John Knoll

John Knoll is a Managing Director and Co-Founder of Oval Partners with over twenty years of history in Private Equity. His industry experience spans numerous end markets including software, electronics, IT, financial and business services, high mix manufacturing, and industrial technology. Within these markets, he has executed a wide range of transaction sizes and types, including founder exits and recapitalizations, take privates, corporate carve-outs, and asset purchases under bankruptcy reorganization. These toehold transactions often led to additional tuck-in acquisitions as part of a buy and build strategy to consolidate niche, fragmented end markets. Prior to Oval’s formation, John spent fourteen years at Golden Gate Capital (GGC) starting with the firm’s formation in 2000. At GGC, John invested in a variety of end markets across the GDP before leading the tech hardware and electronics vertical. His career started as a management consultant for four years with Bain & Company in the San Francisco and Stockholm offices.

He holds an M.B.A from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a B.S. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University.

John is married with three children and lives in Atherton, CA.