Lead Capital Partners is an investment firm founded in 2011 to acquire majority interests in privately-owned healthcare companies.
With the backing of investors who have built businesses over many generations, Lead Capital’s tenured team provides companies with a unique combination of capital resources, operating experience, a like-minded approach to building companies, and a long-term investment horizon, all of which create an optimal environment for sustained growth.
The Lead Capital Team
Pryor Smartt
Managing Partner
Mr. Smartt is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Lead Capital Partners. Prior to LCP, Mr. Smartt was a Director of Investments at Harbert Management Corporation (HMC), a multi-billion institutional alternative asset manager. Prior to HMC, Mr. Smartt worked in the Investment Banking department of KeyBanc Capital Markets (formerly McDonald Investments), focusing primarily on lower middle market merger and acquisition advisory. Prior to McDonald, Mr. Smartt worked in the Corporate and Investment Banking department of SunTrust Bank. Mr. Smartt received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University.
Tate McNeilly
Director
Mr. McNeilly joined Lead Capital Partners in 2014. At LCP, Mr. McNeilly focuses his time and efforts primarily on new deal origination, due diligence, transaction evaluation and execution, and portfolio management. Mr. McNeilly received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Sewanee: The University of the South.
Carl Grote
Director
Mr. Grote joined Lead Capital Partners in 2022. At LCP, Mr. Grote focuses on portfolio management, new investment origination, and transaction due diligence and execution. Prior to LCP, Mr. Grote worked in the Investment Banking departments of Janney Montgomery Scott and Robert W. Baird & Co. providing middle market M&A advisory and financing services. Mr. Grote received his Bachelor of Arts from Washington and Lee University and Master of Science from the University of Texas at Austin.
John Peake
Vice President of Finance and Fund Administration
Mr. Peake joined Lead Capital Partners in 2023. At LCP, Mr. Peake is responsible for overseeing the accounting and financial reporting as well as compliance and administrative operations. Prior to joining LCP, Mr. Peake was a tax senior manager at LBMC, PC in their Brentwood office, primarily focused on tax consulting and compliance for investment partnership, healthcare, and real estate clients. Mr. Peake is a CPA and received a Master of Accountancy and Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Georgia. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Tennessee Society of CPAs.
Brenna Thomson
Vice President of Business Development
Before joining LCP in October 2024, Brenna was an associate at Caloah Private Equity in Vancouver, where she played a key role in the deal execution process, including thesis development, deal sourcing, structuring and negotiating acquisitions, due diligence, portfolio management, and capital raising initiatives. Prior to Caloah, Brenna was a senior associate in the Corporate Finance & Business Development team at KPMG LLP Toronto, focusing on market research in high-priority industries, deal origination, financial due diligence, and market outreach. Before her time at KPMG, she spent several years with Deloitte LLP Vancouver in the Valuations and Modelling team, where she supported stakeholders with financial decision-making, conducting valuations, and due diligence for various transactions. Brenna’s earlier career includes roles at Barclays UK in London as a Strategy & Operations associate and at Origin Markets, a capital markets fintech startup, as an analyst. She holds an MSc in Finance and Banking from Cass Business School (London, UK) and a Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies, specializing in Finance, from Western University (London, ON). Brenna was also a varsity track athlete at Western and ran professionally for Team Canada after graduation.
Chip Royal
Associate
Mr. Royal joined Lead Capital Partners in 2024. At LCP, Mr. Royal focuses on new investment origination, transaction due diligence and execution, and portfolio management. Before joining LCP, Mr. Royal worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Stephens Inc., where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising solutions for business services, specialty distribution, and specialty finance companies. Mr. Royal received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Alabama and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Anthony Swenson
Associate
Mr. Swenson joined Lead Capital Partners in 2024. At LCP, Mr. Swenson focuses on new investment origination, transaction due diligence and execution, and portfolio management. Before joining LCP, Mr. Swenson began his career at Bain & Company in Dallas as a Management Consultant, where he specialized in growth strategy and commercial excellence across various industries. Following his tenure at Bain, he served as Chief of Staff for Cortex Sustainability Intelligence, overseeing finance and investor relations. Mr. Swenson holds a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University.