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Why depth now beats scale in the private debt mid-market - Funds Europe

Reported by Funds-europe
Aug 25, 2026· 2 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • • The original Funds Europe article, titled "Why depth now beats scale in the private debt mid-market," could not be retrieved, so this summary rests on its headline and limited supplemental material.
  • • The headline frames a shift in private debt mid-market strategy in which manager depth of capability is valued over sheer fund size.
  • • Supplemental material from ICG describes a North American private debt strategy targeting businesses with $25 million to $250 million of EBITDA, with investment sizes of $50 million to $1 billion.
  • • The ICG strategy spans senior secured debt, unitranche, second lien, subordinated notes, holding company debt and preferred equity.
Summary
A Funds Europe article headlined "Why depth now beats scale in the private debt mid-market" argues that depth of expertise is becoming more valuable than scale in mid-market private debt. The full text was not available, so the specific arguments, data points and quoted sources cannot be confirmed from the article itself.

Supplemental material from ICG's North American Private Debt strategy illustrates the mid-market positioning the headline describes. According to ICG, the strategy typically invests in businesses with $25 million to $250 million of EBITDA, with investment sizes ranging from $50 million to $1 billion. It serves both private equity-sponsored and independent corporate borrowers.

The ICG portfolio spans senior secured debt, unitranche debt, second lien debt and subordinated notes, and extends into more junior instruments including holding company debt and preferred equity. ICG states that its team has more than two decades of private debt investing experience and seeks to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns across its credit portfolios.

The headline suggests that managers with specialized sourcing, underwriting and structuring capabilities may be gaining an edge over larger platforms in this segment. Readers should consult the original Funds Europe piece for the specific evidence behind this thesis.

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Sources

1 outlet

AlphaMaven summarised this story from the reporting below. Each link opens the original article.

Funds-europe Why depth now beats scale in the private debt mid-market - Funds Europe