BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FM Capital, a venture capital firm focused on early-to-mid stage technology companies transforming the automotive and transportation industries, announces that Holman, a global automotive services leader, has acquired a minority interest in FM Capital. This is the first time an integrated automotive services organization has acquired a general partner interest in an automotive VC.
“We’ve collaborated with Holman for nearly a decade and they share our conviction about the massive opportunity in the transformation of the automotive industry,” said Chase Fraser, Founder and Managing Partner at FM Capital. “Their unrivaled combination of dealerships, fleet leasing and management services, and corporate venture capital arm is truly unique in the automotive sector, making Holman the ideal strategic partner for FM Capital.”
Since its inception, Holman’s venture capital arm has leveraged strategic investments and joint venture partnerships with early-stage businesses to increase its visibility into the everchanging landscape of the industry. These optics allow Holman to gauge the potential impact of emerging trends. The organization uses these investment opportunities to embrace innovation and strategically grow its various lines of business.
“We saw a tremendous opportunity to not only deepen our partnership with FM Capital, but also align our automotive expertise with a renowned investment firm, ensuring our venture capital business will continue to flourish,” said Bill Cariss, CEO of Holman Growth Ventures. “We’ve seen first-hand the value FM Capital brings to startups as well as investors. Together, we believe we can more quickly identify, fund, and scale promising automotive technologies that solve pain points and drive innovation across the industry.”
FM Capital’s investment focus is primarily on early to mid-stage companies across a range of transportation technologies, including: software supporting dealership operations, aftermarket services and remarketing; autonomy and sensors, connectivity and fleet management, and electrification and energy transition. The firm identifies trends and partners with teams who are both reinventing the movement of people and goods as well as redefining how transportation services are delivered and consumed.
“Holman’s investment sends a strong signal to the market that FM Capital has the vision, team, process, and now additional human and financial capital to deliver on our mission to scale transformative companies,” said Mark Norman, Managing Partner, FM Capital. “Their team, their network and their scale will create meaningful opportunities to create value for our portfolio companies and limited partners alike.”
Holman, currently celebrating its 100th anniversary, is an integrated, global automotive services organization. The company provides an extensive range of automotive related services including industry-leading fleet leasing and management; commercial vehicle equipment manufacturing; powertrain distribution and logistics services; insurance and risk management services; and retail automotive sales as one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the United States with 59 dealerships across nine states. Holman’s growth ventures division continues to invest in early-stage automotive technology companies.
About FM Capital
FM Capital is an investment firm dedicated to transforming transportation, partnering with entrepreneurs to provide clean, safe and efficient movement of people and goods as well as to innovate the customer and dealer experience in the sale and service of vehicles. The firm's unique and proprietary investment sourcing process drives high quality deal flow while its rapport and active engagement with management drive portfolio performance. FM Capital is comprised of industry professionals with deep experience in both investing and operations across the automotive and mobility industry. More information is available at www.fmcap.com.
About Holman
Holman is a global automotive leader that serves both commercial and consumer clients The Holman Way by always doing the right thing for our people, our customers, and the community since 1924. The Holman story began 100 years ago as a single Ford dealership in New Jersey. Today, Holman, headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, is one of the largest family-owned automotive service organizations in North America with nearly 9,000 employees across North America, the UK, and Germany.
Holman delivers a unique range of automotive services including industry-leading fleet management and leasing; commercial vehicle equipment manufacturing; powertrain distribution and logistics services; commercial and personal insurance and risk management; venture capital funding; and automotive retail sales as one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the United States. Guided by its deeply rooted core values and principles, Holman is continuously Driving What’s Right. For additional information, please visit Holman.com and connect with Holman on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
