B. Riley Financial announced the formation of Great American Capital Partners (GACP) with an anchor investment from Corporate Capital Trust, a business development company advised by CNL Financial Advisors Company and KKR Credit Advisors.

GACP will focus on providing asset-based debt opportunities targeting lower middle market companies. It will utilize the wide array of diversified financial and business advisory services provided by the B. Riley Financial platform, which includes a network of over 200 finance professionals for proprietary deal flow sourcing and in-house valuation and appraisals expertise. GACP is led by John Ahn, president, and Stuart Armstrong, Chief Investment Officer.

“GACP will provide responsive debt capital to support the underserved middle market with non-traditional and opportunistic capital by leveraging B. Riley Financial’s unparalleled origination platform to source proprietary transaction opportunities,” said John Ahn, president of GACP. Additionally, our affiliate, Great American Group, gives us unmatched access to in-house, market leading appraisal and valuation expertise. This insight into asset and collateral values, combined with B. Riley & Co.’s award winning equity research and capital market capabilities, will enable GACP to provide significant flexibility in lending structures.”

“We are pleased to partner with GACP and B. Riley Financial to expand their asset-based lending platform. The GACP team has developed a strong track record of originating complex asset-based loans. The alignment with GACP complements our focus to leverage proprietary resources to further build and execute on opportunities within the credit space,” noted Dev Gopalan, director and head of U.S. Private Credit for KKR.

“We believe there’s tremendous opportunity to grow our asset management business further,” added Bryant Riley, chairman and CEO of B. Riley Financial. “The addition of GACP, which includes a key investment from KKR’s Credit business, broadens B. Riley Financial’s robust financial service offerings and augments our goal of providing truly tailored and collaborative financial solutions.”