MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Northstar Capital (“Northstar”), a committed financing partner to private equity sponsors in the lower middle market, is pleased to announce its partnership with Seaside Equity Partners (“Seaside”) to support the refinancing of TalentSmartEQ.

Headquartered in San Diego, California, TalentSmartEQ is a leading provider of emotional intelligence (“EQ”) training, assessments, development solutions, and certification programs. Founded in 1995, the company offers onsite training, public workshops, coaching, and assessments designed to enhance leadership effectiveness, employee engagement, and team performance. TalentSmartEQ’s solutions have been adopted by more than 75% of the Fortune 500, delivering measurable workforce impact and helping organizations build stronger, more emotionally intelligent teams. For more information, please visit TALENTSMARTEQ.COM

Northstar provided a credit facility and an equity co-investment to support Seaside’s ongoing partnership with TalentSmartEQ. The transaction establishes a long-term capital partnership designed to strengthen the company’s balance sheet and position it for continued growth in the expanding EQ training and assessment market. TalentSmartEQ represents the sixteenth platform investment in Northstar Mezzanine Partners VIII, L.P.

About Northstar Capital

Northstar Capital is a private investment firm specializing in providing flexible credit solutions and equity co-investments for lower middle market companies. Since its founding in 1993, Northstar has raised more than $2.4 billion in capital and supported over 170 small businesses nationwide. The firm is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with an additional office in Fargo, North Dakota. Northstar invests across a broad range of industries, including healthcare, industrials, consumer, business services, food and agriculture, outsourcing, and distribution. For more information, please visit NORTHSTARCAPITAL.COM.

About Seaside Equity Partners

Seaside is a growth-oriented and operationally focused private equity firm based in San Diego, CA. The firm seeks to provide capital, resources, and strategic support to leading mission critical services businesses that are headquartered in the Western United States. With nearly $1.4 billion in AUM as of June 30, 2025, Seaside is actively pursuing new opportunities to partner with founder, family, and entrepreneur-owned businesses. For additional information, please visit SEASIDEEQUITY.COM.

Contacts

Brian Schneider – Managing Partner, Matt Lilledahl – Vice President, Kendall Williamson – Senior Associate