day activation plan and a two-year growth strategy targeting 3× revenue through e-commerce activation, new merchandise lines, CRM implementation, and brand platform development.

3×
Revenue Growth Target Two-year plan: e-commerce, merchandise, CRM, brand platform
1
Phase One
Thesis & Capital Formation
Identified the opportunity through deep community knowledge and sector mapping. Raised investor capital and structured the fund around a single-acquisition, operator-led thesis. Built financial model, investor materials, and deal framework.
2
Phase Two
Letter of Intent & Negotiation
Submitted LOI with a structured offer reflecting the seller's priorities — legacy preservation, staff continuity, and community commitment. Negotiated asset purchase structure, financing eligibility, and deal terms through Winright Law.
3
Phase Three
Due Diligence
Conducted full financial, operational, and commercial diligence — 4,600+ SKU POS analysis, P&L normalization, inventory valuation, lease assignment review, and banking diligence. Flagged and resolved key issues including P&L anomalies and permitted-use lease clauses.
4
Phase Four
Acquisition & Close
Closed . government-backed financing structured as a combination of credit facilities. Full operational reset at close — staff rehired, payroll/benefits, WorkSafeBC, merchant processing, POS system, insurance transfer.
5
Phase Five — Active
CEO Operations & 3× Growth Plan
Operating as fractional CEO. Executing 90-day activation (Shopify e-commerce, Klaviyo CRM, Okendo reviews) and 2-year brand platform strategy. Merchandise lines including "Censored by Canada Customs" and "Read Gay Books" apparel. Target: 3× revenue in 24 months.
Leadership

Guided by exceptional people.

Managing Partner
Parmjot Gill, MBA
Founder & Managing Partner — Arbutus Capital Partners

Parmjot Gill is a venture capitalist and 5× founder with over a decade at the intersection of climate tech, AI, and resource transformation. He brings direct operating experience as a turnaround CEO, institutional investment discipline from Chrysalix Venture Capital, and live deal experience from the Little Sister's acquisition to his role leading Arbutus Capital Partners.

5× Founder — Kite Company Creator ($23M valuation), Aluminate.ai, Promet.ai, Kite String Fund I
CEO & Turnaround Operator — Modco Pacific Manufacturing (80%/60% YoY revenue growth)
Investment Associate — Chrysalix Venture Capital ($100M USD RoboValley Fund)
Academic Fellow — RA Capital, AI & Planetary Health
VCIC Champion — 1st Place NE Regional (Dartmouth) & Yale · G20 Delegate, Canada (Top 5 of 400)
MAM (AI/PE) Yale SOM · MBA Top 10% UBC Sauder · BSc UVic · Chair, Queer Business BC
LinkedIn Profile →
PG
Board of Directors
Dr. Fiona Scott Morton
Board of Directors
Dr. Fiona Scott Morton
Board Director · Economics & Competition Policy

Dr. Fiona Scott Morton is the Theodore Nierenberg Professor of Economics at the Yale School of Management, where she has been a faculty member since 1999. One of the world's foremost experts in industrial organization, antitrust economics, and competition policy, she brings an extraordinary combination of academic rigor and real-world policy impact to the Arbutus Capital board.

Dr. Scott Morton served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economic Analysis in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (2011–2012) under President Obama, where she led economic analysis across all major merger and conduct investigations. In 2021–2022 she served as Chief Economist for Competition at the European Commission — the first American ever to hold the role.

Theodore Nierenberg Professor of Economics, Yale School of Management
Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. DOJ Antitrust Division (2011–2012)
Chief Economist, Competition, European Commission (2021–2022) — first American to hold the role
PhD Economics, MIT · BA Economics, Yale University
Research: industrial organization, antitrust, pharmaceutical economics, digital markets, platform competition
Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences · Econometric Society
Named one of the 50 most influential people in finance and markets (Bloomberg Markets)
Yale Faculty Profile →
Parmjot Gill, Founder of Arbutus Capital Partners
Parmjot Gill, MBA
Founder & Managing Partner
5× Founder · Venture Capitalist · Operator
Yale MAM · UBC MBA · UVic BSc
LinkedIn
The Founder
Venture capitalist.
5× founder. Operator.
Turnaround CEO.
Now building to own.

Parmjot Gill is a venture capitalist and five-time founder with over 10 years at the intersection of climate tech, AI, and resource transformation. His career spans venture creation, fund management, industrial turnarounds, and capital allocation — a combination that makes him uniquely equipped to find, acquire, and build a great business.

"A great business is not a spreadsheet. It is a system of relationships, expertise, and trust built over years. The right buyer understands that — and earns it."

Professional Experience
Little Sister's Book & Art Emporium
2026 – Present
Owner & Fractional CEO — Acquisition
Acquired Vancouver's iconic 43-year-old LGBTQ+ bookstore via asset purchase Full end-to-end search fund execution: capital raise → LOI → due diligence → close → operations. Currently operating as fractional CEO on a 2-year, 3× growth plan.
RA Capital Partners
2026 – Present
Academic Fellow — AI & Planetary Health
AI-driven materials discovery research and climate VC investment mapping. Built comprehensive AI × Climate investment heatmap across eight industrial domains mapped against a five-layer AI supply chain.
Kite Company Creator
2020 – 2025
Co-Founder & Vice-President
Built mining & metals venture studio to $23M valuation, 10 FTE, 75+ advisors, $10M+ capital commitments.
  • Co-Founder & Partner, Kite String Venture Fund I — $6M USD in strategic term sheets; $1.3M secured toward $5M angel fund
  • Co-Founder & Board Member, Promet.ai — secured $500K; restructured and scaled to Seed
  • Co-Founder, Aluminate.ai — $3M term sheet (Rio Tinto), $500K industry funding (South32), InnovateBC Ignite Award ($300K)
Modco Pacific Mfg.
2022 – 2024
Fractional CEO & Board Member
Full operational turnaround of industrial manufacturer. Restructured and recapitalized; increased YoY revenue 80% then 60% in consecutive years.
Chrysalix Venture Capital
2021 – 2022
Investment Associate
$100M USD RoboValley Fund. 100+ ventures reviewed; 10 for full diligence. Two IC recommendations. Re-operationalized Rockburst Technologies — enabled $1M non-dilutive capital raise.
Creative Destruction Lab
2021
Venture Consultant
Advised high-growth ventures on business planning and growth: RiskThinking.AI, Divigas, and Niricson.
Hydra Energy
2018 – 2019
Director, Program Management
PMO lead for world's largest hydrogen-powered fleet and refueling station ($190M NPV). Drove Series A/B, securing $1M+ capital.
Good Energy PLC
2016 – 2017
Project Manager
£10M specialist projects, 350K customers, publicly listed UK energy company. Built UK's first smart-grid and P2P trading market. Advised C-Suite.
Enistic Limited
2015 – 2016
Senior Energy Analyst
1,200% revenue increase; scaled analytics team to 6; delivered £1.1M of client projects.
Education
Yale School of Management
Master of Advanced Management (MAM)
Yale School of Management · 2026
STEM: AI & PE · High Honors · $30,000 Entrance Scholarship · $1,500 Point Scholarship · Access Scholarship · Leader: Impact Investing Club, AI Association, Net Impact · VCIC 1st Place NE Regional (Dartmouth) & 1st Place Yale · Independent Study: VC Thesis for the Computational-Industrial Era
UBC Sauder School of Business
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
UBC Sauder School of Business · 2021
Innovation & Entrepreneurship · Top 10% · 4.0 GPA · $20,000 CDL Award · $2,500 LOUD Business Award · Class President · Founder PP Case Competition · 1st Place KPMG MBA Case Competition
FOUNDER'S INST.
Venture Capital Lab — Cohort 13
Founder's Institute · Seattle, WA · 2024
Top 5% of funds · 1 of 50 graduates from 2,600 applicants · Built fund structure to close in 6 months
University of Victoria
Bachelor of Science — Double Major
University of Victoria · 2015
Biology & Environmental Studies · UVic Entrance Scholarship · Lorene Kennedy Field Award
Community Leadership
Queer Business BC (QBBC) Foundation & Association · Vancouver, BC · 2021 – Present
Chairperson & Board Member
Parmjot revived Queer Business BC from near-dormancy, transforming it into BC's leading 2SLGBTQIA+ business and professional network. Starting with a dormant organization, he rebuilt governance from the ground up, grew the board to 8+ members, expanded membership to 75+, and secured $400K in funding — enabling the first staff hire in over 20 years.
Under his leadership, QBBC launched mentorship, scholarship, and bursary programs that have made it the defining platform for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship and professional growth in British Columbia. Parmjot continues to serve as Chair, shaping the organization's strategic direction, governance, and community partnerships.
75+Members
$400KSecured
8+Board Members
3+Programs Launched
G20
G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance (YEA) Summit · India · Brazil · South Africa · 2023 – 2025
Canadian Delegate
Selected as Canada's delegate to the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance Summit across three consecutive years — India (2023), Brazil (2024), and South Africa (2025). The G20 YEA brings together the most promising young business leaders from across the world's twenty largest economies to advocate for entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable economic policy at the highest levels of global governance.
In 2025, Parmjot ranked in the Top 5 of 400 pitches across all G20 nations, advocating for clean technology investment and sustainability. His work at the G20 YEA forged national partnerships that mobilized over $10B USD in public and private sector investment commitments across participating nations.
3G20 Nations
Top 5of 400 Pitches
$10B+USD Mobilized
2023–25Consecutive Years
Selected Recognitions
2023
Featured UVic Alumni — Creating Planet Positive Solutions
2022
Speaker — Leveraging Private Equity & Innovation, CEMI Conference, Toronto
2017
Featured Innovator — PwC Decentralized Energy Campaign
2017
Scottish Renewables Young Innovator of the Year — Finalist (Top 5)
2016
BusinessGreen Youngest Sustainability Executive of the Year — Shortlisted
2024
G20 YEA Top 5 of 400 Pitches · InnovateBC Ignite Award ($300K) · VCIC Champion
Languages
English · French · Punjabi · Hindi
Athletics
Ironman Italy '25 · CrossFit · Scuba 400+ dives
Travel
40+ countries
Memberships
Hardtech Investor Forum · Keiretsu · Vancouver Club
What We Acquire

Where we
go to work.

We focus on the businesses that keep British Columbia's resource economy running — operators with deep competitive moats, recurring revenue, and decades of demand ahead of them. Not glamorous. Essential.

Primary Focus
Mining & Resource Services
Drilling, blasting, geotech, tailings, field operations
Forestry Services
Harvesting, logistics, replanting, fire management
Energy Infrastructure
Power, utilities, transmission, remote energy systems
Environmental & Compliance
Water treatment, remediation, ESG monitoring, permitting
Agriculture & Aquaculture
Farming, fishing, food production, rural operations
Infrastructure & Logistics
Remote-site ops, equipment MRO, camp services, fabrication
Business Characteristics We Seek
Software & Tech-Enabled
SaaS, platforms, data services
Hardware & Equipment
Industrial tech, sensors, devices
CAPEX-Lite Models
Asset-light, high-margin, scalable
Small Team, Big Footprint
Lean ops, wide market reach
Circular Economy
Recycling, byproduct recovery, reuse
The Opportunity

British Columbia.
A once-in-a-generation
transition.

The global energy transition is not abstract in British Columbia. It arrives in the form of critical mineral demand defining the next fifty years of provincial industry — meeting a wave of founder retirements across the exact service businesses that enable resource extraction.

$15B+
BC mining industry annual GDP — among the world's most mineral-rich regions
10,000+
BC SME owners expected to exit in the next decade due to retirement demographics
$2–5M
EBITDA range largely ignored by institutional buyers — our primary hunting ground
5–10yr
Average service contract tenure in BC's resource sector — the definition of recurring revenue
01 — Structural Demand
Global Electrification Needs BC's Minerals
EVs, grid batteries, and renewable infrastructure require copper, lithium, cobalt, and nickel at unprecedented scale. BC holds enormous reserves. The demand curve is not speculative.
02 — Succession Wave
The Baby Boomer Exit
The founder generation of BC's mid-market service businesses is retiring. Most have no succession plan. Private equity doesn't chase $3M EBITDA. Open field for a focused search fund.
03 — Regulatory Moat
Years to Replicate, Days to Destroy
Environmental permits, safety certifications, and First Nations relationships are not obtainable overnight. Established operators possess moats that protect against new entrants indefinitely.
04 — ESG Outsourcing
Big Operators, Growing Service Demand
Teck, Rio Tinto, and other majors are outsourcing more, not less. Compliance complexity means specialists command long-term contracts and stable economics.
Investment Criteria

What we
look for.

We are disciplined buyers. Every business must meet a clear threshold of financial quality, revenue predictability, and competitive defensibility. We also evaluate technology adoption potential — underutilized data, manual workflows, and fragmented reporting are not red flags. They are signals of untapped operational upside.

Owner-led businesses with a genuine succession need or transition readiness
Long-standing customer relationships with limited concentration (under 20%)
Recurring or contracted revenue — take-or-pay, maintenance agreements, multi-year contracts
Proven resilience through commodity cycles
Located in or deeply tied to BC's resource economy
A talented existing team that wants to stay, grow, and thrive under new leadership
Target EBITDA
$2M – $5M
EBITDA Margins
10 – 25%+
Organic Growth
> 5% p.a.
Revenue Quality
Recurring / Contracted
Customer Conc.
< 20% single client
Geography
BC (+ W. Canada)
Our Process

How we acquire & build.

I
Phase One — Search
Proprietary Sourcing
We identify businesses before they reach brokers through direct relationships — owners who are ready to consider a transition, but haven't called a broker yet.
  • Direct founder outreach across BC
  • Industry association and regional networks
  • Referrals from accountants, lawyers, advisors
  • Succession-focused targeting by subsector
II
Phase Two — Acquisition
Deep Diligence & Structured Deal
Rigorous financial and operational diligence — quietly, on the seller's timeline. We structure deals to honor what matters most to the founder.
  • Financial model & cash flow analysis
  • Customer, contract & relationship review
  • Operational and team assessment
  • Seller financing, earnouts, equity rollovers
III
Phase Three — Operation
Active Ownership & Growth
Post-close, we step in as CEO. Not a board member — the operator. We earn trust, deepen relationships, and build for the long run.
  • Operational professionalization & systems
  • Pricing and contract optimization
  • Adjacent service expansion
  • Selective add-on acquisitions over time
Submit a Company

Know a business
worth a conversation?

If you are a business owner in BC's natural resource sector thinking about what comes next — we'd welcome a confidential conversation. No broker, no auction, no obligation.

We also work actively with accountants, lawyers, wealth advisors, and industry contacts who advise business owners. If you know someone who might be ready, we'd be grateful for an introduction.

"All inquiries are held in complete confidence. We will never approach employees, customers, or suppliers without explicit permission from the owner."
✦

Thank you for reaching out.

We'll be in touch within two business days. All information is held in strict confidence.

Let's Talk

Every great acquisition begins with a conversation.

Whether you're a business owner, an advisor, or an investor — we'd love to connect. No agendas, no pressure. Just genuine curiosity and a commitment to doing right by the businesses we pursue.

Begin a Conversation
Email
[email protected]
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/psgca
Phone
604.849.0090
Base
Vancouver, British Columbia · Delaware Incorporated