Cascadia Capital, an independent investment bank serving middle-market clients globally, added Aarti Kapoor as a managing director in its consumer, retail and e-commerce group. Based in New York, Kapoor brings 18 years of consumer and retail transaction experience across private equity investing and advisory, with deep expertise in health, wellness and beauty services, restaurants, and pet products and services.
Kapoor joins Cascadia from VMG Partners, a consumer and retail growth equity firm, where she served as a partner in the investment fund and CEO of VMG Consumer Acquisition. Prior to VMG, she spent nearly 15 years in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, Moelis and Citi, advising public and private companies on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and strategic alternatives.
Throughout her career, Kapoor has developed a strong track record advising clients across a broad range of deal stages and profiles — from emerging growth and family/founder-owned businesses to large-cap public companies — and across financial products, including M&A and raising capital in both the private and public markets. She is widely regarded for her deep domain expertise in multi-unit consumer services such as fitness, wellness, aesthetic services, restaurants and pet services, as well as her specialized focus on pet consumer products.
“Aarti brings a rare combination of senior investment banking experience and principal investing expertise that will immediately elevate our consumer practice,” William Susman, head of Cascadia’s consumer group, said. “Her deep relationships across the multi-unit services, restaurants and pet ecosystems, coupled with her track record at Moelis, Goldman Sachs and VMG Partners, position her to add tremendous value to our clients. We are thrilled to welcome her to the team and confident her leadership will further strengthen our ability to execute complex, high-impact transactions across the consumer landscape.”
Kapoor said, “I’m excited to join Cascadia and help expand the firm’s consumer practice across several categories. Institutional investors continue to lean heavily into multi-unit, service-oriented models in the health, wellness and lifestyle categories, as well as limited-service restaurants. Further, assets in the pet products category continue to benefit meaningfully from robust long-term sector tailwinds, proving attractive to a wide range of both sponsor and strategic buyers. Having spent my career advising and investing across these categories, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that thoughtful partnership and deep industry expertise can have on businesses at critical inflection points. Cascadia’s independent model, sector focus and high-touch advisory approach make it a uniquely compelling platform. I look forward to collaborating with this exceptional team to support founders, management teams and investors as they navigate important strategic and transactional decisions.”
Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of Cascadia Capital, added, “Aarti’s addition reflects our continued investment in senior talent across key growth sectors. Her experience across both advisory and principal investing, particularly in high-growth, service-oriented consumer categories, aligns perfectly with our commitment to building the most effective, deeply specialized advisory platform in the market. We are proud to welcome her to Cascadia.”
