5C Investment Partners
5C Investment Partners is a private credit investment firm specializing in providing direct financing solutions to high-quality upper middle-market companies. Founded by former Goldman Sachs partners Tom Connolly and Michael Koester, the firm draws on decades of private market investing experience to build long-term partnerships with investors, borrowers, management teams, and employees. According to its website at 5cinvest.com, 5C launched in 2023 with $1.6 billion of available capital and has since grown its platform to approximately $3 billion of long-term investable capital, supported by anchor partnerships with Liberty Mutual Investments, the Dell Family Office, and a strategic partnership with the Qatar Investment Authority.
5C's direct lending strategy, described at 5cinvest.com, focuses on providing financing opportunities primarily to sponsor-backed, upper middle-market companies with high-quality businesses and durable competitive advantages. The firm targets companies in the business services, software, healthcare, and financial services sectors, offering first lien senior secured loans and unitranche facilities that provide lenders with strong asset coverage and covenant protection. 5C's approach to credit underwriting emphasizes consistency, thorough quantitative evaluation, and disciplined selectivity — principles the founding team honed during their combined 25 years at Goldman Sachs, where they helped build and scale the firm's direct lending business through multiple credit cycles.
5C operates a platform of more than 20 professionals with deep expertise in private credit origination, underwriting, and portfolio management across the upper middle market. According to 5cinvest.com, the firm's investment philosophy is built on four core values — teamwork, excellence, alignment, and integrity — that guide every aspect of the firm's culture and investment process. The strategic partnership with the Qatar Investment Authority, announced in early 2026, reflects the global recognition of 5C's differentiated approach to direct lending and positions the firm for continued expansion of its direct lending platform and the development of new investment strategies and financing solutions for borrowers and investors alike.