AE Industrial Partners

AE Industrial Partners (AEI) is a private investment firm focused on national security, aerospace and industrial services. Its history dates to 1998, when AeroEquity was founded by Brian Rowe and David Rowe, and the firm now reports USD 9.4 billion in assets under management and more than 155 investments closed since 2015. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, with an office in Washington, D.C., AEI invests in technologies and services it considers critical to national and economic security, across the long product lifecycles of its target markets. Milestones on its site include the launch of Fund III and Aerospace Leasing Fund II, recognition as one of GrowthCap's top private equity firms, and joining the ILPA Diversity in Action initiative and the ESG Data Convergence Initiative.

Strategies

• Private equity: control-oriented investments in strategically important middle-market companies, often as the first institutional partner after founder, family or corporate ownership, combining organic and acquisition-based growth
• Aerospace leasing: acquiring commercial aircraft and engines under tailored leases for current income and capital appreciation, including specialty leasing for mission-specific operating contracts and mid-life aircraft investments, run by a dedicated in-house team
• AE Ventures: a venture capital platform backing founders of high-growth hardware and software businesses in national security, aerospace and industrial markets, mainly from seed to Series B

Portfolio

Portfolio companies listed on the site include Applied Composites (composite components, assemblies and tooling for aerospace, headquartered in Lake Forest, California), Belcan (global engineering and IT consultancy and supply chain services, first invested in July 2015), BigBear.ai (NYSE: BBAI, artificial intelligence for decision dominance), Blue Raven Solutions (military aftermarket supply chain), BHI Energy (specialty services and staffing for energy), Kellstrom Aerospace (new and surplus aircraft parts and technical services for airlines, MROs and lessors), Gryphon (defence digital engineering, which integrated five acquisitions in under 18 months) and Attilius Technologies (an intelligence platform for national security, invested in August 2026). Several partners and operating partners held senior roles at Boeing, Gulfstream and GE Aviation.

Shows

AE Industrial Partners appears in the sponsor and exhibitor lists of Corporate Jet Investor Miami 2026, where it is listed among the lead sponsors, and the Paris Air Show 2027.

Contact

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