Caprae Capital Targets Global Gen Z Talent to Fuel $110 Million Deal Surge
New York, Sunday, 8 February 2026.
Caprae Capital is aggressively expanding its global footprint by extending its highly selective internship program to top institutions in India and Spain. This strategic move aims to bolster its talent pipeline amid a period of rapid expansion, with the firm closing in on $110 million in deals since January 2025. By partnering with elite universities like IIT and IESE, and maintaining an acceptance rate below 0.1 percent, Caprae is explicitly leveraging Gen Z talent to sustain month-over-month growth exceeding 20 percent. The firm has already converted multiple interns to full-time roles, signaling a distinct shift in how private equity firms cultivate leadership and drive lower-middle-market value.
Structuring Growth Through Global Academic Partnerships
The firm’s rapid accumulation of assets—comprising over $50 million in closed deal value throughout 2025 and a pipeline exceeding $60 million for the first half of 2026—has necessitated an immediate widening of its human capital base [1]. To support this transaction volume, Caprae Capital formally launched partnerships in early 2026 with six premier institutions across Europe and Asia [1]. In Spain, the firm has aligned with IESE Business School, IE University, and CUNEF, while its expansion into India targets the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, Bombay, and Madras [1]. This geographical diversification is designed to capture high-potential candidates capable of navigating the firm’s lower-middle-market platform, which has sustained month-over-month growth of over 20 percent for more than 14 consecutive months [1].
Engineering a New Private Equity Culture
Caprae’s recruitment metrics reveal a highly competitive funnel that rivals top-tier investment banks, yet operates on a distinct cultural premise. The firm processes between 5,000 and 10,000 applications monthly, maintaining an acceptance rate of under 0.1 percent [1]. This rigorous selection process is integral to Caprae’s strategy of “reverse-engineering” traditional private equity models, a sentiment echoed by Founder and Principal Kevin Hong. Hong notes that the firm is intent on changing the industry culture, starting with training, rather than merely adjusting tactical approaches [1]. By prioritizing Gen Z talent, the firm posits that it is more efficient to train digital natives in finance than to upskill older generations in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence [1].
Operational Impact and Strategic Outlook
The efficacy of this talent strategy is evidenced by recent conversions of interns to permanent roles. As of February 7, 2026, Caprae Capital has converted four interns into full-time employees [2][3]. These hires are not relegated to back-office functions; according to Gabriel Peyrano, a recent hire and graduate of Università Bocconi, the program demands involvement in the full deal lifecycle, from research to modeling and exit preparation [1]. Looking ahead, Caprae plans to onboard at least five to seven additional full-time hires from its internship pool in 2026 to manage its expanding portfolio [1]. This reliance on organic talent growth underscores a broader attempt to redefine leadership in the sector, moving away from the exclusionary practices often associated with legacy private equity firms [1].