Mainstay Partners was founded by Max Francois-Poncet and Jason Vahn in 2019 to partner with small business owners. In the years since, we have partnered with dozens of businesses to provide capital and support.
We target services businesses with $500k-$5M of EBITDA
We are active partners, not just capital providers. We work hands on with management to professionalize operations, recruit leadership talent, and implement systems that allow businesses to scale.
We raise capital directly into our companies, meaning we have no fund mandate to sell. Our flexible capital from industry leaders helps us prioritize the long-term investments needed to create a market-leading company.
Managing Partner
Max is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Mainstay Partners. In partnership with Jason, Max co-founded Fidelity Memorial Group, a multi-state funeral services platform with 50+ locations across 18 acquisitions. Mainstay Partners exited their investment in 2025.
Prior to Mainstay, Max completed a pre-MBA internship at Permira, a $35B+ global private equity firm, where he focused on consumer investments. Previously, he led business development at Grability, a grocery software company, and was an associate at Burch Creative Capital, a consumer and technology focused family office.
Max earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Max was raised in Paris and now lives in New York with his wife and son.
Managing Partner
Jason is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Mainstay Partners. In partnership with Jason, Max co-founded Fidelity Memorial Group, a multi-state funeral services platform with 50+ locations across 18 acquisitions. Mainstay Partners exited their investment in 2025.
Prior to Mainstay, Jason worked as an investment analyst at Canyon Partners, where he focused on debt and equity investments in the healthcare sector. Jason is a member of the Penn Libraries Young Alumni Board, the Children's Health Council at Cornell Weill, and the Reverse Rett Junior Board.
Jason earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Jason was raised in Los Angeles and now lives in New York with his wife and son.
