Comvest Credit Partners Co-Founder and Investment Committee Member Daniel Lee Joins Star Mountain Capital as Managing Director

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 14, 2026--

Star Mountain Capital, LLC (“Star Mountain”), a rapidly growing, employee-owned investment firm with ~$5 billion in assets under management (“AUM”), is pleased to announce that Daniel Lee has joined the firm as Managing Director, where he focuses on investment originations and business development. Mr. Lee brings extensive experience working with business owners and private equity sponsors to help create bespoke finance and private equity investment solutions. His 30 years of experience also includes working for large global audit and investment banking firms.

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“Daniel brings extensive private credit experience, a strong network and a demonstrated ability to source and execute investments while helping build and scale investment platforms,” said Brett Hickey, Founder & CEO of Star Mountain Capital. “We believe his experience and relationships will further enhance our origination capabilities as we continue to provide capital solutions to established lower middle-market businesses.”

Prior to joining Star Mountain, Mr. Lee was a Partner and Co-Founder of Comvest Capital Partners, a direct lending platform focused on providing growth capital to small and medium-sized businesses. During his 14 year tenure, the platform grew to $12 billion. He also co-founded the firm’s Consumer and Retail vertical, served as an Investment Committee member and helped grow its credit team.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Lee was an initial team member, Senior Director and Investment Committee Member at Dymas Capital, a Cerberus affiliate, which grew from inception to approximately $3 billion in assets under management during his seven-year tenure.

“Star Mountain has built a differentiated platform focused on providing capital to established lower middle-market businesses, a segment where deep relationships, disciplined underwriting and experience can be particularly valuable,” said Mr. Lee. “I look forward to working with the team to expand our origination capabilities, develop relationships with business owners and intermediaries and support the continued growth of the firm.”

Mr. Lee subsequently served as a Partner at Garnett Station Partners, a principal investment firm backing growth platforms with $3 to $50 million of EBITDA, and as a Partner and Co-Founder of Pin High Strategies, a merchant banking and advisory firm serving independent sponsors and founder-led businesses on capital raising and strategic growth assessments. His earlier career also included roles at Square 1 Bank, Salomon Smith Barney, Heller Financial and Arthur Andersen, where he began his career as an accountant before transitioning into investment banking and private markets investing.

Mr. Lee earned his Master of Business Administration with distinction from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.

About Star Mountain Capital

With ~$5 billion in AUM (committed capital including debt facilities as of 9/30/2026), Star Mountain specializes in providing scalable and data-driven investment solutions across two core strategies:

Star Mountain’s investors include public and private pensions, insurance companies, commercial banks, endowments, foundations, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. Employee-owned and sharing profits with 100% of its U.S. full-time employees, the firm prioritizes alignment of interests to maximize value for stakeholders.

Since 2010, Star Mountain has completed over 100 direct platform investments and 50 secondary / fund investments in the North American lower middle-market. The firm has been recognized as one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies and a Best Place to Work by Crain’s New York Business and Pensions & Investments.

For more information, visit www.starmountaincapital.com.

Legal Disclaimer:

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase interests in any investment product. Awards and recognitions by third-party rating agencies, companies or publications should not be interpreted as a guarantee of future results or performance. They should not be considered as an endorsement, recommendation or referral of Star Mountain Capital or its representatives by any client or third party. Rankings published by media and industry organizations are based on information provided by the recognized advisor. Additionally, readers should understand that past performance is not indicative of future results. Award descriptions and selection methodologies may vary.

Awards and Recognition Disclosure:

Star Mountain Capital’s awards and recognitions are based on third-party evaluations and criteria, which may be subjective. These honors do not imply a guarantee of future performance or an endorsement by current or past clients.

Ranking Methodologies:

Daniel Lee, Star Mountain Capital Managing Director.

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV spent a tranquil night in Rome's Gemelli hospital following an operation to remove the lower lobe of his right lung and a confirmed cancer diagnosis, the Vatican said in a statement Wednesday.

The Vatican said more information would be provided later in the day.

Tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said late Tuesday in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.

The medical bulletin made no mention of treatment going forward, and the Vatican said doctors were not currently speaking of chemotherapy or other therapies pending the results of other tests. The Vatican press office noted the medical statement spoke of the “radical” removal of the lobe as an indication that doctors removed all suspect tissue in hopes of removing any lingering traces of the cancer.

Leo’s lymph nodes also would have been removed and tested, to determine if the cancer had spread, and there was no word yet on those test results.

“Adenocarcinoma is the most common (type of lung cancer), also with the most favorable prognosis,” said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. “While we know the diagnosis, we now need to know the stage.”

“We now need to know how big it is, how many spots in the lung are involved. Is it just one nodule, or more than one, and the lymph nodes, are they cancerous?” Liu said.

If the cancer has spread, more tests will be needed to determine what kind of therapy to pursue, he said. Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy or targeted therapy, which involves oral pills for specific cancers.

Until that happens, it will remain unclear what the implications are for the pope’s long-term health; several experts told the AP an individual’s underlying health and fitness will be key determinants.

The 71-year-old was in the operating room for about three hours, the Vatican statement said on Tuesday. The surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes.

“The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the statement said, adding that the pope later returned to his room.

The right lung has three sections or lobes while the left has two. After one lobe is removed, the remainder of the lung can gradually compensate, especially in otherwise healthy and physically active people.

Leo had walked into the Gemelli hospital through the main entrance earlier in the day and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him. The Vatican said the surgery would be performed by a team led by Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora.

The American pontiff has offered a rare level of transparency about the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy. He revealed the discovery of the localized nodule during his Sunday noon prayer and said he would have it removed.

Oncologists said prior to the operation that even if the nodule turned out to be cancerous, Leo’s prognosis would be “excellent” since it would have been removed at an early stage.

The Vatican on Monday canceled all Leo’s audiences through Oct. 20.

While Gemelli has a specific papal apartment that past popes have used, complete with a private chapel on the 10th floor, Leo will actually be staying in a nearby room since the papal apartment is undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office.

There was no word on whether Leo would be able to keep his planned trip to South America next month.

Oncology surgeons often advise patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery — which would give the pope just the interval needed to make his planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, depending on his recovery.

The current itinerary for the trip is ambitious and the longest of his papacy to date, calling for Leo to clock just over 31,000 kilometers (19,000 miles) on a dozen flights and two helicopter rides, and a significant altitude change in Peru.

“If it is stage 1, he can complete these trips. If more treatment is needed, I would likely advise against the trips,” said Liu, who is not involved in the pope's care.

Barry reported from Milan. Associated Press writer Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Medical Director Andrea Cambieri, right, receives Pope Leo XIV as he arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where he's expected to be operated to remove a lung nodule. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

An image of Pope Leo XIV rests at the base of a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, where Leo is hospitalized for surgery to remove a lung nodule, in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)