Dallas-based Kane & Company Insights, which advises private equity firms in due diligence, has named Stuart Skeates as partner and chief operating officer in the firm’s new Washington, D.C. office and Jacob Hormes as partner in its Dallas headquarters.

Kane & Company was founded to provide focused, senior-led commercial due diligence that answers the key questions fueling clients’ investment decisions, the firm said. Its differentiated approach challenges the traditional consulting model in commercial due diligence, in which consulting firms often produce costly, dense, and imprecise deliverables created by junior team members. Adding Skeates and Hormes to the team bolsters Kane & Company’s ability to deliver on its mission while expanding its geographic footprint and deepening its expertise across technology, consumer, healthcare, industrials, and business services, the firm said.

Founder and CEO Mark Kane said Skeats and Hormes “share our view that commercial due diligence should be treated as a true partnership with the deal team that helps shape the investment decision, rather than a procedural rubber stamp at the end of a deal process.”

“Their experience advising investors and commitment to a senior-led approach will help us to continue delivering deeper insights and clearer answers for private equity clients,” Kane added in a statement. “Stuart’s addition also establishes Kane & Company’s presence in Washington, D.C., an important step in our strategy to build a national platform for delivering senior-led diligence to private equity investors.”

Leading operations and new D.C. office

With more than a decade of experience advising investors on due diligence, value creation, and strategy, Skeates previously spent nine years at McKinsey & Company in the firm’s London and Washington, D.C. offices. During his tenure there, he supported private equity investors on commercial due diligence and post-investment strategy spanning technology, industrials, financial services, retail, healthcare, and the green economy. He is also an experienced business operator, having successfully acquired and expanded a chain of children’s gymnastics facilities in the Washington, D.C. area. 

At Kane & Company, Skeates will oversee due diligence engagements across the technology, industrials, and telecommunications sectors and lead operations from the firm’s D.C. office.

“The best commercial due diligence happens when experienced practitioners are deeply involved in the work alongside the client deal team—speaking directly with customers and experts, interpreting the results, and building and presenting recommendations to the client,” Skeates said. “Kane & Company was built around that principle, and I’m excited to help bring our approach to more private equity investors as we establish the Firm’s presence in the nation’s capital.”

Answering ‘our clients’ most important questions’

Hormes brings more than a decade of consulting and private equity advisory experience, including ten years at Bain & Company, where he specialized in due diligence and growth strategy engagements for private equity clients. His experience includes consumer, retail, and business services sectors, with diligence engagements across retail, hospitality, consumer products, managed services, last-mile delivery, and commercial insurance.

Hormes is an experienced entrepreneur, having sourced, acquired, operated, and exited a number of businesses across baked goods, salons, and bars in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. 

“Too often commercial due diligence turns into a bloated process that produces hundreds of pages that fail to answer the critical questions that actually determine the viability of an investment opportunity,” Hormes said. “I was drawn to Kane & Company because they understand the quality of the output, the seniority of the team, the flexibility of the engagement, and the closeness of the partnership are the metrics that matter most. I look forward to working alongside Mark, Stuart, and the full Kane & Company team to deliver clear answers to our clients’ most important questions.”

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