2027 Cohort: CEO-in-Residence Greater Chicago, IL Area

Welcome to NextGen Growth Partners’ 2027 CIR Application. Our firm brings together remarkable founders and owners ready for their next chapter with aspiring CEOs ready to acquire, operate, and grow thriving businesses across the lower-middle market. We support our CIRs every step of the way with the capital, partnership, and resources to preserve what's been built and create what comes next.

Our Ideal Candidate

We are looking for passionate and driven individuals with deep industry experience in the sector they want to acquire in who are eager to take the helm of a lower middle market business with EBITDA in the $1.5 to $7 million range.

As a CEO-in-Residence (CIR) at NGP, you’ll be a natural leader, committed to providing a legacy preservation plan for a pre-existing small business, driving growth, and overseeing the entire operation of a company. You’ll work hand-in-hand with our investment team, Advisory Board, and interns to craft investment theses, build a pipeline of opportunities, forge relationships with prospective sellers and industry leaders, and ultimately acquire and lead a company as its CEO. Once you partner with a business, you’ll relocate and step into the role you’ve been preparing for—leading the company with vision and purpose.

Post-Acquisition, you'll transition into overseeing the day-to-day operations of the business as its new CEO, developing the long-term mission and strategic vision of the company alongside the Board of Directors. With the support of NGP, you will spearhead the development and implementation of effective value creation strategies, build company culture and lead teams, and shepherd the business into its next phase of growth.

Candidate Characteristics

Demonstrates NGP’s three core values:

Relationships: Care and communication over egos and siloes.

Rigor: Experimentation and feedback over hesitation and defensiveness.

Results: Value creation and winning outcomes over status quo and stagnation.

5+ years of operating experience in your target thesis area

Proven operator with P&L ownership and experience leading teams

Strong ability to design and manage a creative, relationship-based sales approach

Deep sense of integrity and strong personal ethics

Passion for learning through self-directed efforts, peer-to-peer feedback, and coaching

History of measurable career promotions and successes

Thesis alignment with NGP: Outsourced B2B services providing a mission-critical service with recurring revenue in the mix

Program Expectations

The CIR program is a full-time, two-year commitment focused on acquiring the right business. CIRs are strongly encouraged to operate from Chicago or to spend significant time here during the program. Upon acquisition, you'll relocate and step into the CEO seat of that business. If you're an experienced executive who is geographically constrained or would prefer to remain in your current role, our part-time Executive in Search (EIS) program may be a better fit.