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By: Bailey McCann, Private Equity Strategies

Dallas-based, Tailwater Capital has successfully launched, and raised its first fund - Tailwater 1. Tailwater partnered with Landmark Partners to complete the secondary purchase of HM Capital's legacy energy portfolio, and is making investments that follow with HM Capital's approach. Tailwater principals Jason Downie and Edward Herring, have been a team for over 14 years, including work with HM Capital, and were involved with the legacy investments that are part of Tailwater 1.

Going forward, Tailwater will focus on investing in the energy industry with a primary focus on investments within the midstream and upstream sectors. The portfolio includes BlackBrush Oil & Gas, TexStar Midstream Services and SunTerra Well Services. During their tenure with HM Capital, Downie and Herring were responsible for the sourcing of these investments as well as the oversight of each company's performance through representation on each company's board. Both men spoke with Private Equity Strategies about the launch of their firm and new fund.

"We feel like US infrastructure and capital spend to get hydrocarbons to the market will continue to have an opportunity for returns over the next several years," Downie said. "We think it is a great time to be invested in oil and gas."

"We were part of the HM Capital team for 14 years, so we are very familiar with Landmark Partners as an LP, they have been involved since day one, and this is very much an extension of what we were already doing together," Herring explains. Herring and Downie have worked with Landmark Partners on investments in this space since the early 2000s, predating involvement with these portfolio companies.

Tailwater and HM Capital were represented by a team from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP led by partner Rodney Moore and Landmark Partners was represented by a team from Kirkland & Ellis LLP led by partner Michael Belsley.

"With Tailwater 1 we are bringing new capital to these investments, and are already almost 80% invested in our portfolio companies," Downie explains. "We are looking at a Tailwater 2 fund for calendar year 2014."

Investments will be focused on oil and gas companies in the US and Canada with an average bite size of $50-100m. As a team, the managing partners have invested over $1bn in equity capital, in the sector.