Private Investments Since 1975.

Plimpton & Company's decades of hands-on, customized investment services, and advisory services make us the ideal fit for your company's needs.

Private Investments Since 1975.

Founded by Conrad Plimpton in 1975 to pursue entrepreneurship and innovation through investment and acquisition, we have been an active buy and hold investor for more than five decades, partnering directly with entrepreneurs for long-term value creation.  We focus on partnering with passionate individuals to build successful middle-market companies in areas where we can provide unique strategic insights, industry knowledge, and managerial support.

Our flexible transaction and operating structure allows us to tailor our approach to meet the needs and objectives of a particular company or situation. And our unconstrained time horizons allow us to truly take a long-term approach, whether multi-year, multi-decade, or multi-generational.

Who We Are

We’re about helping build a legacy for your family.

 

We’re about giving you the tools you need to make the right decisions.

 

We’re about advising you so you can decide on future directions.


We’re about helping you plan your future, your children’s futures, and your grandchildren’s futures.

Conrad Plimpton

Founder and Chair

For over 50 years, Conrad’s career has been marked by an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, with an appreciation for applied science and technology. Mr. Plimpton is currently active globally as a business owner and angel investor, helping a variety of universities commercialize their research.

 

Since founding Plimpton & Company in 1975, Mr. Plimpton has been active in acquiring and building long-term value in companies globally. In addition to serving as Chairman of Plimpton & Company for the past 50+ years, Conrad  serves as:

 

  • Chair of Sustainable Botanicals International, a specialty ingredient company providing natural, sustainable, and safe and effective fair trade organic ingredients for applications in beauty, personal care, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical.
  • Founder of Frontenac Company, a leading Chicago-based company that invests in high-quality companies, primarily in the food, industrial, and services industries.
  • Partner of CDI Global (Corporate Development International) in pharma biotech.
  • Lead investor for Desert Angels in Tucson, Arizona.
  • Chair of the board for MSDx (Tucson), which provides novel blood biomarker tools for studying neurological disease processes that they call “Window into the Brain”. The company initially discovered a novel source of biomarkers that reflect the disease activity of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and was recently granted its third patent.

Previous experience includes:

 

  • Founder and Chair of the INOLEX Chemical Company, a corporation that produces specialty chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates.
  • Chairman and founding shareholder/CEO of Exide Electronics Group Inc, now Powerware Corporation.
  • Founding shareholder and Director of Troy Chemical.
  • Founder of NeuroHealth Foundation (ZUG), which sponsors Multiple Sclerosis research at the University of Zurich.
  • Chairman of Cibola Technologies in Tucson, Arizona.
  • Previous owner and chair of numerous executive boards, including Exide Electronics (ultimately sold to Eaton), which he grew from $50 million in revenue to $600 million, principally through new product innovation.
  • Investment banker at Kuhn Loeb & Co.
  • Consultant at McKinsey & Company.
  • Founder and Chairman of Comartis USA, a provider of online training services.
  • Founding Chairman of Avirtek, provider of cybersecurity algorithms originally developed for network centered warfare security.
  • Founding Chairman of Cibola Technologies, a developer of e-commerce and e-marketing.

Conrad holds an AB in Physics from Harvard College, an MBA from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and a Master’s of Astrophysics from the University of Chicago.

Jon Plimpton

Managing Director

Jon Plimpton brings a wealth of experience  to Plimpton & Company:

 

  • COO of Sustainable Botanicals International.
  • Principal and Founder (1991-2000) of International Business Management, Inc. (IBMI), a global business development company, that supported  the strategic direction and business development of clients’ companies.
  • CDI Global affiliate, a collaboration of over 50 M&A firms in major global markets.
  • President of ObjectiD, Inc. a technology startup company that specialized in anti-counterfeit and anti-diversion systems protecting manufacturers and ensuring end users of product integrity.
  • Former Director-International for Church & Dwight (owner of Arm & Hammer brands), where he was responsible for globalizing the company product lines, establishing distribution in over 50 countries, and acquiring and integrating the international business operations of Carter Wallace.
  • Former Vice President of International at Prince Manufacturing, Inc., a tennis and leisure products company.
  • Former Director of Export Marketing for Penn Athletic, a division of GenCorp (General Tire).
  • Serving/served on boards of companies and educational institutions.
  • In 1985, Jon was one of five participants in a management-led buyout of Prince from Unilever.  He oversaw international operations until the company’s successful sale to Edizione of Italy (Benetton) in December 1990. During that time, the international business grew 2.5 times to represent over 65% of the company’s operating profit and 55% of its sales.

Jon  spent 15 years in the transportation industry, working with Pan American, Trans World Airlines, Braniff International and Mexicana Airlines, where he ultimately served as Senior Manager for the United States, Canada, and the Pacific.

 

He is fluent in Spanish and has a working knowledge of both French and German.

 

Jon holds an MBA from the Booth School at the University of Chicago and a BA from Case Western Reserve University.

Steve Plimpton

Managing Director

In addition to serving as a Managing Director for Plimpton & Company, Steve Plimpton  is the Designated Principal of OfferBoard Securities, a national technology-enabled investment banking firm that is now part of Entero. He also serves as Head of Investment Banking and Chief Compliance Officer.

 

Steve has helped build teams and businesses, through leadership and front-line business development and sales positions in the nonprofit and commercial spheres, including:

 

  • Secretary of INOLEX, a position he held for more than five years.
  • Founding member of Sword Rowe, a merchant bank that achieved profitability in its first year.
  • Founding member of Equinox Funds, an alternative asset manager. During his tenure at Equinox, he built distribution, raising $1.2B for registered and exempt securities from retail and institutional investors across several distribution channels.
  • Director of The Lawrenceville Fund, the annual giving program for his high school alma mater, The Lawrenceville School.

Steve has presented at numerous conferences and seminars for both financial professionals and the general public on a range of topics, including investing. Registered with FINRA and possesses the Series 3, 7, 24, 63, and 79 accredited designations, Steve holds an AB cum laude in Psychology from Harvard College.

Sarah P. Liebowitz

Managing Director

CEO of Sustainable Botanicals International, Sarah has been involved in the Personal Care industry for many years. In addition to being a shareholder and Board Member of her family’s company, INOLEX, Sarah served as its Global Marketing and Public Relations Manager and Corporate Development and Public Relations Executive from 2009 until January 2019.  Sarah was also the Director of Marketing for IPS Labs, a formulation lab servicing Unilever, Revlon and Avon, as well as smaller indie brands. Prior to that, Sarah had senior marketing roles in various companies and had an editorial role on the Board of Chemical Sciences and Technology , National Academy of Sciences. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College, received an MA from University of Chicago in Cultural Anthropology and completed courses at University of Chicago’s Business School.

 

 

Sarah is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, serves on the Board of the Philadelphia Israeli Chamber of Commerce and sits on the President’s Advisory Council of Bryn Mawr College. Sarah is also an active supporter of Fund For Social Good in South Africa.  She is the lead investor in Be Self Made, a woman-run consumer brand focused on Generation Z wellness, as well as Laboratory Sciences Corporation, a dermal delivery platform for cosmetic and pharmaceutical actives, and also in Aging Choices, a woman-led technology-platform dedicated to making finding senior living easier for everyone.

Investment Services

Transaction Advisory Services

 

Focus areas

  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Buy and sell side mandate management
  • Financings
  • Turnarounds
  • Deal flow generation,
  • Global business development
  • Transaction facilitation
  • Startup management mentoring and business financing

Representative transaction services

 

  • Corporate development and strategy. We work with management and shareholders to evaluate add-on acquisitions, debt and equity financings, and possible exit strategies. These clients benefit from our strong relationships with corporate entities operating in our targeted industries and with key players in the capital markets.
  • Management practices. Our team works with management to enhance financial reporting, strategic planning, and risk management practices. We also work to establish key initiatives that build a better and more valuable enterprise, while implementing incentive structures for senior management and other key employees.
  • Global perspective. We are a proud member of CDI Global, which enables us to work with our partners around the globe when projects benefit from cross-border interaction. Working collaboratively with CDI, we bring a global perspective and resources to each client assignment.
  • Senior advisor and operating partner  networks. We leverage our global footprint in support of our clients to achieve their strategic and financial goals. We are able to uniquely source and evaluate new investments and act as a financial resource for our client companies.

Startup and Early-Stage Consulting

We deliver high-quality, specialized consulting services to entrepreneurs starting new business or in the early stages of business development. Since each clients’ needs differ, we tailor our work according to the particular aspects of each relationship.

 

Representative startup/early-stage services

  • We ensure the basics are covered. We build, procure, and secure the necessary legal framework to launch a business, including establishing a legal entity, IP protection, and business registrations.
  • We establish the business platform. We help set up accounting, financial, and business management tools and services on one simple platform.
  • We raise capital. We work various networks to access hundreds of top angel groups and venture capital firms across the world.
  • We help prepare your presentation. We guide you through the process of honing your story and presentation to connect with the right investors.
  • We find and apply to the world’s top accelerators. We provide essential mentorship and capital, as well as introductions through our access to hundreds of open accelerator programs seeking motivated, high-growth startups.
  • We support your company ownership. Most contracts with a co-founder, employee, or investor represent a line on your company’s cap table to allocate ownership. We support the electronic issuance of stock and options, create model fundraising scenarios, simplify investor due diligence, and  stay tax-compliant with expert 409A coverage.

Our Potential Clients

 

  • Are great people. We seek individuals and teams that possess the passion and innovation required to succeed so we can embrace the distinctive values they want to bring to market.
  • Have great energy.  We embrace responsive and responsible behavior that the market will reward. We want to see our entrepreneurial clients “all-in” when it comes to developing their ideas.
  • Display great talent. We look for driven leaders who are both nimble and adept in their relentless pursuit of a vision.

Investment Services

Representative current investments

  • MSDx: Personalized medicine company developing blood testing products for brain diseases.
  • Troy Chemical: Specialty chemical company developing and manufacturing performance materials for a variety of end markets.
  • Brainiac Supplements: Formulator of nutritional supplements.
  • ieS Labo: Producer of natural extracts for the personal care industry.
  • Be Self Made
  • Laboratory Sciences Corporation
  • Aging Choices

Representative prior investments

 

  • Exide Electronics: Producer of uninterruptible power systems.
  • Sterling Plumbing: Manufacturer of residential faucets and other brassware.
  • HiRoss:  Provider of precision cooling solutions.
  • Comertis USA: Provider of online training services.
  • Avirtek: Provider of cybersecurity algorithms.
  • Cibola Technologies: Developer of e-commerce and e-marketing solutions.
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