News & Insights

Private Equity: Emerging managers to watch in 2026

Keep your eyes on Team Aphias — follow us at Aphias Capital

Disclaimer: Aphias has not paid any compensation to With Intelligence to be considered for this list, which was issued on March 9, 2026 and covers firms that announced or reported their launch in 2025. For further information regarding With Intelligence’s methodology in determining the firms named on this list, please see the With Intelligence website and With Intelligence article linked above.

I'm pleased to announce I've joined Aphias Capital as Managing Director, Business Development. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with current and former colleagues on this new and exciting platform. We're kicking off 2026 in San Francisco where we look forward to connecting with many of our healthcare friends and colleagues during JPM HC.

Thank you all for the continued support and friendship.

Excited to finally share what we've been building — Aphias Capital, launched together with an incredible group of partners: Rob Wolfson, Praneeth Wanigasekera, and Amanda Kalin.

I'm grateful to Rob for his vision, and I'm committed to building our healthcare investing efforts as a founding partner.

Aphias is an operationally oriented investment firm dedicated to building enduring healthcare and essential services companies.

Energized to begin this next chapter with an exceptional team — and looking forward to connecting with founders, executives, and partners as we build Aphias together.

I'm excited to share that I have joined my former colleague Rob Wolfson's founding team at Aphias Capital (www.aphias.com) as a Partner focusing on essential services!

I am grateful to my former Gryphon and H.I.G. colleagues for their teamwork and mentorship over the last two decades. It was a privilege to work alongside you.

Aphias Capital is a vertically focused private equity firm enabling lower middle market companies to achieve their full potential. We are dedicated to Healthcare & Essential Service businesses. I look forward to continuing to partner with outstanding leaders in this next chapter.

After 13 years with H.I.G. Capital, I'm excited to announce that I have joined Rob Wolfson's founding team as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Aphias Capital (www.aphias.com).

I am grateful to my H.I.G. colleagues for the friendships and mentorship over the last decade and for enabling everything I've learned during this time. It was a privilege to work alongside you.

Rob's goal of developing exceptional investors through scaffolding, coaching and mentorship, the focus on operational excellence, and intent to build a culture that becomes a competitive advantage, resonate deeply with my own goals.

I'm excited about the immense opportunity at Aphias. We are a team of vertically-focused investors dedicated to partnering with middle market businesses in Healthcare Services and Essential Services. We combine strategic insights with operational support to help companies unlock growth and long-term value.

I am excited to announce my decision to join Aphias Capital as a member of its founding team. The last six years of my life at Tastes on the Fly and then Paradies Lagardère have been some of the most rewarding of my professional career. The opportunity to work alongside people of such high caliber and integrity, dedicated every day to our shared mission, with principles of accountability, alignment and excellence, has shown me what it means to work at a truly great company.

At Aphias Capital, a vertically-focused private equity firm focused on enabling lower middle market companies to achieve their full potential, I will be investing in the Essential Services sector and look forward to continuing to partner with great businesses and great people in this next chapter. If you are interested in learning more, please check out our website, www.aphias.com, and/or do not hesitate to reach out!

After nearly 20 incredible years at H.I.G., I decided to embark on a new journey and I'm excited to announce the launch of Aphias Capital (www.aphias.com).

While it's bittersweet to say goodbye to my amazing colleagues at H.I.G., I'm excited for what's ahead in this new chapter of my career. I'm deeply grateful to H.I.G. for the opportunities and experiences over the past two decades, which have shaped me both as a private equity investor and a leader, making this next chapter possible.

Aphias Capital is a vertically focused private equity firm focused on enabling lower middle market companies to achieve their full potential. We are dedicated to Healthcare Service & Essential Service businesses. Please look at our website and/or reach out!

— Rob