Arizona Tribune - Caprae Expands Internship Program to India and Spain, Accelerates Global Talent Pipeline Amid 20%+ MoM Growth and closing in on $110M+ in Closed Deals Since January 2025

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / February 7, 2026 / Caprae Capital Partners, one of the fast-growing lower-middle-market platform rewriting private equity from the ground up, announced the conversion of three standout interns into full-time team members in early 2026 as it continues to scale its internship program across Asia and Europe.

This move reflects a bigger strategic truth: the best hires aren't found they're built. With over $50M in closed deal value in 2025 and another $60M+ already in the pipeline for H1 2026, Caprae is not only scaling revenue, but scaling ideology.

"No other profession starts with 'I'm not like the other PE guys' - unless you're a politician somehow," said Kevin Hong , Founder and Principal at Caprae. "Can you imagine a doctor, a teacher, or a police officer introducing themselves that way? PE is broken at the identity level. We're not just fixing the tactics - we're changing the culture. And that starts with how we train people."

Internships That Build Operators, Not Pedigrees
Caprae's internship program has become the company's main talent pipeline, with plans to onboard at least 5-7 full-time hires from the program in 2026 alone. Interns start in one of four specialized tracks - PE, Research, Buy-Side, or Strategic Marketing - and many are added to payroll after just 30 days, upon completing training in cold calling, deal origination, AI-powered outreach, or market research.

"I got to do everything from A to Z for PE - not just research or modeling," said Gabriel Peyrano, a full-time hire and graduate of Università Bocconi and Hult International Business School. "I didn't have to wait years to work on real deals. I gained enormous deal experience and helped accelerate growth for companies preparing to exit in the next few years."

For students unable to receive stipends or focused on earning academic credit, Caprae offers its flagship PE Internship, a flexible entry point with deep exposure to live sourcing, founder calls, and real-time diligence.

The program has sparked massive interest: 5,000 to 10,000 applicants per month, with an acceptance rate consistently under 0.1%, making it one of the most selective early-career programs in the LMM and ETA space.

International Expansion: India & Spain Now Anchors of Global Talent Strategy

In 2026, Caprae launched partnerships with six leading institutions across Europe and Asia:

• Spain: IESE Business School, IE University, CUNEF

• India: IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras

This strategic expansion cements Caprae's presence across Europe and greater Asia, creating a robust pipeline of Gen Z operators trained from the ground up in Caprae's unique operating system.

Gen Z > Boomers. AI > Pedigree. Culture > Credentials.

"It's easier to teach a Gen Z how finance than to teach a boomer how AI works," said Hong. "This generation isn't chasing prestige. They're chasing purpose."

Caprae's mission-first approach has struck a chord not just with interns - but with clients, vendors, and the broader ecosystem.

In a space riddled with old-guard dynamics, Caprae is building a movement. It has openly challenged the traditional search fund and LMM PE model by:

• Launching the Investor Rankings project to crowdsource anonymous feedback on investor behavior

• Forming the MBA Search Fund Alliance with student-club partners at top schools like Chicago Booth, UCLA Anderson, and HEC Paris

• Releasing data showing that Black CEOs in the search fund world are 3x more likely to be terminated, despite being only 8% of those funded

• Reverse-engineering Stanford GSB's research on ETA to stress-test actual acquisition and termination rates across demographics

These moves have generated serious discussions across the search fund and lower-middle-market PE space.

From Playbooks to People

Caprae's rise is not just about deals - though it has plenty, with $110M+ in closed or pipeline transactions since Jan 2025 and 14 straight months of 20%+ MoM growth.

The real story is this: Caprae is designing a new playbook for how talent is developed, boards are held accountable, and operators are empowered.

"Most PE guys don't even like each other," Hong adds. "We don't want to fit in. We want to change what it means to lead."

About Caprae Capital Partners

Caprae is a next-generation private equity and ETA platform that combines AI tooling, operator DNA, and a founder-first model to scale lower middle market businesses. With over $50M in closed transactions in 2025, an additional $60M+ in the 2026 pipeline, and 20%+ MoM growth for 14+ months, Caprae is pioneering a new standard for what LMM private equity can become - built by operators, not overlords.

For internship opportunities, partnership inquiries, or media requests, visit capraecapital.com or contact [email protected]

SOURCE: Caprae Capital

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

W.Stewart--AT