Kirk Otis is a business leader with extensive experience developing and leading game- changing strategic initiatives, including leading strategic, operational, and financial operations, executing mergers and acquisitions, leading strategic corporate growth initiatives, working with VC and Private Equity funds, and leading growth-oriented companies. Kirk has completed over $13.5B in strategic transactions spanning 10 countries in North America, Europe, the mid-east, India, and Asia. He is a principal and leads the Dallas office of HawkEye Capital Partners Inc. and serves on the boards of three privately held firms. He has supported industrial companies, including aerospace, steel, chemical, and oil field service firms, technology companies including software, network, and semiconductor firms, and medical-focused companies, including labs, clinics, home health, equipment providers, and revenue cycle management firms.

 

He leads HawkEye Capital Partners, a national investment banking practice focused on lower to mid-market firms having EBITDA from $5M to $50M. He is launching a BDC (Business Development company) Fund, leads a think tank called Thought Leaders, is the President of Keiretsu Forum – North Texas, which is the leading angel network globally and is co-chair of The Directors Group for Business Navigators. He is also Managing Director of Merger Partners, focusing on connecting entrepreneurs seeking funding to fund acquisitions, management teams seeking capital, and teams looking to fund a management buyout with Private Equity capital.

 

Kirk started his career at PwC and progressed to a Corporate Finance role at LTV, focusing on tax-advantaged financings and debt restructurings. He then led the financial operations at a $600 million division of LTV. He moved to the network equipment industry in various corporate development roles for over 20 years at DSC Communications and Nortel Networks and completed over 50 transactions, including acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, technology transfer and licensing, and spin-outs to take the firms into new markets, new regions, and new products and services. He also managed Nortel Networks Ventures, which held over $200M of investments in 14 Venture Capital firms and 21 equity investments.

 

While leading TriLumina, he was awarded Entrepreneur of the year by Bosch GmbH, Start-up of the Year in New Mexico, Top 10 innovator in automotive electronics by Fortune Magazine and Forrester, led TriLumina to be profiled by Gartner, and has been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and various industry trade magazines.

 

At Merger Partners, his focus is connecting executive teams, management teams, and companies that are seeking capital to execute on a strategic transaction with Private Equity (PE) capital sources, matching the firm’s capital need with investors that embrace the investment thesis, size, and funding timeline. Kirk is also a member of the Artificial Intelligence Board at Tech Titans under the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, is Co-Chair of the Directors Group of Business Navigators, and a member of The Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance.